The "cursed soldiers" (also known as "doomed soldiers", "accursed soldiers" or "damned soldiers"; pl, żołnierze wyklęci) or "indomitable soldiers" ( pl, żołnierze niezłomni) is a term applied to a variety of

anti-Soviet Anti-Sovietism, anti-Soviet sentiment, called by Soviet authorities ''antisovetchina'' (russian: антисоветчина), refers to persons and activities actually or allegedly aimed against the Soviet Union or government power within the ...

and

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of

World War II 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 its aftermath by members of the Polish Underground State. This all-encompassing term for a widely heterogeneous movement was introduced in the early 1990s. The clandestine organisations continued their armed struggle against the

communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

of Poland well into the 1950s. The

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

included an array of military attacks launched against the regime's prisons and state security offices, detention facilities for political prisoners, and concentration camps that were set up across the country. Most of the 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 Soviet

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

. The last known "cursed soldier",

Józef Franczak Józef Franczak (17 March 1918 – 21 October 1963) was a soldier of the Polish Army, Armia Krajowa World War II resistance, and last of the cursed soldiers – members of the militant anti-communist resistance in Poland. He used co ...

, was killed in an ambush in 1963. The best-known Polish anti-communist resistance organisations operating in Stalinist Poland included

Freedom and Independence Freedom and Independence Association ( pl, Zrzeszenie Wolność i Niezawisłość, or WiN) was a Polish underground anticommunist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active until 1952. Political goals and realities The main purpose of it ...

(Wolność i Niezawisłość, WIN),

National Armed Forces National Armed Forces (NSZ; '' Polish:'' Narodowe Siły Zbrojne) was a Polish right-wing underground military organization of the National Democracy operating from 1942. During World War II, NSZ troops fought against Nazi Germany and communist p ...

(Narodowe Siły Zbrojne, NSZ),

National Military Union Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe (National Military Union, NZW) was a Polish anti-Communist organization, founded in November 1944, after collapse of the Warsaw Uprising. It was among the largest and strongest resistance organisations established ...

(Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe, NZW),

Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie (Underground Polish Army, KWP) was a Polish paramilitary organization, which existed from April 1945 to as late as 1954, whose purpose was to fight Communist-controlled government of Poland as well as the NKVD. It was ...

(Underground Polish Army, KWP),

Ruch Oporu Armii Krajowej Ruch Oporu Armii Krajowej - Polish anticommunist military resistance organization formed in 1944 by Józef Marcinkowski from Armia Krajowa soldiers. Main goal was counteracting Soviet domination over Poland. They engaged in many skirmishes with ...

(Home Army Resistance, ROAK),

Armia Krajowa Obywatelska Armia Krajowa Obywatelska (AKO, Citizens' Home Army) was a Polish military anticommunist organization, and a successor of the disbanded Polish anti-Nazi resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK). It was founded in February 1945 by Colonel Władys� ...

(Citizens' Home Army, AKO), NIE (NO, short for ''Niepodległość''),

Armed Forces Delegation for Poland The Armed Forces Delegation for Poland (''Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj'') was a Polish anti-communist resistance organization formed on May 7, 1945, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, General Władysław Anders, as a contin ...

(Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj), and

Wolność i Sprawiedliwość Wolnosc i Sprawiedliwosc (Freedom and Justice, WiS) was a secret Polish oppositional, anti-Communist organization, founded in early 1950s in Warsaw and Kraków. Its creators were former activists of Wolnosc i Niezawislosc (WiN), who wanted to dis ...

(Freedom and Justice, WiS). Similar Eastern European anti-communist insurgencies went on in neighbouring countries. The operations and history of the "cursed soldiers" have been controversial.

Historical background

In the summer of 1944, as Soviet forces fighting against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

advanced into Poland, the USSR set up a provisional puppet regime of Poland called the

Polish Committee of National Liberation The Polish Committee of National Liberation ( Polish: ''Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego'', ''PKWN''), also known as the Lublin Committee, was an executive governing authority established by the Soviet-backed communists in Poland at the la ...

. The new regime was aware that the Polish Resistance (whose chief component was the

Armia Krajowa The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...

or Home Army) and Underground State loyal to the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

would have to be destroyed before they could gain complete control over Poland.

Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948. Following the Polish October he became leader again from 1956 to 1970. G ...

, future

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...

