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{{short description|Term applied to a variety of anti-Soviet and anti-communist Polish resistance movements}}
] in ], ].]]
{{details|Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)}}
The ''''cursed soldiers'''' ({{lang-pl|Żołnierze wyklęci}}) is a name applied to a variety of ] ]s that were formed in the later stages of ] and afterwards. Created by former members of the ], these organizations continued the struggle against the ] ] well into the ]. Most of these groups ceased operations in the late 1940s or 1950s. However, the last 'cursed soldier', ], was killed in an ambush as late as 1963, almost 20 years after the Soviet take-over of Poland.
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{{use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox military unit
|native_name = '''''Żołnierze wyklęci'''''
|unit_name = ''Cursed soldiers''<!-- Use translation - no source for "abandoned" -->
|image = Tarzan Zelazny Sokol Krzewina (VI-1947).jpg
|image_size = 320
|caption = "Cursed soldiers" of anti-communist underground, June 1947. From left:
{{flatlist|
*Henryk Wybranowski - ] "Tarzan" (killed Nov. 1948)
*Edward Taraszkiewicz - "Żelazny" (killed Oct. 1951)
*Mieczysław Małecki - "Sokół" (killed Nov. 1947)
*Stanisław Pakuła - "Krzewina" }}
|dates = 1944–1947
|country = {{flag|Poland|1928}}
|allegiance = ] (])
|type =
|role = Armed forces of the ] and the ]
|size = Varied, {{circa}} 150,000-200,000 at peak.<ref>Atlas polskiego podziemia niepodległościowego 1944–1956, Warszawa–Lublin 2007, s. XXXIII.</ref> <br>After ], 200-400 people remained in active, armed conspiracy.<ref>Sławomir Poleszak, Rafał Wnuk: Zarys dziejów polskiego podziemia niepodległościowego 1944–1956. W: Atlas polskiego podziemia niepodległościowego 1944–1956. Wyd. 1. Warszawa – Lublin: IPN, 2007, s. XXII–XXXVIII. {{ISBN|978-83-60464-45-8}}.</ref>
}}
The "'''cursed soldiers'''"<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rvM_CgAAQBAJ|title=The Communist Century: From Revolution To Decay: 1917 to 2000|first=Chris|last=Kostov|date=14 May 2015|publisher=Andrews UK Limited|isbn=9781785382178|via=Google Books}}</ref> (also known as "'''doomed soldiers'''",<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-poland/polish-group-sues-argentine-paper-under-new-holocaust-law-idUSKCN1GF0RF|title=Polish group sues Argentine paper under new Holocaust law|date=2018-03-04|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-03-04}}</ref> "'''accursed soldiers'''", or "'''damned soldiers'''"; {{langx|pl|żołnierze wyklęci}}) or "'''indomitable soldiers'''"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msz.gov.pl/en/p/nairobi_ke_a_en/news/1st_of__march____indomitable__soldiers_national_remembrance_day?channel=www|title=1st of March - "Indomitable" Soldiers National Remembrance Day|website=www.msz.gov.pl}}</ref> ({{langx|pl|żołnierze niezłomni}}) were a heterogeneous array of ]-] and ] ] formed in the later stages of ] and in ] by members of the ]. The above terms, introduced in the early 1990s,<ref>, and interview with professor ]</ref> reflect the stance of many of the '''diehard soldiers'''.


These clandestine organisations continued their armed struggle against ] waged ] well into the 1950s, including attacks against ] and state ], detention facilities for political prisoners, and the concentration camps that had been set up across the country. Most Polish anti-communist groups ceased to exist in the late 1950s, as they were hunted down by agents of the ] and the Soviet ].<ref name="Bagley">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/spywarsmolesmyst00bagl | url-access=registration | quote=puppet government they had set up formally disbanded the AK. | title=Spy wars: moles, mysteries, and deadly games | publisher=] | year=2007 | access-date=May 24, 2011 | author=Tennent H. Bagley | pages= | isbn=978-0-300-12198-8 }}</ref> The last known "cursed soldier", ], was killed in a 1963 ambush.<ref name="muzeum.krosno">{{cite web | url=http://www.muzeum.krosno.pl/archiwum/zolnierze_wykleci/zolnierze.htm | title=Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie po 1945 roku | publisher=Muzeum Podkarpackie, ] | year=2007 | access-date=May 29, 2011 | quote=w 50 lat po zamordowaniu członków IV Zarządu Głównego Zrzeszenia ''Wolność i Niezawisłość'' | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503203703/http://www.muzeum.krosno.pl/archiwum/zolnierze_wykleci/zolnierze.htm | archive-date=May 3, 2007}} &nbsp;{{in lang|pl}}</ref><ref name="ipn.gov.pl">{{cite web | url=http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/359/925/ | title=Żołnierze wyklęci. Antykomunistyczne podziemie na Rzeszowszczyźnie po1944 roku | publisher=] | year=2001 | access-date=May 29, 2011 | author=Agnieszka Adamiak, Oddziałowe Biuro Edukacji Publicznej | archive-date=February 7, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207124559/http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/359/925/ | url-status=dead }} &nbsp;{{in lang|pl}}</ref>
== History ==
The main ], ] (or simply AK), officially disbanded on ] ] to avoid armed conflict with the ] and the prospect of a civil war. However, many units decided to continue their struggle under new circumstances, seeing the Soviet forces as new occupiers. ] had already been ordered by Moscow on June 22, 1943 to engage Polish partisans in combat,<ref name="Piotrowski">], ''Poland's Holocaust'', McFarland & Company, 1997, ISBN 0786403713. , , </ref> and in those territories they actually attacked the Poles more often than they did the Germans.<ref name="Chod">, by ], in ], April 2006</ref> Similarly, the main forces of the ] and the ] conducted operations against AK partisans, even during or directly after the Polish ], which was designed by the Poles to be a joint Polish-Soviet action against the retreating Germans.<ref name="Rzecz">], 02.10.04 Nr 232, '''' (Great hunt: the persecutions of AK soldiers in the People's Republic of Poland), last accessed on 7 June 2006</ref> ]'s aim was to ensure that an independent Poland would never reemerge in the postwar period.<ref name="JOG">], in ], January 1999.</ref>


The best-known Polish anti-communist resistance organisations operating in ] included ] (''Wolność i Niezawisłość'', ''WIN''), the ] (''Narodowe Siły Zbrojne'', ''NSZ''), the ] (''Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe'', ''NZW''), the Underground Polish Army ('']'', ''KWP''), the Home Army Resistance ('']'', ''ROAK''), the Citizens' Home Army ('']'', ''AKO''), NO ('']'', short for ''Niepodległość''), the ] (''Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj''), and Freedom and Justice ('']'', ''WiS'').<ref name="ipn.gov.pl" />
The ] and ]s viewed most of the Polish underground, which was loyal to the ], as a force that had to be removed before they could gain complete control over Poland.<ref name="Chod"/> Future ] of ], ], is quoted as saying: "Soldiers of AK are a hostile element which must be removed without mercy." Another prominent Polish communist, ], said that the AK had to be "exterminated."<ref name="Rzecz"/>


Similar anti-communist insurgencies occurred in other ] countries. The "cursed soldiers" have prompted controversy over the degree to which individual fighters or their units were involved in ]s against Jews or other ethnic minorities on Polish soil or against civilians generally. Common responses to such accusations have included that the accusations were partly or completely fabricated as communist propaganda to discredit the soldiers, or that any genuine victims were killed because of their involvement in, or cooperation with, communist authorities and that their ethnicity had little if any bearing on their demise.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Engelking |first1=Barbara |last2=Leociak |first2=Jacek |last3=Libionka |first3=Dariusz |title=]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GwlnAAAAMAAJ |isbn=9788322724323 |page=195 |language=pl}}
The first AK structure designed primarily to deal with the Soviet threat was the ], formed in mid-1943. NIE's goal was not to engage the Soviet forces in combat, but rather to observe and conduct ] while the Polish government-in-exile decided how to deal with the Soviets. At that time, the exiled government still believed that the solution could be found through negotiations. On May 7, 1945, the NIE ("NO") was disbanded and transformed into the ] ("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland"). However, this organization lasted only until August 8, 1945, when the decision was made to disband it and stop ] resistance on Polish territory.<ref name="Rzecz"/>
*{{cite web |last1=Siegień |first1=Paulina |last2=Siegień |first2=Wojciech |title=An unwanted march: Polish nationalists honour anti-communist partisans accused of war crimes |url=https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/02/24/an-unwanted-march-polish-nationalists-honour-anti-communist-partisans-accused-of-war-crimes/ |publisher=Notes from Poland |access-date=22 March 2023 |date=24 February 2020|quote="I very much appreciate the actions of Romuald 'Bury' Rajs," one participant in the march, Wiesław Bielawski, tells us. "Bury was one of the greatest Polish heroes of the postwar period. He and his troops fought communists, managed to eliminate communist party cells, fought people collaborating with communists, executed traitors to the Polish nation." Asked if civilians killed in 1946 were traitors to the Polish nation, Bielawski and his friends argue that civilians died only because they did not obey the orders of Bury's soldiers. Why did Bury burn one of the villages? Because this property served traitors to the Polish nation.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Koschalka |first1=Ben |title=Poles should be willing to die for their country like the "cursed soldiers", says PM |url=https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/03/02/poles-should-be-willing-to-die-for-their-country-like-the-cursed-soldiers-says-pm/ |publisher=Notes from Poland |access-date=22 March 2023 |date=2 March 2020 |quote=But commemoration of the cursed soldiers also often stirs controversy, given that among the undisputed heroes, such as Pilecki, are some figures who have been found responsible for the killing of civilians, including from ethnic minorities such as Jews and Belarusians.}}
*{{cite web |last1=Tilles |first1=Daniel |title=Controversy over state commemoration of Polish anti-communist partisan accused of war crimes |url=https://notesfrompoland.com/2021/03/03/controversy-over-state-commemoration-of-polish-anti-communist-partisan-accused-of-war-crimes/ |publisher=Notes from Poland |access-date=22 March 2023 |date=3 March 2021|quote=But many in Poland – particularly on the political right – regard Szendzielarz as a hero for his role in fighting the wartime German occupiers and postwar communist authorities, who executed him in 1951. They often argue that the reputation of the cursed soldiers was deliberately and falsely tarnished by the communists. "The communists considered Szendzielarz one of their greatest opponents," said Piotr Niwiński, a historian at the ], quoted by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). " they tried to annihilate him not only physically but also through propaganda, blaming him for many crimes."}}
*{{cite web |last1=Tilles |first1=Daniel |title=Opposition MPs walk out as Polish parliament honours resistance fighter accused of war crime |url=https://notesfrompoland.com/2022/02/09/opposition-mps-walk-out-as-polish-parliament-honours-resistance-fighter-accused-of-war-crime/ |publisher=Notes from Poland |access-date=22 March 2023 |date=9 February 2022}}
*{{cite web |last1=Tilles |first1=Daniel |title=Jewish leaders condemn Polish coin honouring WWII partisan accused of murdering Jews |url=https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/03/22/jewish-leaders-condemn-polish-coin-honouring-wwii-partisan-accused-of-murdering-jews/ |publisher=Notes from Poland |access-date=22 March 2023 |date=22 March 2023|quote=On its website, the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) defends Kuraś's legacy. It argues he has been unfairly portrayed as a murderous antisemite due to the lasting effect of communist propaganda, which sought to sully the name of the cursed soldiers. The IPN admits that "Jews died at the hands of the underground". However, this was not because they were Jews, but because "of their service in the organs of repression, Polish Workers' Party or cooperation with the Department of Security".}}</ref>


