Witez II: The Stallion Saved by War
Few Arabian horses have lived through a story as dramatic as that of Witez II. Born at Janów Podlaski shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, he survived the invasion of Poland, the removal of valuable horses from their homeland, years under German control, and the dangerous final weeks of the war in Europe. His journey eventually took him across the Atlantic, where he became an important sire and one of the best-known Polish Arabians in the United States.
Yet Witez II should not be remembered only as a horse rescued from war. His lasting importance rests equally on his pedigree, his breeding career, and the part he played in introducing influential Polish Arabian bloodlines to American breeders.
Born into Poland’s Arabian tradition
Witez II was foaled on April 1, 1938, at the historic Janów Podlaski State Stud in Poland. He was a bay stallion bred by Ofir out of the mare Federacja, whose sire was the desert-bred Burgas. His pedigree brought together important elements of Polish Arabian breeding at a time when Janów Podlaski was producing a group of horses that would have a lasting influence on the breed.
His sire, Ofir, was a son of Kuhailan Haifi, a desert-bred stallion imported to Poland in 1931 for Prince Roman Sanguszko’s Gumniska Stud. Kuhailan Haifi had only a short breeding career, but Ofir became his best-known son and an exceptionally important sire in Polish breeding.
The foals sired by Ofir in 1938 included several colts that would become historically significant. Alongside Witez II were Witraz, later famous as the sire of Bask, and Wielki Szlem, who became an influential sire and broodmare sire. Polish historical accounts sometimes refer to a larger group of noteworthy Ofir sons from that foal crop, but these three in particular became widely recognized for their influence on later generations.
Witez II was described as an elegant horse with a distinctly noble appearance. According to archival material held by the National Sporting Library & Museum, his name was derived from a Polish word associated with a prince or knight, chosen because of his regal presence and his resemblance to Kuhailan Haifi.
Under normal circumstances, Witez II might have entered Poland’s established system of race testing and breeding selection. But he was only a yearling when Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. The world into which he had been born disappeared almost overnight.
Janów Podlaski during the invasion
The invasion placed Janów Podlaski and its horses in immediate danger. The stud was evacuated, but the movement of valuable horses during a military campaign was difficult and chaotic. Polish personnel tried to protect as much of the breeding stock as they could, while the advancing armies viewed valuable horses as military assets and spoils of war.
Many mature horses from Janów were taken east following the Soviet occupation of part of Poland. Witez II, still a young horse, escaped that particular removal and was eventually returned to Janów. The stud subsequently came under German administration. His sire Ofir and dam Federacja were among the horses lost to Poland during the wartime upheaval, while other members of the same bloodline were taken into Soviet breeding programs.
Witez II was reportedly prepared for racing, as racing performance had long been an important part of Polish Arabian selection. Wartime conditions, however, disrupted or cancelled normal racing activity. Instead of developing a race record, the young stallion entered breeding service.
The fact that Witez II survived the opening years of the war was already remarkable. His most dangerous journey, however, was still ahead.
From Janów to Hostau
As the war continued, Witez II was transferred from Janów Podlaski to Hostau, in what is now the Czech Republic. The Germans had assembled a large collection of valuable horses there, including breeding stock taken from different parts of occupied Europe. The horses represented several breeds and came from studs disrupted or seized during the conflict.
By the spring of 1945, Nazi Germany was collapsing. Hostau was threatened by the approaching Soviet forces, and those responsible for the horses feared what might happen if the animals were caught in the fighting or taken by troops struggling with severe shortages of food and supplies. The concern was not theoretical. Across Europe, the war had already destroyed breeding farms, scattered bloodlines and caused the deaths of countless horses.
Contact was made with American forces, leading to the operation commonly associated with the rescue of the Hostau horses. American troops entered the area and brought the horses under their control before the Soviet advance reached the farm. Witez II was among the animals recovered in 1945.
