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Kotwica
The ''Kotwica'' (; Polish language, Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and ''Armia Krajowa'' (Home Army, or ''AK''). It was created in 1942 by members of the ''AK'' Wawer Minor sabotage unit, as an easily usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The initial meaning of the initials PW was ''Pomścimy Wawer'' ("We shall avenge Wawer"). This was a reference to the Wawer massacre (26–27 December 1939), which was considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by German troops in occupied Poland. At first, Polish scouts from sabotage groups painted the whole phrase upon walls. However, it was soon abbreviated to the letters PW, which over time came to symbolise the phrase ''Polska Walcząca'' ("Poland Fighting"). Early in 1942, the AK organised a contest to design an emblem to represent the resistance movement, and the winning design ''(pictured)'' by Anna Smoleńska, a member of the Gray Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kotwica Jako Symbol Polski Walczącej (SVG)
The ''Kotwica'' (; Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and ''Armia Krajowa'' (Home Army, or ''AK''). It was created in 1942 by members of the ''AK'' Wawer Minor sabotage unit, as an easily usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The initial meaning of the initials PW was ''Pomścimy Wawer'' ("We shall avenge Wawer"). This was a reference to the Wawer massacre (26–27 December 1939), which was considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by German troops in occupied Poland. At first, Polish scouts from sabotage groups painted the whole phrase upon walls. However, it was soon abbreviated to the letters PW, which over time came to symbolise the phrase ''Polska Walcząca'' ("Poland Fighting"). Early in 1942, the AK organised a contest to design an emblem to represent the resistance movement, and the winning design ''(pictured)'' by Anna Smoleńska, a member of the Gray Ranks who herself p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minor Sabotage
A minor sabotage (''aka'' little sabotage or small sabotage; pl, mały sabotaż) during World War II in Nazi-occupied Poland (1939–45) was any underground resistance operation that involved a disruptive but relatively minor and non-violent form of defiance, such as the painting of graffiti, the manufacture of fake documents, the disrupting of German propaganda campaigns, and the like."''Mały sabotaż''" ''Słownik Języka Polskiego'' (Dictionary of the Polish Language), . Minor-sabotage operations often involved elements of . The purpose of minor-sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gray Ranks
"Gray Ranks" ( pl, Szare Szeregi) was a codename for the underground paramilitary Polish Scouting Association (') during World War II. The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish Underground State. Some of its members (' – Assault Groups) were among the Home Army's best-trained troops. Though formally independent, the Gray Ranks worked closely with the Government Delegation for Poland and Home Army Headquarters. The Gray Ranks had known under the cryptonym ''Pasieka'' (" bee yard") staffed by the Chief Scout of Gray Ranks plus three to five deputies in the rank of ''Harcmistrz'' (Scoutmaster). Overview Since its organization in 1916, scouts from the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (''Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego'', ZHP) had taken an active part in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: Gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Szare Szeregi
"Gray Ranks" ( pl, Szare Szeregi) was a codename for the underground paramilitary Polish Scouting Association (') during World War II. The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish Underground State. Some of its members (' – Assault Groups) were among the Home Army's best-trained troops. Though formally independent, the Gray Ranks worked closely with the Government Delegation for Poland and Home Army Headquarters. The Gray Ranks had known under the cryptonym ''Pasieka'' (" bee yard") staffed by the Chief Scout of Gray Ranks plus three to five deputies in the rank of ''Harcmistrz'' (Scoutmaster). Overview Since its organization in 1916, scouts from the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (''Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego'', ZHP) had taken an active part in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: Gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wawer Massacre
The Wawer massacre refers to the execution of 107 Polish civilians on the night of 26 to 27 December 1939 by the German occupiers of Wawer (at the time a suburb and currently a neighbourhood of Warsaw), Poland. The execution was a response to the killing of two German soldiers in a shootout by two petty criminals. An order to arrest at random any men inhabiting Wawer and the neighboring Anin between the ages of 16 and 70 was given and, as a result, 120 men, who were unrelated to the shootout, were gathered, and a show trial was hastily organized. 114 were declared "guilty" and sentenced to death, the others were spared to bury the dead. In total, 107 were killed and 7 survived, as they withstood the gunfire and were not finished off later. It is considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. Background Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Poland in September 1939. From the start, the war against Poland was intende ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Post Stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover (e.g., packet, box, mailing cylinder)—that they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. The item is then delivered to its addressee. Always featuring the name of the issuing nation (with the exception of the United Kingdom), a denomination of its value, and often an illustration of persons, events, institutions, or natural realities that symbolize the nation's traditions and values, every stamp is printed on a piece of usually rectangular, but sometimes triangular ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banknote