==Historical background==
The first Polish communist government, ], was formed in July 1944, but declined jurisdiction over AK soldiers. Consequently, for more than a year, it was Soviet agencies like the ] that took care of dealing with the AK. By the end of the war, approximately 60,000 soldiers of the AK had been arrested, and 50,000 of them were deported to the Soviet Union's ] and prisons. Most of those soldiers had been captured by the Soviets during or in the aftermath of ], when many AK units tried to cooperate with the Soviets in a nationwide uprising against the Germans.<ref name="Rzecz"/> Other veterans were arrested when they decided to approach the government after being promised ]. After repeated broken promises during the first few years of communist control, AK soldiers stopped trusting the government.<ref name="Rzecz"/>
]'' in ], ]]]


In the summer of 1944, as Soviet forces advanced into Poland, the USSR set up a provisional ] called the ]. The new government was aware that the ] (whose chief component was the ] or Home Army) and Underground State loyal to the ] would have to be destroyed before they could gain complete control over Poland.<ref name="Chod"/> ], future ] of the ], said that "Soldiers of the Armia Krajowa (AK) are a hostile element which must be removed without mercy". Another prominent communist, ], said that the AK had to be "exterminated".<ref name="Rzecz"/>
The third AK organization was ] ("Freedom and Sovereignty"). Again, its primary goal was not combat; rather, the WiN was designed to help AK soldiers transition from the life of partisans to that of civilians. The continued secrecy and conspiracy were necessary in light of the increasing persecution of AK veterans by the communist government. WiN was, however, much in need of funds to pay for false documents and to provide resources for the partisans, many of whom had lost their homes and entire life's savings in the war. Viewed as enemies of the state, starved of resources, and with a vocal faction advocating armed resistance against the Soviets and their Polish proxies, WiN was far from efficient.<ref name="Rzecz"/> A significant victory for the NKVD and the newly created Polish secret police, ] (UB), came in the second half of 1945, when they managed to convince several leaders of the AK and WiN that they truly wanted to offer amnesty to AK members. Within a few months, they managed to gain information about vast numbers of AK/WiN resources and people. Several months later when the (imprisoned) AK and WiN leaders realized their mistake, the organization was crippled and thousands more of their members were arrested.<ref name="Rzecz"/> WiN was finally disbanded in 1952.


The Armia Krajowa officially disbanded on 19 January 1945 to prevent a slide into armed conflict with the ] and the increasing threat of civil war over Poland's sovereignty. However, many resistance cells decided to continue their struggle for Polish independence, and regarded Soviet forces as merely the new occupiers. ] had already been ordered by Moscow on 22 June 1943 to engage Polish partisans in combat.<ref name="Piotrowski">], ''Poland's Holocaust'', McFarland & Company, 1997, {{ISBN|0-7864-0371-3}}. , , .</ref>
The NKVD and UB were certainly not beyond using force. In the autumn of 1946, a group of 100-200 soldiers of ] (NSZ) were lured into a trap and massacred. By 1947, a colonel of the communist forces declared that "The terrorist and political underground has ceased to be a threatening force, although there are still men of the forests" that need to be dealt with.<ref name="Rzecz"/>


According to ]'s review of ]'s book ''Sowjetische Partisanen'', "Musial's study suggests that the Soviets seldom attacked German military and police targets. They preferred to assault the poorly-armed and poorly-trained Belarusan and Polish self-defense forces. Soviet guerrillas torched and leveled Polish landed estates much more frequently than they blew up military transports and assaulted other hard targets."<ref name="Chod">, by ], in '']'', April 2006.</ref> The main forces of the ] (the ]) and the ] began conducting operations against the ] (''Armia Krajowa'', ''A.K.'') during and directly after the launch of ], the Polish resistance's effort to seize control of cities and areas occupied by the Germans while the latter were preparing their defenses against the advancing Soviets.<ref name="Rzecz">Andrzej Kaczyński (2 October 2004), '''' {{grey|}}, ], Nr 232, last accessed 21 March 2016 via Internet Archive.</ref> Soviet leader ] planned to ensure that an independent Poland would never reemerge in the ] period.<ref name="JOG">Judith Olsak-Glass, , in '']'', January 1999.</ref>
The persecution of the AK was only part of the big picture of ] in Poland. In the period of 1944-1956, approximately two million people were arrested, and over 20,000 (including ], the hero of ]) were executed or murdered in communist prisons.<ref name="Rzecz"/> A further six million Polish citizens (i.e., one out of every three adult Poles) were classified as suspected members of a 'reactionary or criminal element' and subjected to investigation by state agencies.<ref name="Rzecz"/> In 1956, an amnesty released 35,000 former AK soldiers from prisons. For the crime of fighting for their homeland, they had spent 10 years or more years in prison. Still, some partisans remained in the countryside, unwilling or simply unable to rejoin the community. They became known as the ''cursed soldiers''. ] ("Ryba") was killed in 1957, and the last AK partisan, ] ("Lalek"), was killed in 1963<ref name="Rzecz"/> &mdash; almost two decades after the Second World War ended. It was only four years later, in 1967, that ], a soldier of the AK and a member of the elite, British-trained ] ("The Silent and Hidden") intelligence and support group, was released from prison. Until the end of the ], AK soldiers were under investigation by the secret police, and it was only in 1989, after the ], that the sentences of AK soldiers were finally declared invalid and annulled by the Polish courts.<ref name="Rzecz"/>


===Formation of the anti-communist underground===
== Organizations ==
]]]
Among the best-known of these organizations were:


The first AK structure designed primarily to deal with the Soviet threat was ] (short for '']'' "independence", and also meaning "]"), formed in mid-1943. NIE's goal was to observe and spy while the Polish government-in-exile decided how to deal with the Soviets, rather than to engage in combat. At that time, the exiled government still believed that negotiations could result in a solution leading to Poland's post-war independence.
* ] (''Freedom and Independence'', WIN)
* ] (''National Armed Forces'', NSZ)
* ] (''National Military Alliance'', NZW)
* ] (''Underground Polish Army'', KWP)
* ] (''Resistance of the Home Army'', ROAK)
* ] (''Citizens' Home Army'', AKO)
* ] (''NO'')
* ]


