Halszka Wasilewska, sometimes called ''Halina'', (21 March 1899 – 8 February 1961),

WW2 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 opposing ...

nom-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 individua ...

Krystyna, was one of the first women to attain the rank of Major in the

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

. She was a Legionnaire in the

First world war World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the subsequent Polish-Soviet War in 1920. She participated in the battle for

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

and in the Polish - Ukrainian War. As an officer, she had special responsibility for training in the women's

during the

interbellum In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...

. With the outbreak of WW2, she directed training for the women in the

Polish Underground Army 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 ...

. She was captured and tortured by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and held in

Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure o ...

for two years. After liberation she rose to the

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the Women's forces in General Maczek's 1st Armoured Division in post-war Germany.Markert, Anna Eliza, ed. ''Kobiety w Kampanii Polskiej: Halina Wasilewska'' http://1wrzesnia39.pl/39p/galeria-1/kobiety-w-kampanii-pol/8817,Halina-Wasilewska.html She was the elder sister of the communist activist

Wanda Wasilewska ukr, Ванда Львівна Василевська rus, Ванда Львовна Василевская , native_name_lang = , birth_date = , birth_place = Kraków, Austria-Hungary , death_date = , death_place ...

, who has overshadowed her in history.

Background

Halszka was first of the three daughters of Wanda, née Zieleniewska and her husband,

Leon Wasilewski Leon Wasilewski (1870–1936) was an activist of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS), a coworker of Józef Piłsudski, Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, designer of much of Second Polish Republic policy towards Eastern Europe, historian and fa ...

, later to be first foreign minister of the

Second Republic of Poland The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...

. Her father, who originally came from the Polish community in

St-Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, met his future wife, Wanda, at Lwów University where they were both students. He however dropped out of his course and became involved in the Polish independence movement setting up his own "university programme", in the words of his biographer, Stoczewska. After meeting

Józef Piłsudski ), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania) , death_date = , death_place = Warsaw, Poland , constituency = , party = None (formerly PPS) , spouse = , children = Wan ...

in the mid 1890s, he joined the

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' P ...

and became an activist. The movement operated across international frontiers with its main groupings centred at the time on Zurich and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Wasilewski became the editor of the

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

-based political review, "Przedświt" ("Pre-Dawn"). He and his wife lived in

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, S ...

between 1898 and 1903 in a house called "Lingwood", where many leading Polish activists would meet and where Piłsudski stayed after his escape from St. Petersburg. Halszka was born on board a

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

-bound ship as her parents were returning home from a European trip and her birth was registered in London. She spent her early childhood in the tightly knit Polish community of political activists in London. After her father was recalled back to mainland Europe in 1903, prior to the

1905 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905,. also known as the First Russian Revolution,. occurred on 22 January 1905, and was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. The mass unrest was directed again ...

and the Polish insurrection of that year, the family left England and went to Galicia, first to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

then to

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

where Halszka spent the rest of her childhood and where her two younger sisters, Wanda and Zofia Aldona were born. She went on to

Jan Kazimierz University The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

in Lwów, her parents' Alma mater, completing course work in Philosophy to gain an (''Absolutorium''), without collecting her degree. She then did a specialism in Biology and became a teacher in a girls' gymnasium in Lwów. Her married name was Niemiec.

World War I

After the outbreak of the First World War, she served in the medical corps of the Polish Legion Brigade in Jabłonkowo, in

Kęty Kęty is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland with 18,955 inhabitants (2012). The town located in Silesian Foothills dates its earliest document from 1277 when Polish prince of Opole Władysław confirmed sale of the ...

, Galicia and in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. In 1918 she was a courier for the 2nd command of the

Polish Military Organisation The Polish Military Organisation, PMO ( pl, Polska Organizacja Wojskowa, POW) was a secret military organization which formed during World War I (1914-1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914; it adopted the name ''POW'' in Novem ...