, said that "Soldiers of the Armia Krajowa (AK) are a hostile element which must be removed without mercy". Another prominent communist,

Roman Zambrowski Roman Zambrowski (born Rubin Nassbaum; 15 July 1909 – 19 August 1977) was a Polish communist politician. Career Zambrowski was born into a Jewish family in Warsaw. He was a member of the Communist Party of Poland (1928–1938) and of the Cen ...

, 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 The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

and the increasing threat of civil war over Poland's sovereignty. However, many resistance units decided to continue with their struggle for Polish independence, regarding Soviet forces as new occupiers. Soviet partisans in Poland had already been ordered by Moscow on 22 June 1943 to engage Polish ''Leśni'' partisans in combat. Tadeusz Piotrowski, ''Poland's Holocaust'', McFarland & Company, 1997,
Google Print, pp. 88 89 90
According to

Marek Jan Chodakiewicz Marek Jan Chodakiewicz (born July 15, 1962) is a Polish-American historian specializing in Central European history of the 19th and 20th centuries.Bogdan Musial's ''Sowjetische Partisanen'' book, "Musial’s study suggests that the Soviets seldom attacked German military and police targets. They preferred to assault the poorly armed and trained Belarusan and Polish self-defense forces. The guerrillas torched and leveled Polish landed estates much more frequently than they blew up military transports and assaulted other hard targets."Review of ''Sowjetische Partisanen in Weißrußland''
by

Marek Jan Chodakiewicz Marek Jan Chodakiewicz (born July 15, 1962) is a Polish-American historian specializing in Central European history of the 19th and 20th centuries.Sarmatian Review The ''Sarmatian Review'' () is an English-language peer-reviewed academic tri-quarterly journal devoted to Slavistics (the study of the histories, cultures, and societies of the Slavic nations of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe). The '' ...

'', April 2006. The main forces of the

(

Northern Group of Forces The Northern Group of Forces (; ) was the military formation of the Soviet Army stationed in People's Republic of Poland, Poland from the end of World War II, Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fal ...

) and the

began conducting operations against the Armia Krajowa (AK) during and directly after the launch of

Operation Tempest file:Akcja_burza_1944.png, 210px, right Operation Tempest ( pl, akcja „Burza”, sometimes referred to in English as "Operation Storm") was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II against occupying German forces by the Polish Home ...

, the aim of which was for the Polish resistance to seize control of cities and areas occupied by the Germans while the latter were preparing their defenses against the advancing Soviets.Andrzej Kaczyński (2 October 2004),
Wielkie polowanie: Prześladowania akowców w Polsce Ludowej
' Great hunt: the persecutions of AK soldiers in the People's Republic of Poland,

Rzeczpospolita () is the official name of Poland and a traditional name for some of its predecessor states. It is a compound of "thing, matter" and "common", a calque of Latin ''rés pública'' ( "thing" + "public, common"), i.e. ''republic'', in Engli ...

, Nr 232, last accessed 21 March 2016 via Internet Archive. The Soviet leader

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

planned to ensure that an independent Poland would never reemerge in the

postwar In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period ...

period.Judith Olsak-Glass
Review of Piotrowski's ''Poland's Holocaust''
in ''

Sarmatian Review The ''Sarmatian Review'' () is an English-language peer-reviewed academic tri-quarterly journal devoted to Slavistics (the study of the histories, cultures, and societies of the Slavic nations of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe). The '' ...

'', January 1999.

Formation of the anti-communist underground

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 conduct

espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

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 The Armed Forces Delegation for Poland (''Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj'') was a Polish Anti-communism, anti-communist resistance organization formed on May 7, 1945, by the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, General Władysław And ...

("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland"). This organization lasted only until August 8, 1945, when the decision was made to disband it and to stop partisan resistance on Polish territory. In March 1945 a

staged trial A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt (law), guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the ...

of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State, who had been captured and imprisoned by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, took place in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

(the

Trial of the Sixteen The Trial of the Sixteen ( pl, Proces szesnastu) was a staged trial of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State held by the Soviet authorities in Moscow in 1945. All captives were kidnapped by the NKVD secret service and falsely accused of var ...

). Malcher, G.C. (1993) ''Blank Pages'', Pyrford Press , Page 73 The Government Delegate, together with most members of the Council of National Unity and the Commander-in-Chief of the

, were invited by Soviet general

Ivan Serov Ivan Alexandrovich Serov (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Серóв; 13 August 1905 – 1 July 1990) was a Russian Soviet intelligence officer who served as the head of the KGB between March 1954 and December 1958, as well as ...