On 7 May 1945, NIE was disbanded and transformed into the ] ("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland"). This organization lasted only until August 8, 1945, when the decision was made{{who|date=February 2024}} to disband it and cease ] resistance on Polish territory.<ref name="Rzecz"/>
== Notable members ==
*] ], ]s "Argus", "Wojtek"
*] ], pseudonym "Harnaś"
*] ], pseudonyms "Orlik", "Dymek"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Albert
*Kpt. ], pseudonyms "Roman", "Bogusław", "Tadeusz"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Tom"
*] ], pseudonym "Sęk"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Roman"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Uskok"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Grom", "Zygmunt"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Rekin"
*] ], pseudonyms "Pług", "Ostrowski"
*Mjr./Ppłk. ] ], pseudonyms "Kuba", "Doman", "Kossak", "Łoziński"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Zapora"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Salwa
*] ], pseudonym "Myśliwy"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Klinga"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Topór"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Szary"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Ninka"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Zagończyk"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Groźny"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Huzar"
*Ppor./ppłk NSZ ], pseudonyms "Wąsowski", "Przepona", "Wąsal"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonyms "Iza", "Psarski", "Bronek
*Por. ], pseudonym "Wrzos"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Ciborski"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Kostek"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Kłyś"
*Ppor. ], pseudonyms "Wierzba", "Pulkownik"
*Płk/Gen. ], pseudonym "Wilk"
*Kpt. ], pseudonyms "Alfred", "Julian", "Lucjan"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Ogień"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Garbaty"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Longinus"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Głóg"
*Mjr. ], pseudonyms "Klamra", "Pomorski", "Kleszcz", "Zygmunt"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Młot"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonyms "Mścisław", "Wuj", "Jan"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Ryś"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Młot"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonyms "Żuraw", "Kazimierz", "Marian", "Roch"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Remiusz"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Ryba"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Łysy"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Wiktor"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Zmuda"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Domarat"
*Ppor. ], pseudonyms "Men", "Grot"
*Płk. ], pseudonym "Szubert"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Jeż"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Szary"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Majka"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Ojciec Jan"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Bury"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Lesiński"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Rawicz"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Ostoja"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Kacper"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Grot"
*Płk. ], pseudonyms "Kama", "Ira", "Oko", "Mila", "Olgierd", "Zbyszek", "Solski"
*Por. ], pseudonym "Tomasz"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Mestwin"
*Mjr. ], pseudonyms "Jerzy", "Dziki"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Boryna"
*Por. ], pseudonyms "Krzysztof", "Znicz"
*Płk. ], pseudonym "Kortum"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonyms "Wiatr", "Warta"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Warszyc"
*] ], pseudonym "Grom"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Szacun"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Sławbor"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Łupaszko"
*Ppor. ], pseudonyms "Szumny", "Grom", "Cichy"
*Mjr. ], pseudonym "Bruzda"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Żelazny"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Jastrząb"
*Ppłk. ], pseudonym "Jagodziński"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Mundek"
*Ppor. ], pseudonym "Zemsta"
*Kpt. ], pseudonym "Wołyniak"


In March 1945 a ] of 16 leaders of the ], captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union, took place in Moscow (]).<ref>Prazmowska, A. (2004) ''Civil war in Poland, 1942-1948'', Palgrave {{ISBN|0-333-98212-6}} Page 115</ref><ref name="Malcher">] (1993) ''Blank Pages'', Pyrford Press {{ISBN|1-897984-00-6}}, Page 73</ref><ref>Mikolajczyk, S. (1948) ''The pattern of Soviet domination'', Sampson Low, Marston & Co, Page 125</ref><ref>Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-39258-2}} Page 324</ref> The ], together with most members of the ] and the ] of the ], were invited by Soviet general ], with the agreement of ], to a conference on their eventual entry into the Soviet-backed Provisional Government. They were presented with a warrant of safety, but the ] arrested them in ] on 27 and 28 March.<ref>
== See also ==
Prazmowska, A. (2004) ''Civil war in Poland, 1942-1948'' Palgrave {{ISBN|0-333-98212-6}} Page 116</ref><ref>Michta, A. (1990) ''Red Eagle'' Stanford University {{ISBN|0-8179-8862-9}} Page 39</ref> ], ], and ] were arrested on 27 March, and 12 more the following day. Alexander Zwierzynski had already been detained earlier. They were all taken to the ] in Moscow for interrogation before trial.<ref>Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-39258-2}} Page 325-326</ref><ref>Umiastowski, R. (1946) ''Poland, Russia and Great Britain 1941-1945'' Hollis & Carter Pages 462-464</ref><ref>Piesakowski, T. (1990) ''The fate of Poles in the USSR 1939~1989'' Gryf Pages 198-199</ref> After several months of brutal interrogation and torture,<ref>Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-39258-2}} Page 335</ref> they were falsely charged with "] with ]" and "planning a military alliance with Nazi Germany".<ref>Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-39258-2}} Page 336
* ], ], ]
</ref><ref>Umiastowski, R. (1946) ''Poland, Russia and Great Britain 1941-1945'' Hollis & Carter Pages 467-468</ref>


The ] declined jurisdiction over former AK soldiers. Consequently, for more than a year, Soviet agencies such as the ] dealt with the AK. By the end of the war, approximately 60,000 AK soldiers had been arrested, and 50,000 of them were deported to the Soviet Union's prisons and prison camps. Most had been captured by the Soviets during or in the aftermath of ] when many AK units tried to cooperate with the Red Army during their nationwide uprising against the Germans.
==References==
<references/>


Other veterans were arrested when they approached the communist authorities after being promised ]. In 1947, the government of the ] proclaimed an ] for most wartime resistance fighters. The authorities expected around 12,000 people to give up their arms, but the total number of partisans to come out of the forests eventually reached 53,000. Many of them were arrested despite the promises. After repeated broken promises in the first few years of communist rule, former AK members refused to trust the government.<ref name="Rzecz"/>
==External links==

*{{en icon}} of an exhibition on '']''
After the ] ("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland") was disbanded, another post-AK resistance organisation was formed, called ] ("Freedom and Sovereignty"). Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN) was most concerned with helping former AK soldiers transition from life as partisans to that of civilians. Continued secrecy and conspiracy were necessary in light of the increasing persecution of AK veterans by the communist government. WiN was, however, much in need of funds to pay for false documents and to provide resources for the partisans, many of whom had lost their homes and entire life-savings in the war. Viewed as enemies of the state, starved of resources, and with a vocal faction advocating armed resistance against the Soviets and their Polish proxies, WiN was far from efficient. A significant victory for the NKVD and the newly created Polish secret police, ] (UB), came in the second half of 1945 when they convinced several leaders of WiN that they truly wanted to offer amnesty to AK members. Within a few months, intelligence gathered by the authorities led to thousands more arrests.<ref name="Rzecz"/> The primary period of WiN activity lasted until 1947. The organisation finally disbanded in 1952.<ref name="Piecuch1996">{{cite book|author=Henryk Piecuch|title=Akcje specjalne: od Bieruta do Ochaba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gbC1AAAAIAAJ|access-date=4 May 2012|year=1996|publisher=Wydawn. "69"|isbn=978-83-86244-05-8|page=116}}</ref>
*{{pl icon}}

*{{pl icon}}
===Persecution===
*{{pl icon}}
] poster showing a soldier of the ] striding over a partisan of the ] (]).]]
*{{pl icon}}

*{{pl icon}}
The NKVD and UB used brute force and deception to eliminate the underground opposition. In the autumn of 1946, a group of 100–200 "cursed soldiers" of the ] (National Armed Forces, NSZ) were lured into a trap and massacred. In 1947, Colonel ] of the ] proclaimed at a security briefing that: "{{grey|}}he terrorist and political underground" had ceased to be a threatening force for the UB, although the "class enemy" at universities, offices and factories still had to be "found out and neutralised."<ref name="Rzecz"/>
*{{pl icon}}

The persecution of AK members was only one aspect of the reign of Stalinist terror in postwar Poland. In the period from 1944 to 1956, at least 300,000 Polish civilians were arrested.<ref name="ipn.gov.pl-2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/2/1002/Otwarcie_wystawy_8222Zbrodnie_w_majestacie_prawa_1944821119568221_8211_Krakow_2_.html |title=Otwarcie wystawy "Zbrodnie w majestacie prawa 1944–1956" – Kraków, 2 lutego 2006 |publisher=] |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930192920/http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/pl/2/1002/Otwarcie_wystawy_8222Zbrodnie_w_majestacie_prawa_1944821119568221_8211_Krakow_2_.html |archive-date=September 30, 2012 }}</ref> Some sources claim that up to two million were arrested.<ref name="Rzecz"/> Approximately 6,000 death sentences were issued, and the majority of them were carried out.<ref name="ipn.gov.pl-2" /> It is probable that more than 20,000 people died in communist prisons. including those executed "in the majesty of the law", such as ], a hero of ].<ref name="Rzecz"/>

A further six million Polish citizens (i.e., one out of every three adult Poles) were classified as suspected members of a 'reactionary or criminal element' and subjected to investigation by state agencies. During the ] of 1956, a political amnesty freed 35,000 former AK soldiers from prisons. But some partisans remained in service, unwilling or simply unable to rejoin the civilian community. The ''cursed soldier'' Stanisław Marchewka "Ryba" ("The Fish") was killed in 1957, and the last AK partisan, ] "Lalek" ("Doller"), was killed in 1963 — almost two decades after the Second World War ended. In 1967, long after the abolition of Stalinist terror, ], the last member of the elite British-trained ] ("The Silent and Hidden") intelligence and support group, was finally released from prison. Until the end of the ]. Former AK soldiers were under constant investigation by the secret police. It was only in 1989, after the ], that the convictions of AK soldiers were finally declared invalid and annulled by Polish law.<ref name="Rzecz"/>

==Largest operations and actions==
{{Main|Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)}}
The biggest battle in the history of the ] (''Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe'', NZW) took place on 6–7 May 1945, in the village of ] in southeastern Poland. In the ], the partisans fought against the Soviet ''2nd Border Regiment'' of the NKVD, gaining a victory for the underground forces commanded by Major ] ("Marek"). The anti-communist fighters killed up to 70 Soviet agents. The NKVD troops retreated in haste, only to later return to the village and burn it to the ground in retaliation, destroying over 730 buildings.<ref name="epodkarpacie">{{cite web | url=http://epodkarpacie.com/index.php?page=guide&main_guide_id=60&usection_id=275&poll_id=1 | title=Kuryłówka village. Calendarium | publisher=Portal Podkarpacki | access-date=May 30, 2011 | author=Urząd Gminy Kuryłówka | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143657/http://epodkarpacie.com/index.php?page=guide&main_guide_id=60&usection_id=275&poll_id=1 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Davies-1">Norman Davies, ''No Simple Victory'', Viking Penguin, 2006. {{page needed|date=May 2011}}</ref>