The episode is sometimes presented in highly romanticized terms, and details have been retold differently over the years. What is firmly documented is that Witez II had been taken to Hostau, that American forces recovered the horses there in 1945, and that he subsequently entered the United States Army’s remount system.
For Witez II, the end of the European war did not mean a return to Janów Podlaski. Instead, his life would continue in a new country.
A Polish Arabian in America
Witez II arrived in the United States in 1945 and became part of the United States Army Remount Service. The Remount Service had been created to provide and improve horses for military use, but it also played a part in the development of American horse breeding by making selected stallions available to breeders.
When the Remount Service was discontinued after the war, Witez II was sold in 1949 to Earle E. and Frances Hurlbutt. He then stood at their Calarabia Ranch in California, where he remained for the rest of his life.
His arrival offered American breeders access to a representative of a highly respected Polish family. Witez II carried the blood of Ofir and Kuhailan Haifi, while his close relatives included some of the most influential horses produced by pre-war Poland. This made him valuable not simply because of his dramatic history, but because he represented bloodlines that the war had placed in serious danger.
Witez II also gained recognition in the show ring. He was named Grand Champion at the Southern California All-Arabian Show in 1951 and Pacific Coast Champion Stallion in 1953, when he was already fifteen years old. These achievements helped establish his reputation among American Arabian breeders and demonstrated that the mature stallion retained the quality and presence associated with his early descriptions.
Building an American legacy
At Calarabia Ranch, Witez II developed an extensive breeding record. According to the National Sporting Library & Museum’s archival description, he had sired 215 foals by 1964, with more than thirty halter champions among his offspring. At least four of his descendants also earned the title of Pacific Coast Champion.
Numbers alone, however, do not fully explain his significance. Witez II helped place pre-war Polish breeding before a growing American audience. His descendants entered numerous programs, allowing his pedigree to become part of the broader development of the Arabian horse in North America.
This influence unfolded during an important period for the breed in the United States. Interest in Arabian horses was expanding, shows were becoming more prominent, and breeders were increasingly looking to established international sources for type, athletic ability and pedigree diversity. Witez II arrived with all three, along with a compelling history that made him instantly memorable.
His life also illustrates the different paths taken by members of the same family. Witraz remained central to Polish breeding and produced Bask, who would eventually become one of the most celebrated Arabian stallions imported to the United States. Wielki Szlem built his own legacy in Poland. Witez II, meanwhile, established a separate American branch of Ofir’s influence after circumstances prevented him from returning home.
More than a wartime survivor
Witez II died at Calarabia Ranch on June 9, 1965. By then, he had moved far beyond the uncertain position of a displaced European horse. He had become a champion, a prolific sire and a recognized representative of Polish Arabian breeding in America.
His story is often told as an adventure, and understandably so. Few horses passed through so many turning points of twentieth-century history. He was born at Janów Podlaski during the final year of peace, survived the destruction that followed the invasion of Poland, was moved across occupied Europe, recovered by the United States Army and transported to an entirely new life in America.
But describing Witez II only as “the stallion saved by war” would leave his story incomplete. Rescue gave him the opportunity to survive. His quality as an Arabian stallion gave that survival lasting meaning.
Witez II became a living connection to the Polish breeding tradition that existed before the war. Through his descendants, he helped preserve and extend a genetic legacy that might otherwise have been diminished by the destruction and displacement of the period. His championship titles confirmed his individual merit, while his many successful offspring established a legacy that continued beyond his lifetime.
The history of the Arabian horse is filled with journeys between deserts, royal studs, state farms and private breeding programs. Yet the journey of Witez II remains exceptional. It was shaped not by careful planning, but by invasion, occupation and rescue. Against that unsettled background, a young stallion from Janów Podlaski found a second home and became part of the history of the Arabian horse in America.
Witez II survived because people recognized that the horses at Hostau represented something worth preserving. His later career proved that judgment correct. He was not simply a relic rescued from a disappearing world. He was a breeding stallion capable of carrying that world forward.