, 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

Pruszków Pruszków ( yi, ‏פּרושקאָוו) is a city in east-central Poland, situated in the Masovian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in Warszawa Voivodeship (1975–1998). Pruszków is the capital of Pruszków County, located along t ...

on 27 and 28 March.

Leopold Okulicki General Leopold Okulicki (noms de guerre ''Kobra'', ''Niedźwiadek''; 1898 – 1946) was a general of the Polish Army and the last commander of the anti-Nazi underground Home Army during World War II. He was arrested after the war by the Sovi ...

Jan Stanisław Jankowski Jan Stanisław Jankowski (6 May 1882 – 13 March 1953; noms de guerre ''Doktor'', ''Jan'', ''Klonowski'', ''Sobolewski'', ''Soból'') was a Polish politician, an important figure in the Polish civil resistance during World War II and a ...

, and

Kazimierz Pużak Kazimierz Pużak (1883–1950) was a Polish socialist politician of the interwar period. Active in the Polish Socialist Party, he was one of the leaders of the Polish Secret State and Polish resistance, sentenced by the Soviets in the infamo ...

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 The Lubyanka ( rus, Лубянка, p=lʊˈbʲankə) is the popular name for the building which contains the headquarters of the FSB, and its affiliated prison, on Lubyanka Square in the Meshchansky District of Moscow, Russia. It is a large Ne ...

for interrogation prior to the trial. After several months of brutal interrogation and torture, they were charged with false accusations of " collaboration with

" and of "planning a military alliance with Nazi Germany". 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 soldiers of the AK had been arrested, and 50,000 of them were deported to the Soviet Union's prisons and prison camps. Most of those soldiers 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 Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...

. In 1947, the regime of the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

proclaimed an

for most of the 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 of freedom. After repeated broken promises during the first few years of communist rule, former AK members refused to trust the government. After the

("Armed Forces Delegation for Homeland") was disbanded, another post-AK resistance organisation was formed, called

Wolność i Niezawisłość Freedom and Independence Association ( pl, Zrzeszenie Wolność i Niezawisłość, or WiN) was a Polish underground anticommunist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active until 1952. Political goals and realities The main purpose of it ...

("Freedom and Sovereignty"). Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN) was most concerned with helping former AK soldiers make the transition from life as partisans to that of civilians, rather than any type of combat. Continued secrecy and conspiracy were necessary in light of the increasing persecution of AK veterans by the communist regime. 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 The Ministry of Public Security ( pl, Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego), commonly known as UB or later SB, was the secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage agency operating in the Polish People's Republic. From 1945 to 1954 it w ...

(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 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

Narodowe Siły Zbrojne National Armed Forces (NSZ; '' Polish:'' Narodowe Siły Zbrojne) was a Polish right-wing underground military organization of the National Democracy operating from 1942. During World War II, NSZ troops fought against Nazi Germany and communist p ...

(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: "the 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 Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...

terror in postwar Poland. In the period from 1944 to 1956, at least 300,000 Polish civilians were arrested. Some sources claim numbers up to two million 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 Witold Pilecki (13 May 190125 May 1948; ; codenames ''Roman Jezierski, Tomasz Serafiński, Druh, Witold'') was a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader. As a youth, Pilecki joined Polish underground s ...

, a hero of

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

. 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 Polish October (), also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the politics of Poland in the second half of 1956. Some social scientists term it the Polish October Revolution, which was less dramatic than 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, Adam Boryczka, the last member of the elite British-trained

Cichociemny ''Cichociemni'' (; the "Silent Unseen") were elite special-operations paratroopers of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland (''Cichociemni Spadochroniarze Armii Krajowej''). Kazimierz ...

("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

fall of communism The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...

, that the convictions of AK soldiers were finally declared invalid and annulled by Polish law.

The largest operations and actions

The biggest battle in the history of the

(''Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe'', NZW) took place on 6–7 May 1945, in the village of

Kuryłówka Kuryłówka is a village in Leżajsk County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Kuryłówka. It lies on the navigable San River, approximately north-east of ...

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 return to the village later and burn it to the ground in retaliation, destroying over 730 buildings.Norman Davies, ''No Simple Victory'', Viking Penguin, 2006. On 21 May 1945, a heavily armed AK unit led by Colonel

Edward Wasilewski Edward Wasilewski (1923 – 22 August 1968), pseudonym Wichura (Strong gale), was one of the best known anti-communist fighters in the Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1953), Polish resistance during the History of Poland (1945–1989), S ...