On 21 May 1945, a heavily armed AK unit led by Colonel ], ] in ] on the eastern outskirts of ]. The Soviets had incarcerated hundreds of Polish citizens there,<ref name="Davies0">], '']'', 2004, Viking Penguin, {{ISBN|0-670-03284-0}}, p. 495</ref><ref name="Davies1">], '']'', 2003, Macmillan, {{ISBN|0-333-90568-7}}, p. 495</ref><ref name="Davies2">], '']'', 2004, Pan, {{ISBN|0-330-48863-5}}, p. 497</ref> including members of the Armia Krajowa.<ref name="Piotrowski1">Tadeusz Piotrowski, ''Poland's Holocaust: Ethnic Strife, Collaboration with Occupying Forces and Genocide in the Second Republic, 1918-1947'', McFarland & Company, 1998, {{ISBN|0-7864-0371-3}}, p.131 ()</ref>

===Pacification===
One of the biggest anti-partisan operations by the communist authorities took place from 10 to 25 June 1945, in and around the ] and ] regions of Poland. The "]" ({{langx|pl|Obława augustowska}}) was a joint operation of the Red Army, the Soviet NKVD, and ] battalions, with assistance from Polish ] and ] units, against Armia Krajowa resistance fighters. The operation extended into the territory of occupied ]. More than 2,000 suspected anti-communist Polish fighters were captured and detained in Soviet ] camps. About 600 of the "Augustów Missing" are presumed to have died in Soviet custody, their bodies buried in unknown mass graves on the present territory of Russia. The Polish ] has declared the 1945 Augustów roundup to be "the largest crime committed by the Soviets on Polish lands after World War II."<ref name="IPN-1">{{cite web|url=http://www1.ipn.gov.pl/portal.php?serwis=pl&dzial=177&id=816 |title=Konferencja IPN: "60. rocznica obławy augustowskiej." (IPN Conference on the 60th Anniversary of the Augustów roundup) |publisher=] |date=20 July 2005 |access-date=May 30, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722001109/http://www1.ipn.gov.pl/portal.php?serwis=pl&dzial=177&id=816 |archive-date=July 22, 2011 }} &nbsp;{{in lang|pl}}</ref>

==Anti-communist resistance organizations==
Among the best-known Polish underground organizations,<ref name="ipn.gov.pl" /> engaged in guerrilla warfare were:
# '']'' ("Freedom and Independence", WIN) founded on September 2, 1945, active to 1952.
# '']'' ("National Armed Forces", NSZ) created on September 20, 1942, split in March 1944.
# '']'' ("National Military Union", NZW) established in the mid-to-late 1940s, active until the mid-1950s.
# '']'' ("Underground Polish Army", KWP) which existed from April 1945 to as late as 1954.
# '']'' ("Resistance of the Home Army", ROAK) formed in 1944 against ].
# '']'' ("Citizens' Home Army", AKO) founded in February 1945, incorporated into Wolność i Niezawisłość in 1945.
# '']'' ("NO") formed in 1943, active till 7 May 1945.
# '']'' ("Delegature of the Polish Forces at Home") formed on May 7, 1945, dissolved on August 8, 1945.
# '']'' ("Freedom and Justice", WIS) founded in the early 1950s.

==Events==
*]
*] ({{langx|pl|Obława augustowska}})
*]
*]s
*]

==Notable members==
The following list (in most part), was taken from the book ''Not Only Katyń'' (''Nie tylko Katyń'') by Ireneusz Sewastianowicz and Stanisław Kulikowski (''Białostockie Wydawn. Prasowe'', 1990); Part 10: "The Augustow Missing," compiled by the Citizen Committee for Search of ] Inhabitants who Disappeared in July 1945 ('']'').<ref name="Not_Only">{{cite book |title=Not Only Katyn |author1=Ireneusz Sewastianowicz |author2=Stanisław Kulikowski |chapter=Part 10: "The Augustow Missing" |publisher=Białostockie Wydawn. Prasowe |year=1990 |website=The Doomed Soldiers. Polish Underground Soldiers 1944-1963 - The Untold Story |url=http://www.doomedsoldiers.com/not-only-katyn-the-augustow-missing.html}}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*Cpt. ] ('']'', ''"Argus"'' and ''"Wojtek"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Harnaś"'')
*Maj. ] (''"Orlik"'' and ''"Dymek"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Albert"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Roman"'', ''"Bogusław"'', and ''"Tadeusz"'')
*Lt. Stanisław Bogdanowicz (''"Tom"'')
*Lt. Col. ] (''"Sęk"'')
*Lt. Stefan Bronowski (''"Roman"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Uskok"'')
*Cpl Izydor Bukowski (''"Burza"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Grom"'' and ''"Zygmunt"'')
*Lt. Kazimierz Chmielowski (''"Rekin"'')
*Lt. Col. ] (''"Pług"'' and ''"Ostrowski"'')
*Maj./Lt. Col. of ] Tadeusz Danilewicz (''"Kuba"'', ''"Doman"'', ''"Kossak"'', and ''"Łoziński"'')
*Maj. ] (''"Zapora"'')
*Cpt. Jan Karol Dubaniowski (''"Salwa"'')
*2nd Lt. Władysław Dubielak (''"Myśliwy"'')
*Brig. Gen.] (''"Nil"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Bartek"'' and ''"Grot"'')
*] (''"Lalek"'')
*Lt. Henryk Glapiński (''"Klinga"'')
*Lt. Eugeniusz Godlewski (''"Topór"'')
*Maj. ] (''"Szary"'')
*Lt. Col. Tadeusz Jachimek (''"Ninka"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Zagończyk"'')
*2nd Lt. Henryk Jóźwiak (''"Groźny"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Huzar"'')
*2nd Lt./Lt. Col of NSZ ] (''"Wąsowski"'', ''"Przepona"'', and ''"Wąsal"'')
*Lt. Col. ] (''"Iza"'', ''"Psarski"'', and ''"Bronek"'')
*Lt. Jan Kempiński (''"Błysk"'')
*Lt. Stefan Kobos (''"Wrzos"'')
*Cpt. Jan Kosowski (''"Ciborski"'')
*Lt. Karol Kazimierz Kostecki (''"Kostek"'')
*Lt. Jan Kłyś (''"Kłyś"'')
*Lt. Michał Krupa (''"Wierzba"'' and ''"Pulkownik"'')
*Col./Brig. Gen. (]) ] (''"Wilk"'')
*Cpt. Ludwik Kubik (''"Alfred"'', ''"Julian"'', and ''"Lucjan"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Ogień"'')
*2nd Lt. Adam Kusz (''"Garbaty"'')
*2nd Lt. Władysław Kuśmierczyk (''"Longinus"'')
*Lt. Col. Wincenty Kwieciński (''"Głóg"'')
*Maj. ] (''"Klamra"'', ''"Pomorski"'', ''"Kleszcz"'', and ''"Zygmunt"'')
*Lt. Col. ] (''"Młot"'')
*Lt. Col. Władysław Liniarski (''"Mścisław"'', ''"Wuj"'', and ''"Jan"'')
*Lt. Stanisław Łukasik (''"Ryś"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Młot"'')
*Lt. Col. Józef Maciołek (''"Żuraw"'', ''"Kazimierz"'', ''"Marian"'', and ''"Roch"'')
*Cpt. Jan Marawca (''"Remiusz"'')
*2nd Lt. Stanisław Marchewka (''"Ryba"'')
*Lt. Józef Marcinkowski (''"Łysy"'')
*2nd Lt. Lucjan Minkiewicz (''"Wiktor"'')
*Maj. Kazimierz Mirecki (''"Zmuda"'')
*Cpt. Lech Neyman (''"Domarat"'')
*2nd Lt. Mieczysław Niedzielski (''"Men"'' and ''"Grot"'')
*Col. ] (''"Szubert"'')
*Lt. Wiktor Zacheusz Nowowiejski (''"Jeż"'')
*Lt. Col. ] (''"Lawicz"'', ''"Pohorecki"'')
*Maj. Mieczysław Pazderski (''"Szary"'')
*Lt. Stanisław Pelczer (''"Majka"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Witold"'')
*Lt. ] (''"Ojciec Jan"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Bury"'')
*Lt. Col. Albin Rak (''"Lesiński"'')
*Lt. Józef Ramatowski (''"Rawicz"'')
*Cpt. Wacław Rejmak (''"Ostoja"'')
*Maj. Zygmunt Rogalski (''"Kacper"'')
*Lt. Jan Rogólka (''"Grot"'')
*Col. Kazimierz Rolewicz ("Kama", "Ira", "Oko", "Mila", "Olgierd", "Zbyszek", and "Solski")
*Lt. Lechosław Roszkowski ("Tomasz")
*Lt. Col. Józef Rybicki ("Mestwin")
*Maj. Aleksander Rybnik ("Jerzy" and "Dziki")
*Maj. Józef Rządzki ("Boryna")
*Lt. ] ("Krzysztof" and "Znicz")
*Col. Antoni Sanojca ("Kortum")
*Lt. Col. ] ("Wiatr" and "Warta")
*] ("Inka")
*Cpt. ] ("Warszyc")
*Sgt. Władysław Stefanowski ("Grom")
*Maj. Stanisław Szacoń ("Szacun")
*Lt. Col. Jan Szczurek-Cergowski ("Sławbor")
*Maj. ] ("Łupaszko")
*2nd Lt. Teodor Śmiałowski ("Szumny", "Grom", and "Cichy")
*Franciszek Andrulewicz,<ref> at DoomedSoldiers.com</ref> his sister Janina and cousin Witold were also murdered;<ref> at DoomedSoldiers.com</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stankiewicze.com/index.php/index.php?kat=32&sub=1015|title=Janusz Stankiewicz. Genealogia, przodkowie, badania genealogiczne, forum dyskusyjne|first=Janusz|last=Stankiewicz|website=www.stankiewicze.com}}</ref> and the family had already lost at least one relative at the hands of the Nazis.
*Maj. Jan Tabortowski (''"Bruzda"'')
*2nd Lt. Edward Taraszkiewicz (''"Żelazny"'')
*2nd Lt. Leon Taraszkiewicz (''"Jastrząb"'')
*Lt. Col. Walerian Tumanowicz (''"Jagodziński"'')
*2nd Lt. ] (''"Mundek"'')
*2nd Lt. Eugeniusz Walewski (''"Zemsta"'')
*Cpt. ] (''"Wołyniak"'')
*2nd Lt. ] (''"Czarny Mecenas"'')
*Lt. Wacław Grabowski (''"Puszczyk"'')
*] (''"Rój"'')
{{div col end}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Witold Pilecki 1.JPG|] ("Witold")
File:Generał August Emil Fieldorf.jpg|] ("Nil")
File:Aleksander Krzyzanowski.jpg|] ("Wilk")
File:Zygmunt Szendzielarz (Łupaszka).jpg|] ("Łupaszko")
File:Marian Bernaciak-Orlik.jpg|] ("Orlik")
File:Józef Kuras Ogień.jpg|Lt. ] ("Ogień": "Fire")
File:Niepokolczycki Franciszek.jpg|Col. ] ("Teodor")
File:Danuta Siedzikowna Sopot.jpg|] ("Inka")
File:HenrykFlame.jpg|] ("Bartek")
File:Władysław Łukasiuk.JPG|] ("Młot": "Hammer")
File:Józef Franczak Lalek.jpg|] ("Lalek")
File:Łukasz Ciepliński.jpg|] ("Ludwik")
File:Waclaw Lipinski 1937.png|] ("Aleksander")
File:Mieczysław Dziemiszkiewicz Rój.jpg|] ("Rój")
</gallery>
{{col-end}}

