Piotr Konieczka (29 April 1901 – 1 September 1939) was a
Polish Army soldier.
He is considered by some historians to have been the first Polish soldier to die in
World War II.
Biography
Piotr Konieczka was born in the village of
Czarże
Czarże is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dąbrowa Chełmińska, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north of Dąbrowa Chełmińska, north-east of Bydgoszcz, and north- ...
near
Chełmno.
He moved with his family to
Brodna in
Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...
where he bought a three-hectare farm. He was mobilized in the spring of 1939.
On the night of 31 August to 1 September, he served in a platoon sent to strengthen the
Jeziorki[ border checkpoint.]Greater Poland
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...
region. While the attack was not by regular Wehrmacht soldiers, it was considered to be part of the war, because the attackers did not retreat back to German territory, as was happening with earlier acts of German sabotage against Poland.[ ]
In 2009, a monument was erected to him in Jeziorki.["Piotr Konieczka - żołnierz, który zginął przed atakiem na Westerplatte"]
''Newsweek.pl'', 31 August 2010 (retrieved 24 January 2017)
On 14 September 2010, he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.[Monitor Polski year 2010 number 90 position 1044 – poz. 19.]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konieczka, Piotr
1901 births
1939 deaths
Polish military personnel killed in World War II
Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Polish Army personnel