, attacked and destroyed the NKVD camp located in

Rembertów Rembertów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed a separate ...

on the eastern outskirts of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. The Soviets had incarcerated hundreds of Polish citizens there, Norman Davies, '' Rising '44'', 2004, Viking Penguin, , p. 495 Norman Davies, '' Rising '44'', 2003, Macmillan, , p. 495 Norman Davies, '' Rising '44'', 2004, Pan, , p. 497 including members of the Armia Krajowa.Tadeusz Piotrowski, ''Poland's Holocaust: Ethnic Strife, Collaboration with Occupying Forces and Genocide in the Second Republic, 1918-1947'', McFarland & Company, 1998, , p.131
Google Print

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 Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...

and

Augustów Augustów (; lt, Augustavas, formerly known in English as ''Augustovo'' or ''Augustowo'')" is a city in north-eastern Poland with 29,729 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is situated in the ...

regions of Poland. The "

Augustów roundup The Augustów roundup (Polish ''Obława augustowska'') was a military operation against the Polish World War II anti-communist partisans and sympathizers following the Soviet takeover of Poland. The operation was undertaken by Soviet forces with t ...

" ( pl, Obława augustowska) was a joint operation of the Red Army, the Soviet NKVD, and

SMERSH SMERSH (russian: СМЕРШ) was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Josep ...

battalions, with assistance from Polish UB and LWP units, against Armia Krajowa resistance fighters. The operation extended into the territory of occupied

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. More than 2,000 suspected anti-communist Polish fighters were captured and detained in Soviet

internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

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 The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...

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: # ''

'' ("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. # '' Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe'' ("National Military Union", NZW) established in mid-to-late 1940s, active until 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 UB collaborators. # ''

'' ("Citizens' Home Army", AKO) founded in February 1945, incorporated into Wolność i Niezawisłość in 1945. # '' NIE'' ("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 early 1950s.

Events

* Battle of Kuryłówka *

( pl, Obława augustowska) * Attack on the NKVD Camp in Rembertów * 1951 Mokotow Prison executions *

Raid on Kielce Prison The Raid on Kielce Prison, which took place in Kielce, Poland, in the night of 4/5 August 1945, was carried out by members of anti-Communist resistance, the so-called Cursed soldiers. Their target was a Urzad Bezpieczenstwa, Communist secret servic ...

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 Suwałki Region ( pl, Suwalszczyzna ; lt, Suvalkų kraštas, Suvalkija, russian: cувалкщина, german: Sudauen) is a small region around the city of Suwałki (known in Lithuanian as ''Suvalkai'') in northeastern Poland near the border wit ...

Inhabitants who Disappeared in July 1945 ('' Obywatelski Komitet Poszukiwań Mieszkańców Suwalszczyzny Zaginionych w Lipcu 1945 r., in Polish''). *Cpt. Józef Batory (''

noms de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

'', ''"Argus"'' and ''"Wojtek"'') *Lt. Stefan Bembiński (''"Harnaś"'') *Maj. Marian Bernaciak (''"Orlik"'' and ''"Dymek"'') *Lt. Ksawery Błasiak (''"Albert"'') *Cpt.

Franciszek Błażej Captain Franciszek Błażej (noms de guerre "Roman", "Bogusław") was born on 27 October 1907 in Nosówka, in Austrian Galicia. He was a professional officer of the Polish Army and participated in the Polish September Campaign. Some time in the ...

(''"Roman"'', ''"Bogusław"'', and ''"Tadeusz"'') *Lt. Stanisław Bogdanowicz (''"Tom"'') *Lt. Col.

Janusz Bokszczanin Janusz Bokszczanin (1894, Grodno – 1973) was a colonel of the Polish Army and one of the first Polish commanders of the motorized troops in the reborn Second Polish Republic. During World War II he joined the ZWZ resistance organization and late ...

(''"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 Łukasz Ciepliński [] (26 November 1913 – 1 March 1951) was a Polish soldier who fought in the Polish Polish resistance movement in World War II, anti-Nazi and Cursed soldiers, anti-communist resistance movements. He used various aliases: ''P ...

(''"Pług"'' and ''"Ostrowski"'') *Maj./Lt. Col. of NSZ Tadeusz Danilewicz (''"Kuba"'', ''"Doman"'', ''"Kossak"'', and ''"Łoziński"'') *Maj.