==Cultural references==
The "cursed soldiers" served as an inspiration for numerous films, documentaries, books, stage plays, and songs and, in Poland, they have become the ultimate symbol of patriotism and heroic fight for fatherland against all odds. Notable examples include:

===Film===
]
*In 1958, ] directed the film '']'' whose main protagonist, Maciek Chełmicki, is a member of the ] underground in Poland.
*In 1990, Tadeusz Pawlicki directed a ] entitled ''Witold'', which is dedicated to the life of ], the author of ], the first comprehensive intelligence report on the atrocities committed at the ]. The film features interviews with Pilecki's wife and his children Zofia and Andrzej. It was broadcast on ] and ] television channels.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.filmweb.pl/film/Witold-1990-710362 |title=Witold |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 1995, Alina Czerniakowska directed a documentary in collaboration with historian Leszek Żebrowski on the Polish anti-communist underground after the end of ] entitled ''Zwycięstwo'' ("Victory").<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.filmweb.pl/film/Zwyci%C4%99stwo-1995-665087 |title=Zwycięstwo |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 1996, Tadeusz Pawlicki, directed the film ''My, ogniowe dzieci'', telling the story of ] alias ''Ogień'' ("Fire").<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.filmweb.pl/film/My%2C+ogniowe+dzieci-1996-680289 |title=My, ogniowe dzieci |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2000, Mariusz Pietrowski, directed ''Łupaszko'', a documentary film on the life of major ] (known as ''Łupaszko'').<ref>{{cite news|url=https://dzieje.pl/historia-w-kinie/kino-kresowe-w-dsh-projekcja-filmu-dokumentalnego-lupaszko |title=Kino Kresowe w DSH - projekcja filmu dokumentalnego "Łupaszko" |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2002, ] directed a documentary film devoted to the life of Józef Kuraś entitled ''A potem nazwali go bandytą'' ("And Then They Called Him a Bandit...").
*In 2004, a documentary ''Against the Odds: Resistance in Nazi Concentration Camps'' was produced. It features the story of Witold Pilecki.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446268/ |title=Against the Odds |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2007, Jerzy Zalewski's film ''Elegia na śmierć Roja'' is dedicated to portraying the history of ].
*In 2008, ] channel broadcast a two-part documentary entitled ''In the Name of the Polish People's Republic''.
*In 2009, a documentary series ''Cursed Soldiers'' was produced by Discovery Historia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://media2.pl/media/58310-Zolnierze-wykleci-nowy-cykl-w-Discovery-Historia.html. |title="Żołnierze wyklęci" - nowy cykl w Discovery Historia |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2013, Dariusz Walusiak's film ''Escape from Hell. Tracing the Steps of Witold Pilecki'' is dedicated to the escape of ], Jan Redzeja and Edward Ciesielski from the notorious ].
*In 2014, ''Heroes of War: Poland'' was produced by ] for the ] and features the life of Witold Pilecki.<ref>. Realscreen (25 April 2013). Retrieved 4 March 2020.</ref>
*In 2015, the ] channel produced a documentary film ''Inka. Zachowałam się jak trzeba'' directed by Arkadiusz Gołebiewski and portraying the life of ], a Polish ] in the 4th Squadron of the ] in ] who was captured, tortured and sentenced to death at the age of 17 by the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?film=1237128 |title=INKA. ZACHOWAŁAM SIĘ JAK TRZEBA |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://europeremembers.com/biography/danuta-siedzikowna-alias-inka/ |title=DANUTA SIEDZIKÓWNA, ALIAS 'INKA' |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://polandin.com/41545958/poland-honours-indomitable-soldiers |title=Poland honours Indomitable Soldiers |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>
*2016 saw the premiere of Jerzy Zalewski's film ''Historia Roja'' starring ] as the main character.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?film=1224594 |title=HISTORIA ROJA |access-date=4 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2017, Konrad Łęcki directed ''Wyklęty'' ("The Cursed"), a film based on the life of anti-communist resistance member ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.polishnews.com/konrad-lecki-o-kulisach-powstawania-filmu-wyklety |title=Konrad Łęcki o kulisach powstawania filmu "Wyklęty" |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>

===Music===
*In 1996, Leszek Czajkowski's album ''Śpiewnik oszołoma'' was published which includes a number of songs dedicated to the memory of the "cursed soldiers".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sw.org.pl/czajkowski.html |title=Pieśni Leszka Czajkowskiego |access-date=5 March 2020 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022193928/http://www.sw.org.pl/czajkowski.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*In 2009, a Polish-Norwegian ] band ] released an album ''Myśmy rebelianci'' ("We Are Rebels") honouring the legacy of the "cursed soldiers".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.discogs.com/De-Press-My%C5%9Bmy-Rebelianci-Piosenki-%C5%BBo%C5%82nierzy-Wykl%C4%99tych-Koncert/release/8079878 |title=De Press – Myśmy Rebelianci - Piosenki Żołnierzy Wyklętych - Koncert |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2011, Polish ] artist Tadek released a ] "''Żołnierze wyklęci''" to pay tribute to the members of the anti-communist underground operating after the end of the ] in Poland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://echodnia.eu/podkarpackie/tadek-firma-solo-bedzie-rapowal-o-wykletych-w-baranowie-sandomierskim/ar/13919245 |title=Tadek Firma Solo będzie rapował o Żołnierzach Wyklętych w Baranowie Sandomierskim |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2011, a hip hop band Hemp Gru, released an album ''Loyalty'', which features a single "Forgotten Heroes".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/10/6529/Artykul/2181910,Piosenki-na-100lecie-Hemp-Gru-Zapomniani-bohaterowie |title=Piosenki na 100-lecie. Hemp Gru "Zapomniani bohaterowie" |access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2012, Obłęd band released an album entitled ''100% Obłęd'' featuring a single dedicated to the Cursed Soldiers.
*In 2013, Polish ] Ptaku released an album ''NaRa'' featuring a single "''Żołnierze Wyklęci''" with references to the lives of ], ] and ].
*2013 saw the release of an album ''Panny wyklęte'', a music project by Dariusz Malejonek in collaboration with Polish singers including ], ] and ] devoted to the contribution of female members of the anti-communist movement.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ncpp.opole.pl/aktualnosci/panny-wyklete/ |title=Panny wyklęte |access-date=4 March 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*In 2013, rapper Evtis released three singles inspired by the history of the Cursed Soldiers: "The Volunteer" (referring to ]), "Indomitable Heroes" (referring to ], ] and ]), and "You Acted Right" (referring to ]).
*In 2013, Forteca band released an album ''Kto dziś upomni się o pamięć''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Forteca/Kto_dzi%C5%9B_upomni_si%C4%99_o_pami%C4%99%C4%87%3F/388761 |title=Kto dziś upomni się o pamięć? |access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2014, Joined band released a single "''Zabrali mi ciebie Tato''" ("They Took You Away From Me, Dad") devoted to the murdered soldiers of the anti-communist underground.
*In 2014, Swedish ] band ] paid tribute to Witold Pilecki in the single "Inmate 4859".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sabaton.net/discography/heroes/inmate-4859/ |title=Inmate 4859 |access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>
*In 2015, Horytnica band released a single "''Rój''", referring to ], one of the Cursed Soldiers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://kierunki.info.pl/kacper-sikora-znakiem-miecza-recenzja/ |title=Kacper Sikora: Pod znakiem miecza – recenzja |access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>

===Theatre===
*On 15 May 2006, a stage production ''Śmierć rotmistrza Pileckiego'' ("The Death of Captain Pilecki") directed by ] and starring Marek Probosz had its premiere.
*On 22 January 2007, a play ''Inka. 1946'' produced by Teatr Telewizji and diredcted by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz had its premiere in Poland.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/index.php?film=525013 |title=INKA 1946 |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref>

