He was the son of Ignacy Bołtuć, General in the Russian Imperial Army of Polish noble descent, and his wife, Anna Łabuńska, of Rzeczyca.

[citation needed] During World War I, Bołtuć served in the Imperial Russian Army.

His nomination to the rank of general was held back for several years, in part because of his anti-religious attitude and his reservations about Poland's military spending patterns.

[citation needed] During World War II, he commanded an Operation Group, a unit short of an army, within the Army Pomorze, the only Polish unit that entered German territory (in East Prussia) for two days during the September Campaign and withstood attacks of much larger German forces.

Monograph: Generał Mikołaj Bołtuć Wizerunek Żołnierza author: Bohdan Królikowski Nakładem Stawarzyszenia Katolików Wojskowych ISBN 83-906281-1-2, Warszawa/Warsaw 1998.