Hieronim Dekutowski Hieronim Dekutowski (noms de guerre "Zapora", "Odra", "Rezu", "Stary", "Henryk Zagon", 24 September 1918 – 7 March 1949) was a Polish boy scout and soldier, who fought in Polish September Campaign, was a member of the elite forces Cichociemni, ...

(''"Zapora"'') *Cpt. Jan Karol Dubaniowski (''"Salwa"'') *2nd Lt. Władysław Dubielak (''"Myśliwy"'') *Brig. Gen.

Emil August Fieldorf August Emil Fieldorf (''nom de guerre''; “''Nil''”; 20 March 1895 – 24 February 1953) was a Polish brigadier general who served as deputy commander-in-chief of the Home Army after the suppression of the Warsaw Uprising (August 1944 – ...

(''"Nil"'') *Cpt.

Henryk Flame Henryk Antoni Flame (or Flamme, nom de guerre "Grot" or "Bartek"; January 19, 1918 – December 1, 1947) was a corporal and pilot in the Polish Air Force, and a captain of the anti-Nazi, and anti-Communist resistance organization NSZ. Early lif ...

(''"Bartek"'' and ''"Grot"'') *

(''"Lalek"'') *Lt. Henryk Glapiński (''"Klinga"'') *Lt. Eugeniusz Godlewski (''"Topór"'') *Maj. Antoni Heda (''"Szary"'') *Lt. Col. Tadeusz Jachimek (''"Ninka"'') *Lt.

Franciszek Jerzy Jaskulski Major Franciszek Jerzy Jaskulski (September 16, 1913 – February 19, 1947), aka 'Zagończyk', was a soldier in the Polish Home Army and a commander in Freedom and Independence (a Polish underground anticommunist organization) in the Radom regio ...

(''"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 Mieczysław Kawalec (noms de guerre "Iza", "Zbik", "Psarski", "Stanislawski"), born in 1916 in the village of Trzciana, Rzeszów County, was a Polish resistance fighter. In the late 1930s, he graduated from the Law Department at Lwów University, ...

(''"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 A posthumous award is granted after the recipient has died. Many prizes, medals, and awards can be granted posthumously. Australian actor Heath Ledger, for example, won many awards after his death in 2008. Military decorations, such as Hero of ...

)

Aleksander Krzyżanowski Aleksander Krzyżanowski '' nom de guerre'' "Wilk" (18 February 1895 – 29 September 1951) was an artillery colonel of the Polish Army, officer of the Service for Poland's Victory, Union of Armed Struggle, commander of the Vilnius District of ...

(''"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 Major Adam Lazarowicz (noms de guerre "Klamra", "Pomorski", "Zygmunt", "Jadzik", "Aleksander", 1902 – 1 March 1951) was a Polish military officer who played a prominent role in the Polish resistance movement in the German-occupied Poland in th ...

(''"Klamra"'', ''"Pomorski"'', ''"Kleszcz"'', and ''"Zygmunt"'') *Lt. Col.

Henryk Lewczuk Henryk Lewczuk (nom de guerre "Młot" (Hammer)) (born 4 July 1923 in Chełm, died 15 June 2009 in Chełm) was a Polish soldier, member of the Home Army (AK) and the anti-communist organization Freedom and Independence (WiN), an activist in the Polis ...

(''"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 Franciszek Niepokólczycki alias Teodor, Szubert, Franek, Żejmian, Halny (27 October 1900 – 11 June 1974) was a colonel of Polish Army. During World War II, commander of the Union of Retaliation, officer of the Union of Armed Struggle and the ...

(''"Szubert"'') *Lt. Wiktor Zacheusz Nowowiejski (''"Jeż"'') *Lt. Col. Antoni Olechnowicz (''"Lawicz"'', ''"Pohorecki"'') *Maj. Mieczysław Pazderski (''"Szary"'') *Lt. Stanisław Pelczer (''"Majka"'') *Cpt.

(''"Witold"'') *Lt. Franciszek Przysiężniak (''"Ojciec Jan"'') *Cpt.

Romuald Rajs Romuald Rajs, '' nom de guerre'' "Bury" (30 November 1913 – 30 December 1949), was a Polish soldier, a member of Home Army (AK) and National Military Union (NZW), an anti-communist insurgent and a war criminal. In 1946 the unit under his com ...