===Books===
*In 2016, Polish historian Lech Kowalski published a monumental 1,100 page book ''Korpus Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego a Żołnierze Wyklęci'' (English: "] and the Cursed Soldiers"), which focuses on the fight undertaken by the communist state authorities against Poland's ] underground in the years 1944–1956.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://lubimyczytac.pl/ksiazka/301169/korpus-bezpieczenstwa-wewnetrznego-a-zolnierze-wykleci |title=Korpus Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego a Żołnierze Wyklęci |access-date=2020-03-06}}</ref>
*In 2019, ] published a book '']'' whose subject is Witold Pilecki.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/in-pileckis-footsteps-the-story-behind-the-book-the-volunteer-6661 |title=In Pilecki's footsteps: the story behind the book 'The Volunteer' |access-date=2020-03-04}}</ref> His book won the ] – Book of the Year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/book-awards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204180340/https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/costa-book-awards/book-awards |archive-date=2019-12-04 |title=Costa Book Awards {{!}} Behind the beans {{!}} Costa Coffee}}</ref>

==See also==
*]
*Leśni
*]
*]
*]

==References==
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
{{Reflist|30em}}


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
* ], ''Żołnierze wyklęci'', Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Rytm, 1996 *Jerzy Ślaski, ''Żołnierze wyklęci'', Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Rytm, 1996
* ] and ], eds., ''Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 roku'', Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 1999 *Grzegorz Wąsowski and Leszek Żebrowski, eds., ''Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 roku'', Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 1999
* ] et al., ''Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 r.'', Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 2002 *Kazimierz Krajewski ], ''Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 r.'', Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 2002
*Tomasz Łabuszewski, ''Białostocki Okręg AK- AKO : VII 1944-VIII 1945'' (Warszawa: Oficzna Wydawnicza Volumen and ], 1997)
*''Zrzeszenie “Wolność i Niezawisłość” w dokumentach'', 6 vols. (Wrocław: Zarząd Główny WiN, 1997–2001)
*Zygmunt Woźniczka, ''Zrzeszenie “Wolność i Niezawisłość”'' 1945-1952 (Warszawa: Instytut Prasy i Wydawnictw “Novum” – “Semex”, 1992)
*Marek Latyński, ''Nie paść na kolana: Szkice o opozycji lat czterdziestych'' (London: Polonia Book Fund Ltd., 1985)

==External links==
*{{in lang|en}} of an exhibition on '']''
*{{in lang|en}}
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*{{in lang|pl}}
*{{in lang|pl}}
*{{in lang|pl}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424021531/http://podziemiezbrojne.blox.pl/html |date=2019-04-24 }}
*{{in lang|pl}}


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Latest revision as of 21:55, 26 October 2024

Term applied to a variety of anti-Soviet and anti-communist Polish resistance movements Further information: Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)

Cursed soldiers
Żołnierze wyklęci
"Cursed soldiers" of anti-communist underground, June 1947. From left:
  • Henryk Wybranowski - pseudonym "Tarzan" (killed Nov. 1948)
  • Edward Taraszkiewicz - "Żelazny" (killed Oct. 1951)
  • Mieczysław Małecki - "Sokół" (killed Nov. 1947)
  • Stanisław Pakuła - "Krzewina"
Active1944–1947
Country Poland
AllegiancePoland (Polish Government-in-Exile)
RoleArmed forces of the Polish Underground State and the Polish Government-in-Exile
SizeVaried, c. 150,000-200,000 at peak.
After amnesty of 1947, 200-400 people remained in active, armed conspiracy.
Military unit

The "cursed soldiers" (also known as "doomed soldiers", "accursed soldiers", or "damned soldiers"; Polish: żołnierze wyklęci) or "indomitable soldiers" (Polish: żołnierze niezłomni) were a heterogeneous array of anti-Soviet-imperialist and anti-communist Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and in its aftermath by members of the Polish Underground State. The above terms, introduced in the early 1990s, reflect the stance of many of the diehard soldiers.

These clandestine organisations continued their armed struggle against Poland's communist government waged guerrilla warfare well into the 1950s, including attacks against prisons and state security offices, detention facilities for political prisoners, and the concentration camps that had been set up across the country. Most Polish anti-communist groups ceased to exist in the late 1950s, as they were hunted down by agents of the Ministry of Public Security and the Soviet NKVD. The last known "cursed soldier", Józef Franczak, was killed in a 1963 ambush.

The best-known Polish anti-communist resistance organisations operating in Stalinist-era Poland included Freedom and Independence (Wolność i Niezawisłość, WIN), the National Armed Forces (Narodowe Siły Zbrojne, NSZ), the National Military Union (Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe, NZW), the Underground Polish Army (Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie, KWP), the Home Army Resistance (Ruch Oporu Armii Krajowej, ROAK), the Citizens' Home Army (Armia Krajowa Obywatelska, AKO), NO (NIE, short for Niepodległość), the Armed Forces Delegation for Poland (Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj), and Freedom and Justice (Wolność i Sprawiedliwość, WiS).

Similar anti-communist insurgencies occurred in other Central European countries. The "cursed soldiers" have prompted controversy over the degree to which individual fighters or their units were involved in war crimes against Jews or other ethnic minorities on Polish soil or against civilians generally. Common responses to such accusations have included that the accusations were partly or completely fabricated as communist propaganda to discredit the soldiers, or that any genuine victims were killed because of their involvement in, or cooperation with, communist authorities and that their ethnicity had little if any bearing on their demise.

Historical background

Monument to the Armia Krajowa in Sopot, Poland

In the summer of 1944, as Soviet forces advanced into Poland, the USSR set up a provisional client state called the Polish Committee of National Liberation. The new government was aware that the Polish Resistance (whose chief component was the Armia Krajowa or Home Army) and Underground State loyal to the Polish government-in-exile would have to be destroyed before they could gain complete control over Poland. Władysław Gomułka, future General Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, said that "Soldiers of the Armia Krajowa (AK) are a hostile element which must be removed without mercy". Another prominent communist, Roman Zambrowski, said that the AK had to be "exterminated".

The Armia Krajowa officially disbanded on 19 January 1945 to prevent a slide into armed conflict with the Red Army and the increasing threat of civil war over Poland's sovereignty. However, many resistance cells decided to continue their struggle for Polish independence, and regarded Soviet forces as merely the new occupiers. Soviet partisans in Poland had already been ordered by Moscow on 22 June 1943 to engage Polish partisans in combat.

According to Marek Jan Chodakiewicz's review of Bogdan Musial's book Sowjetische Partisanen, "Musial's study suggests that the Soviets seldom attacked German military and police targets. They preferred to assault the poorly-armed and poorly-trained Belarusan and Polish self-defense forces. Soviet guerrillas torched and leveled Polish landed estates much more frequently than they blew up military transports and assaulted other hard targets." The main forces of the Red Army (the Northern Group of Forces) and the NKVD began conducting operations against the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, A.K.) during and directly after the launch of Operation Tempest, the Polish resistance's effort to seize control of cities and areas occupied by the Germans while the latter were preparing their defenses against the advancing Soviets. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin planned to ensure that an independent Poland would never reemerge in the postwar period.

Formation of the anti-communist underground

Uniform of a Polish anti-communist fighter, with breast badge displaying image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa

The first AK structure designed primarily to deal with the Soviet threat was NIE (short for niepodległość "independence", and also meaning "no"), formed in mid-1943. NIE's goal was to observe and spy while the Polish government-in-exile decided how to deal with the Soviets, rather than to engage in combat. At that time, the exiled government still believed that negotiations could result in a solution leading to Poland's post-war independence.

On 7 May 1945, NIE was disbanded and transformed into the Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj ("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland"). This organization lasted only until August 8, 1945, when the decision was made to disband it and cease partisan resistance on Polish territory.

In March 1945 a staged trial of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State, captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union, took place in Moscow (Trial of the Sixteen). The Government Delegate, together with most members of the Council of National Unity and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armia Krajowa, were invited by Soviet general Ivan Serov, with the agreement of Joseph Stalin, to a conference on their eventual entry into the Soviet-backed Provisional Government. They were presented with a warrant of safety, but the NKVD arrested them in Pruszków on 27 and 28 March. Leopold Okulicki, Jan Stanisław Jankowski, and Kazimierz Pużak were arrested on 27 March, and 12 more the following day. Alexander Zwierzynski had already been detained earlier. They were all taken to the Lubyanka prison in Moscow for interrogation before trial. After several months of brutal interrogation and torture, they were falsely charged with "collaboration with Nazi Germany" and "planning a military alliance with Nazi Germany".

The Polish Committee of National Liberation declined jurisdiction over former AK soldiers. Consequently, for more than a year, Soviet agencies such as the NKVD dealt with the AK. By the end of the war, approximately 60,000 AK soldiers had been arrested, and 50,000 of them were deported to the Soviet Union's prisons and prison camps. Most had been captured by the Soviets during or in the aftermath of Operation Tempest when many AK units tried to cooperate with the Red Army during their nationwide uprising against the Germans.

Other veterans were arrested when they approached the communist authorities after being promised amnesty. In 1947, the government of the People's Republic of Poland proclaimed an amnesty for most wartime resistance fighters. The authorities expected around 12,000 people to give up their arms, but the total number of partisans to come out of the forests eventually reached 53,000. Many of them were arrested despite the promises. After repeated broken promises in the first few years of communist rule, former AK members refused to trust the government.