(''Komenda Naczelna 2 Polskiej Organizacji Wojskowej'') in

. Dressed as a man, she took part in the defence of Lwów as a communications officer of company 5 of the Legions. She was one of three women, dressed as men, who were "embedded" in the artillery forces of Poland; the other two were Maria Wittek, later commander of women's land forces who advanced to

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and Major Wanda "Kazik" Gertz, a highly decorated officer for her valour. Piłsudski was keen that women should play their part in the military. All three were sent for officer training alongside their male counterparts to Komorowo. Subsequently, she fought against Ukrainian forces as commander of the communications patrol. A serious lung illness prevented her fighting actively against the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

. After hostilities ended she was one of the regional organisers of the PWK - Przysposobienie Wojskowe Kobiet (Female Military Training). 1928-1934 saw her as the commander of the Lwów PWK and simultaneously, as manager of the Polish forces physical training for Lwów. In September 1939 she was chief of the Women's Battalion of auxiliary forces for the Lwów

National Defence National security, or national defence, is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as p ...

Brigade.

World War II

In October 1939 she was sworn into the underground forces in Lwów. She led a women's battalion in the defence of Lwów, supported by Maria Wittek. That same month, after the city fell to the Germans, she became head of the training Centre of the Polish Women's underground forces in

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 ...

. In 1941 she was head of women's underground forces training in Warsaw. She was arrested early in 1943 by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

and imprisoned in the

Pawiak Pawiak () was a prison built in 1835 in Warsaw, Congress Poland. During the January 1863 Uprising, it served as a transfer camp for Poles sentenced by Imperial Russia to deportation to Siberia. During the World War II German occupation of ...

prison. On 3 April 1943 she was transferred to Ravensbrűck concentration camp. After Liberation, in May 1945 she was sent to Sweden for medical treatment. She later assumed command of the 2nd Battalion of the Women's Army Service in

Meppen Meppen (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Möppen'') is a town in and the seat of the Emsland district of Lower Saxony, Germany, at the confluence of the Ems (river), Ems, Hase, and Nordradde rivers and the Dortmund–Ems Canal (DEK). The name stems from t ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

with the 1st Armoured Division headed by General Maczek. She arrived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

with her regiment where it was demobilised.

New career after the war

She stayed initially in London and was subsequently located at "Ontario" resettlement camp in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, then moved to the Women's Allied Forces hostel in

Claverley Claverley is a village and civil parish in east Shropshire, England. The parish also includes the hamlets of Beobridge, Hopstone, Upper Aston, Ludstone, Heathton and a number of other small settlements. Claverley village is east of the market to ...

from where she was finally demobilised. She settled in the nearby town of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

. She completed a

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

course; Maria Szymkiewicz reports she always had a talent for drawing, she worked on the design of commercial advertisements. In her spare time she undertook the preparation of an

atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

of Polish historical maps. It is unknown whether that project was completed before her death. It is worth noting in this context that her younger sister, Wanda, is said to have assisted

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 Secretar ...

in the drawing up of Poland's "new" eastern borders after

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 ...

, a change of the very frontiers that their father, Leon, as the first Foreign Minister of independent Poland, had helped to negotiate in 1920–21.Mrozik, Agnieszka. (2016) "Communist Women and the Spirit of Transgression: The case of Wanda Wasilewska" https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Agnieszka_Mrozik2/publication/322632763_Communist_Women_and_the_Spirit_of_Transgression_The_Case_of_Wanda_Wasilewska/links/5a6501614585158bca51d665/Communist-Women-and-the-Spirit-of-Transgression-The-Case-of-Wanda-Wasilewska.pdf p.141. Halszka Wasilewska died in Stafford in 1961 where she was buried in the

Eccleshall Eccleshall is a town and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles northwest of Stafford, and six miles west-southwest of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France. His ...

Road Cemetery, Stafford, England.

Awards

Wasilewska was awarded: *

Cross of Independence Cross of Independence ( pl, Krzyż Niepodległości) was second highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three cl ...

* Cross of Valour, twice *

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

References