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable instrument, negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commercial banks, which were legally required to Redemption value, redeem the notes for legal tender (usually gold or silver coin) when presented to the chief cashier of the originating bank. These commercial banknotes only traded at face value in the market served by the issuing bank. Commercial banknotes have primarily been replaced by national banknotes issued by central banks or monetary authority, monetary authorities. National banknotes are often – but not always – legal tender, meaning that courts of law are required to recognize them as satisfactory payment of money debts. Historically, banks sought to ensure that they could always pay customers in coins when they presented banknotes for payment. This p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biuletyn Informacyjny
''Biuletyn Informacyjny'' ("Information Bulletin") was a Polish underground weekly published covertly in General Government territory of occupied Poland during World War II. The magazine was edited by Aleksander Kamiński and distributed as the main organ of ZWZ- AK headquarters in Warsaw, initially in order to inform the AK soldier about ongoing resistance activities. By 1944 ''Biuletyn Informacyjny'' had a circulation of 42,000-43,000 copies. The publishers recommended readers to have the articles reprinted in provincial underground publications throughout Poland. History The Bulletin was started in November 1939 in Warsaw as the main press release of the SZP, the first underground resistance organisation in Poland. Soon it was taken over by the Armia Krajowa and the Bureau of Information and Propaganda of the Polish government-in-exile. Since 1941 it had also several regional versions in all major cities of Poland, both under German and Soviet occupation. During the Warsaw Up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war against non-combatants (mostly civilians and neutral country, neutral military personnel). The terms "terrorist" and "terrorism" originated during the French Revolution of the late 18th century but became widely used internationally and gained worldwide attention in the 1970s during The Troubles, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Basque conflict, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The increased use of suicide attacks from the 1980s onwards was typified by the 2001 September 11 attacks in the United States. There are various different definitions of terrorism, with no universal agreement about it. Terrorism is a Loaded language, charged term. It is often used with the connotation of some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Partisan (military)
A partisan is a member of an irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of military occupation, occupation by some kind of insurgent activity. The term can apply to the field element of resistance movements. The most common use in present parlance in several languages refers to Resistance during World War II, occupation resistance fighters during World War II, especially under the Yugoslav Partisans, Yugoslav partisan leader Josip Broz Tito. History before 1939 The initial concept of partisan warfare involved the use of militia , troops raised from the local population in a war zone (or in some cases regular forces) who would operate behind enemy front line , lines to disrupt communications, seize posts or villages as forward-operating bases, ambush convoys, impose war taxes or contributions, raid logistical stockpiles, and compel enemy forces to disperse and protect their base of operations. George Satterfield has analyse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stefan Rowecki
Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym: ''Grot'', "Spearhead", hence the alternate name, Stefan Grot-Rowecki; 25 December 1895 – 2 August 1944) was a Polish general, journalist and the leader of the Armia Krajowa. He was murdered by the Gestapo in prison on the personal order of Heinrich Himmler. Life Rowecki was born in Piotrków Trybunalski. In his home town he was one of the organizers of a secret scouting organization. During World War I he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army and later into the First Brigade of the Polish Legion. He was interned in August 1917 after the majority of his unit had refused to pledge loyalty to the Emperor of Austria. In February 1918, he was released from the internment camp in Beniaminów and joined the Polska Siła Zbrojna. After the establishment of the newly independent Poland, he joined the Polish Army. Rowecki fought in the Polish–Soviet war (1919–1920). After the war, he remained in the army and organized the first militar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nowy Kurier Warszawski
''Nowy Kurier Warszawski'', initially ''Nowy Kurjer Warszawski'' ("New Courier of Warsaw") was a German propaganda newspaper issued in the occupied Poland during World War II. Its name was coined after a popular pre-war newspaper ''Kurier Warszawski'', with which it had nothing to do but the name. According to German sources the newspaper was issued in 200 000 copies daily, but it was commonly boycotted by the Poles (often defaced with the Kotwica) and the numbers seem to be much overestimated. History Following the Polish defeat against the joint Nazi German and Soviet Invasion of Poland of 1939, on 6 October German and Soviet forces gained full control over Poland. The success of the invasion marked the end of the Second Polish Republic, though Poland never formally surrendered. On 8 October, after an initial period of military administration, Germany directly annexed western Poland and the former Free City of Danzig and placed the remaining block of territory under the admi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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