After the Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj ("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland") was disbanded, another post-AK resistance organisation was formed, called Wolność i Niezawisłość ("Freedom and Sovereignty"). Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN) was most concerned with helping former AK soldiers transition from life as partisans to that of civilians. Continued secrecy and conspiracy were necessary in light of the increasing persecution of AK veterans by the communist government. WiN was, however, much in need of funds to pay for false documents and to provide resources for the partisans, many of whom had lost their homes and entire life-savings in the war. Viewed as enemies of the state, starved of resources, and with a vocal faction advocating armed resistance against the Soviets and their Polish proxies, WiN was far from efficient. A significant victory for the NKVD and the newly created Polish secret police, Urząd Bezpieczeństwa (UB), came in the second half of 1945 when they convinced several leaders of WiN that they truly wanted to offer amnesty to AK members. Within a few months, intelligence gathered by the authorities led to thousands more arrests. The primary period of WiN activity lasted until 1947. The organisation finally disbanded in 1952.

Persecution

"The Giant and the Reactionary Spittle-Covered Dwarf". A postwar Polish communist propaganda poster showing a soldier of the Polish People's Army striding over a partisan of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army).

The NKVD and UB used brute force and deception to eliminate the underground opposition. In the autumn of 1946, a group of 100–200 "cursed soldiers" of the Narodowe Siły Zbrojne (National Armed Forces, NSZ) were lured into a trap and massacred. In 1947, Colonel Julia ("Bloody Luna") Brystiger of the Polish Ministry of Public Security proclaimed at a security briefing that: "he terrorist and political underground" had ceased to be a threatening force for the UB, although the "class enemy" at universities, offices and factories still had to be "found out and neutralised."

The persecution of AK members was only one aspect of the reign of Stalinist terror in postwar Poland. In the period from 1944 to 1956, at least 300,000 Polish civilians were arrested. Some sources claim that up to two million were arrested. Approximately 6,000 death sentences were issued, and the majority of them were carried out. It is probable that more than 20,000 people died in communist prisons. including those executed "in the majesty of the law", such as Witold Pilecki, a hero of Auschwitz.

A further six million Polish citizens (i.e., one out of every three adult Poles) were classified as suspected members of a 'reactionary or criminal element' and subjected to investigation by state agencies. During the Polish October of 1956, a political amnesty freed 35,000 former AK soldiers from prisons. But some partisans remained in service, unwilling or simply unable to rejoin the civilian community. The cursed soldier Stanisław Marchewka "Ryba" ("The Fish") was killed in 1957, and the last AK partisan, Józef Franczak "Lalek" ("Doller"), was killed in 1963 — almost two decades after the Second World War ended. In 1967, long after the abolition of Stalinist terror, Adam Boryczka, the last member of the elite British-trained Cichociemny ("The Silent and Hidden") intelligence and support group, was finally released from prison. Until the end of the People's Republic of Poland. Former AK soldiers were under constant investigation by the secret police. It was only in 1989, after the fall of communism, that the convictions of AK soldiers were finally declared invalid and annulled by Polish law.

Largest operations and actions

Main article: Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953)

The biggest battle in the history of the National Military Union (Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe, NZW) took place on 6–7 May 1945, in the village of Kuryłówka in southeastern Poland. In the Battle of Kuryłówka, the partisans fought against the Soviet 2nd Border Regiment of the NKVD, gaining a victory for the underground forces commanded by Major Franciszek Przysiężniak ("Marek"). The anti-communist fighters killed up to 70 Soviet agents. The NKVD troops retreated in haste, only to later return to the village and burn it to the ground in retaliation, destroying over 730 buildings.

On 21 May 1945, a heavily armed AK unit led by Colonel Edward Wasilewski, attacked and destroyed the NKVD camp in Rembertów on the eastern outskirts of Warsaw. The Soviets had incarcerated hundreds of Polish citizens there, including members of the Armia Krajowa.

Pacification

One of the biggest anti-partisan operations by the communist authorities took place from 10 to 25 June 1945, in and around the Suwałki and Augustów regions of Poland. The "Augustów roundup" (Polish: Obława augustowska) was a joint operation of the Red Army, the Soviet NKVD, and SMERSH battalions, with assistance from Polish UB and LWP units, against Armia Krajowa resistance fighters. The operation extended into the territory of occupied Lithuania. More than 2,000 suspected anti-communist Polish fighters were captured and detained in Soviet internment camps. About 600 of the "Augustów Missing" are presumed to have died in Soviet custody, their bodies buried in unknown mass graves on the present territory of Russia. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance has declared the 1945 Augustów roundup to be "the largest crime committed by the Soviets on Polish lands after World War II."

Anti-communist resistance organizations

Among the best-known Polish underground organizations, engaged in guerrilla warfare were:

  1. Wolność i Niezawisłość ("Freedom and Independence", WIN) founded on September 2, 1945, active to 1952.
  2. Narodowe Siły Zbrojne ("National Armed Forces", NSZ) created on September 20, 1942, split in March 1944.
  3. Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe ("National Military Union", NZW) established in the mid-to-late 1940s, active until the mid-1950s.
  4. Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie ("Underground Polish Army", KWP) which existed from April 1945 to as late as 1954.
  5. Ruch Oporu Armii Krajowej ("Resistance of the Home Army", ROAK) formed in 1944 against UB collaborators.
  6. Armia Krajowa Obywatelska ("Citizens' Home Army", AKO) founded in February 1945, incorporated into Wolność i Niezawisłość in 1945.
  7. NIE ("NO") formed in 1943, active till 7 May 1945.
  8. Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj ("Delegature of the Polish Forces at Home") formed on May 7, 1945, dissolved on August 8, 1945.
  9. Wolność i Sprawiedliwość ("Freedom and Justice", WIS) founded in the early 1950s.

Events

Notable members

The following list (in most part), was taken from the book Not Only Katyń (Nie tylko Katyń) by Ireneusz Sewastianowicz and Stanisław Kulikowski (Białostockie Wydawn. Prasowe, 1990); Part 10: "The Augustow Missing," compiled by the Citizen Committee for Search of Suwałki Region Inhabitants who Disappeared in July 1945 (Obywatelski Komitet Poszukiwań Mieszkańców Suwalszczyzny Zaginionych w Lipcu 1945 r., in Polish).

  • Cpt. Józef Batory (noms de guerre, "Argus" and "Wojtek")
  • Lt. Stefan Bembiński ("Harnaś")
  • Maj. Marian Bernaciak ("Orlik" and "Dymek")
  • Lt. Ksawery Błasiak ("Albert")
  • Cpt. Franciszek Błażej ("Roman", "Bogusław", and "Tadeusz")
  • Lt. Stanisław Bogdanowicz ("Tom")
  • Lt. Col. Janusz Bokszczanin ("Sęk")
  • Lt. Stefan Bronowski ("Roman")
  • Cpt. Zdzisław Broński ("Uskok")
  • Cpl Izydor Bukowski ("Burza")
  • Lt. Karol Chmiel ("Grom" and "Zygmunt")
  • Lt. Kazimierz Chmielowski ("Rekin")
  • Lt. Col. Łukasz Ciepliński ("Pług" and "Ostrowski")
  • Maj./Lt. Col. of NSZ Tadeusz Danilewicz ("Kuba", "Doman", "Kossak", and "Łoziński")
  • Maj. Hieronim Dekutowski ("Zapora")
  • Cpt. Jan Karol Dubaniowski ("Salwa")
  • 2nd Lt. Władysław Dubielak ("Myśliwy")
  • Brig. Gen.Emil August Fieldorf ("Nil")
  • Cpt. Henryk Flame ("Bartek" and "Grot")
  • Józef Franczak ("Lalek")
  • Lt. Henryk Glapiński ("Klinga")
  • Lt. Eugeniusz Godlewski ("Topór")
  • Maj. Antoni Heda ("Szary")
  • Lt. Col. Tadeusz Jachimek ("Ninka")
  • Lt. Franciszek Jerzy Jaskulski ("Zagończyk")
  • 2nd Lt. Henryk Jóźwiak ("Groźny")
  • Cpt. Kazimierz Kamieński ("Huzar")
  • 2nd Lt./Lt. Col of NSZ Stanisław Kasznica ("Wąsowski", "Przepona", and "Wąsal")
  • Lt. Col. Mieczysław Kawalec ("Iza", "Psarski", and "Bronek")
  • Lt. Jan Kempiński ("Błysk")
  • Lt. Stefan Kobos ("Wrzos")
  • Cpt. Jan Kosowski ("Ciborski")
  • Lt. Karol Kazimierz Kostecki ("Kostek")
  • Lt. Jan Kłyś ("Kłyś")
  • Lt. Michał Krupa ("Wierzba" and "Pulkownik")
  • Col./Brig. Gen. (posthumous recognition) Aleksander Krzyżanowski ("Wilk")
  • Cpt. Ludwik Kubik ("Alfred", "Julian", and "Lucjan")
  • Lt. Józef Kuraś ("Ogień")
  • 2nd Lt. Adam Kusz ("Garbaty")
  • 2nd Lt. Władysław Kuśmierczyk ("Longinus")
  • Lt. Col. Wincenty Kwieciński ("Głóg")
  • Maj. Adam Lazarowicz ("Klamra", "Pomorski", "Kleszcz", and "Zygmunt")
  • Lt. Col. Henryk Lewczuk ("Młot")
  • Lt. Col. Władysław Liniarski ("Mścisław", "Wuj", and "Jan")
  • Lt. Stanisław Łukasik ("Ryś")
  • Cpt. Władysław Łukasiuk ("Młot")
  • Lt. Col. Józef Maciołek ("Żuraw", "Kazimierz", "Marian", and "Roch")
  • Cpt. Jan Marawca ("Remiusz")
  • 2nd Lt. Stanisław Marchewka ("Ryba")
  • Lt. Józef Marcinkowski ("Łysy")
  • 2nd Lt. Lucjan Minkiewicz ("Wiktor")
  • Maj. Kazimierz Mirecki ("Zmuda")
  • Cpt. Lech Neyman ("Domarat")
  • 2nd Lt. Mieczysław Niedzielski ("Men" and "Grot")
  • Col. Franciszek Niepokólczycki ("Szubert")
  • Lt. Wiktor Zacheusz Nowowiejski ("Jeż")
  • Lt. Col. Antoni Olechnowicz ("Lawicz", "Pohorecki")
  • Maj. Mieczysław Pazderski ("Szary")
  • Lt. Stanisław Pelczer ("Majka")
  • Cpt. Witold Pilecki ("Witold")
  • Lt. Franciszek Przysiężniak ("Ojciec Jan")
  • Cpt. Romuald Rajs ("Bury")
  • Lt. Col. Albin Rak ("Lesiński")
  • Lt. Józef Ramatowski ("Rawicz")
  • Cpt. Wacław Rejmak ("Ostoja")
  • Maj. Zygmunt Rogalski ("Kacper")
  • Lt. Jan Rogólka ("Grot")
  • Col. Kazimierz Rolewicz ("Kama", "Ira", "Oko", "Mila", "Olgierd", "Zbyszek", and "Solski")
  • Lt. Lechosław Roszkowski ("Tomasz")
  • Lt. Col. Józef Rybicki ("Mestwin")
  • Maj. Aleksander Rybnik ("Jerzy" and "Dziki")
  • Maj. Józef Rządzki ("Boryna")
  • Lt. Józef Rzepka ("Krzysztof" and "Znicz")
  • Col. Antoni Sanojca ("Kortum")
  • Lt. Col. Stanisław Sędziak ("Wiatr" and "Warta")
  • Danuta Siedzikówna ("Inka")
  • Cpt. Stanisław Sojczyński ("Warszyc")
  • Sgt. Władysław Stefanowski ("Grom")
  • Maj. Stanisław Szacoń ("Szacun")
  • Lt. Col. Jan Szczurek-Cergowski ("Sławbor")
  • Maj. Zygmunt Szendzielarz ("Łupaszko")
  • 2nd Lt. Teodor Śmiałowski ("Szumny", "Grom", and "Cichy")
  • Franciszek Andrulewicz, his sister Janina and cousin Witold were also murdered; and the family had already lost at least one relative at the hands of the Nazis.
  • Maj. Jan Tabortowski ("Bruzda")
  • 2nd Lt. Edward Taraszkiewicz ("Żelazny")
  • 2nd Lt. Leon Taraszkiewicz ("Jastrząb")
  • Lt. Col. Walerian Tumanowicz ("Jagodziński")
  • 2nd Lt. Edmund Tudruj ("Mundek")
  • 2nd Lt. Eugeniusz Walewski ("Zemsta")
  • Cpt. Józef Zadzierski ("Wołyniak")
  • 2nd Lt. Jerzy Zakulski ("Czarny Mecenas")
  • Lt. Wacław Grabowski ("Puszczyk")
  • Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz ("Rój")