(''"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 Danuta Helena Siedzikówna (nom de guerre: ''Inka''; underground name: ''Danuta Obuchowicz''; 3 September 1928 – 28 August 1946) was a Polish medical orderly in the 4th Squadron of the 5th Wilno Brigade in Home Army. In 1946 she served with ...

("Inka") *Cpt.

Stanisław Sojczyński Stanisław Sojczyński (nom de guerre "Warszyc") (March 30, 1910 in Rzejowice – February 19, 1947 in Łódź) was a captain in the Polish Army and in the Home Army and later the creator and leader of Underground Polish Army (KWP). On Sep ...

("Warszyc") *Sgt. Władysław Stefanowski ("Grom") *Maj. Stanisław Szacoń ("Szacun") *Lt. Col. Jan Szczurek-Cergowski ("Sławbor") *Maj.

Zygmunt Szendzielarz Zygmunt Szendzielarz (12 March 1910 – 8 February 1951) was the commander of the Polish 5th Wilno Brigade of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), nom de guerre "Łupaszka". He fought against the Red Army after the end of the Second World War. Followi ...

("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

File:Witold Pilecki 1.JPG,

("Witold") File:Generał August Emil Fieldorf.jpg, August Emil Fieldorf ("Nil") File:Aleksander Krzyzanowski.jpg, Aleksander Krzyzanowski ("Wilk") File:Zygmunt Szendzielarz (Łupaszka).jpg,

("Łupaszko") File:Marian Bernaciak-Orlik.jpg, Marian Bernaciak ("Orlik") File:Józef Kuras Ogień.jpg, Lt. Józef Kuraś ("Ogień": "Fire") File:Niepokolczycki Franciszek.jpg, Col.

("Teodor") File:Danuta Siedzikowna Sopot.jpg,

("Inka") File:HenrykFlame.jpg,

("Bartek") File:Władysław Łukasiuk.JPG, Władysław Łukasiuk ("Hammer") File:Józef Franczak Lalek.jpg,

("Lalek") File:Łukasz Ciepliński.jpg,

("Ludwik") File:Waclaw Lipinski 1937.png, Wacław Lipiński ("Aleksander") File:Mieczysław Dziemiszkiewicz Rój.jpg, Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz ("Rój")

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,

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

directed the film ''

Ashes and Diamonds ''Ashes and Diamonds'' ( Polish original: ''Popiół i diament'', literally: ''Ash and Diamond'') is a 1948 novel by the Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski. The story takes place during the last few days of World War II in Europe, and describes th ...

'' 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

, 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

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

(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

, 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 Telewizja Polska, TVP channel produced a documentary film ''Inka. Zachowałam się jak trzeba'' directed by Arkadiusz Gołebiewski and portraying the life of

, a Polish medical orderly in the 4th Squadron of the Wileńska Cavalry Brigade, 5th Wilno Brigade in Home Army who was captured, tortured and sentenced to death at the age of 17 by the Communism in Poland, 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

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 (music), 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 dediacted 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 (singer), 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

), "Indomitable Heroes" (referring to

and

), and "You Acted Right" (referring to

). *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 music, heavy metal band Sabaton (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

*In 2016, Polish historian Lech Kowalski published a monumental 1,100 page book ''Korpus Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego a Żołnierze Wyklęci'' (English: "Internal Security Corps and the Cursed Soldiers"), which focuses on the fight undertaken by the communist state authorities against Poland's anti-Communist underground in the years 1944–1956. *In 2019, Jack Fairweather (writer), Jack Fairweather published a book ''The Volunteer (book), The Volunteer: One Man's Mission to Lead an Underground Army Inside Auschwitz and Stop the Holocaust'' whose subject is Witold Pilecki. His book won the Costa Book Awards – Book of the Year.

References

External links

Short description
of an exhibition on ''Łupaszko''
The Doomed soldiers - Polish Underground Soldiers 1944-1963 - The Untold Story

WiN , Freedom and Independence - Historical Brief.

NSZ , National Armed Forces - Historical Brief.

* [http://podziemiezbrojne.blox.pl/html Antykomunistyczne Podziemie Zbrojne po 1944 roku]
Żołnierze wyklęci
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cursed Soldiers Cursed soldiers, Polish People's Republic Anti-communism in Poland Guerrilla organizations Communism-based civil wars Stalinism in Poland Paramilitary organisations based in Poland Anti-communist organizations