Aniela Krzywoń (27 May 1925 – 12 October 1943) was a private in the "Emilia Plater" Independent Women's Battalion of the Polish People's Army during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and became the only woman in history who was not a citizen of the Soviet Union to be awarded the USSR's highest honor for bravery, the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

, after she died of injuries sustained while rescuing important military documents from a burning truck after a

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

bombing raid.

Early life

Krzywoń was born in the village of Puźniki, then located in the Second Polish Republic; the area the village once was in currently located within present-day

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

since it had become part of the Ukrainian SSR in 1939. Her father fought in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

; after their village became part of the Ukraine the Krzywoń family and many other Polish families that had been deemed "politically unreliable" were forcibly deported to the

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizh ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

and later relocated to the city of Kansk. There Aniela began working as a machinist at a local timber mill until she voluntarily joined the army in 1943 to fight in World War II.

Military career

Krzywoń joined the

1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division The Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division ( pl, 1 Polska Dywizja Piechoty im. Tadeusza Kościuszki) was an infantry division in the Poland, Polish armed forces formed in 1943 and named for the Polish and American revolutionary Tadeus ...

of the Polish People's Army on 29 May 1943 and was assigned to the "Emilia Plater" Independent Women's Battalion. She was trained in the use of submachine guns and grenades as well as hand-to-hand combat. On 12 October 1943 the battalion was forced to retreat after they saw their baptism by fire in the Lenino village of the Byelorussian SSR. While Krzywoń was accompanying a truck carrying the wounded and important documents from headquarters they were attacked by a

raid. Krzywoń ran into the burning vehicle, carrying out the wounded soldiers and staff as well as rescuing the important documents from the fire. Inside the burning vehicle she died from her injuries. For her heroism she was posthumously awarded the highest Polish and Soviet decorations – the

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

of Poland and the title

. She was the first and only Polish female decorated with the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and the only woman ever awarded the title that was not a Soviet citizen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krzywon, Aniela 1925 births 1943 deaths People from Ternopil Oblast People from Tarnopol Voivodeship Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union Polish military personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989) Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Women in World War II Polish female soldiers Recipients of the Order of Lenin 20th-century Polish women Deaths by airstrike during World War II

Early life

Military career

See also

References