Gallery

Cultural references

The "cursed soldiers" served as an inspiration for numerous films, documentaries, books, stage plays, and songs and, in Poland, they have become the ultimate symbol of patriotism and heroic fight for fatherland against all odds. Notable examples include:

Film

The "cursed soldiers" graphic design on patriotic apparel
  • In 1958, Andrzej Wajda directed the film Ashes and Diamonds whose main protagonist, Maciek Chełmicki, is a member of the anti-Communist underground in Poland.
  • In 1990, Tadeusz Pawlicki directed a documentary film entitled Witold, which is dedicated to the life of Witold Pilecki, the author of Witold's Report, the first comprehensive intelligence report on the atrocities committed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The film features interviews with Pilecki's wife and his children Zofia and Andrzej. It was broadcast on TVP2 and TVP Historia television channels.
  • In 1995, Alina Czerniakowska directed a documentary in collaboration with historian Leszek Żebrowski on the Polish anti-communist underground after the end of World War II entitled Zwycięstwo ("Victory").
  • In 1996, Tadeusz Pawlicki, directed the film My, ogniowe dzieci, telling the story of Józef Kuraś alias Ogień ("Fire").
  • In 2000, Mariusz Pietrowski, directed Łupaszko, a documentary film on the life of major Zygmunt Szendzielarz (known as Łupaszko).
  • In 2002, Grzegorz Królikiewicz directed a documentary film devoted to the life of Józef Kuraś entitled A potem nazwali go bandytą ("And Then They Called Him a Bandit...").
  • In 2004, a documentary Against the Odds: Resistance in Nazi Concentration Camps was produced. It features the story of Witold Pilecki.
  • In 2007, Jerzy Zalewski's film Elegia na śmierć Roja is dedicated to portraying the history of Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz.
  • In 2008, Discovery Historia channel broadcast a two-part documentary entitled In the Name of the Polish People's Republic.
  • In 2009, a documentary series Cursed Soldiers was produced by Discovery Historia.
  • In 2013, Dariusz Walusiak's film Escape from Hell. Tracing the Steps of Witold Pilecki is dedicated to the escape of Witold Pilecki, Jan Redzeja and Edward Ciesielski from the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp.
  • In 2014, Heroes of War: Poland was produced by Sky Vision for the History Channel UK and features the life of Witold Pilecki.
  • In 2015, the TVP channel produced a documentary film Inka. Zachowałam się jak trzeba directed by Arkadiusz Gołebiewski and portraying the life of Danuta Siedzikówna, a Polish medical orderly in the 4th Squadron of the 5th Wilno Brigade in Home Army who was captured, tortured and sentenced to death at the age of 17 by the communist authorities.
  • 2016 saw the premiere of Jerzy Zalewski's film Historia Roja starring Krzysztof Zalewski as the main character.
  • In 2017, Konrad Łęcki directed Wyklęty ("The Cursed"), a film based on the life of anti-communist resistance member Józef Franczak.

Music

  • In 1996, Leszek Czajkowski's album Śpiewnik oszołoma was published which includes a number of songs dedicated to the memory of the "cursed soldiers".
  • In 2009, a Polish-Norwegian punk rock band De Press released an album Myśmy rebelianci ("We Are Rebels") honouring the legacy of the "cursed soldiers".
  • In 2011, Polish hip-hop artist Tadek released a single "Żołnierze wyklęci" to pay tribute to the members of the anti-communist underground operating after the end of the Second World War in Poland.
  • In 2011, a hip hop band Hemp Gru, released an album Loyalty, which features a single "Forgotten Heroes".
  • In 2012, Obłęd band released an album entitled 100% Obłęd featuring a single dedicated to the Cursed Soldiers.
  • In 2013, Polish rapper Ptaku released an album NaRa featuring a single "Żołnierze Wyklęci" with references to the lives of Józef Kuraś, Ryszard Kukliński and Rafał Gan-Ganowicz.
  • 2013 saw the release of an album Panny wyklęte, a music project by Dariusz Malejonek in collaboration with Polish singers including Marika, Natalia Przybysz and Halina Mlynkova devoted to the contribution of female members of the anti-communist movement.
  • In 2013, rapper Evtis released three singles inspired by the history of the Cursed Soldiers: "The Volunteer" (referring to Witold Pilecki), "Indomitable Heroes" (referring to Stanisław Sojczyński, Łukasz Ciepliński and Hieronim Dekutowski), and "You Acted Right" (referring to Danuta Siedzikówna).
  • In 2013, Forteca band released an album Kto dziś upomni się o pamięć.
  • In 2014, Joined band released a single "Zabrali mi ciebie Tato" ("They Took You Away From Me, Dad") devoted to the murdered soldiers of the anti-communist underground.
  • In 2014, Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton paid tribute to Witold Pilecki in the single "Inmate 4859".
  • In 2015, Horytnica band released a single "Rój", referring to Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz, one of the Cursed Soldiers.

Theatre

  • On 15 May 2006, a stage production Śmierć rotmistrza Pileckiego ("The Death of Captain Pilecki") directed by Ryszard Bugajski and starring Marek Probosz had its premiere.
  • On 22 January 2007, a play Inka. 1946 produced by Teatr Telewizji and diredcted by Natalia Koryncka-Gruz had its premiere in Poland.

Books

See also

References

  1. Atlas polskiego podziemia niepodległościowego 1944–1956, Warszawa–Lublin 2007, s. XXXIII.
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Further reading

  • Jerzy Ślaski, Żołnierze wyklęci, Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Rytm, 1996
  • Grzegorz Wąsowski and Leszek Żebrowski, eds., Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 roku, Warszawa, Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 1999
  • Kazimierz Krajewski et al., Żołnierze wyklęci: Antykomunistyczne podziemie zbrojne po 1944 r., Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen and Liga Republikańska, 2002
  • Tomasz Łabuszewski, Białostocki Okręg AK- AKO : VII 1944-VIII 1945 (Warszawa: Oficzna Wydawnicza Volumen and Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, 1997)
  • Zrzeszenie “Wolność i Niezawisłość” w dokumentach, 6 vols. (Wrocław: Zarząd Główny WiN, 1997–2001)
  • Zygmunt Woźniczka, Zrzeszenie “Wolność i Niezawisłość” 1945-1952 (Warszawa: Instytut Prasy i Wydawnictw “Novum” – “Semex”, 1992)
  • Marek Latyński, Nie paść na kolana: Szkice o opozycji lat czterdziestych (London: Polonia Book Fund Ltd., 1985)

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