Stanisław Jankowski (code name: "Agaton") was an SOE agent and Polish resistance fighter during

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 an architect thereafter, who played a prominent role in the post-war reconstruction 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 ...

.Stanisław Jankowski "Agaton"
at Powstanie-warszawskie-1944.ac.pl

Life

Jankowski was a student and later, assistant lecturer in architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology in the

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

before World War II. He was mobilized as an officer during the German invasion of Poland of 1939. He was captured by the Soviets in eastern Poland but escaped and joined the

Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. Polish forces were also raised within Soviet territories; thes ...

. Jankowski became an SOE agent (

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 ...

) and in 1942 was parachuted back into

occupied Poland ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...

, where he became an expert document forger (codename "Agaton", helped set up the Home Army's document forgery department, codenamed "Agaton section") for the Polish resistance. In 1944, he took part in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...

(commander of 'Agaton Platoon', member of the ''Batalion Pięść'' in the

Radosław Group Radosław Group ( pl, Zgrupowanie Radosław) was the codename of a group of Kedyw, a Polish World War II Armia Krajowa organization, units during World War II created shortly before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Organization The ''Radosła ...

). He was taken prisoner by the Germans. After the end of the Uprising, he became an aide-de-camp to General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, the leader of the Polish Home Army. After the war, he resumed his career as an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He took part in the reconstruction of

; many of his projects took him abroad (to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Autobiography

* Stanisław Jankowski 'Agaton' (1980). ''Z fałszywym Ausweisem w prawdziwej Warszawie: Wspomnienia 1939-1946''. Warszawa: Biblioteka Syrenki (memoires)

Honours and awards

Jankowski was the recipient of many military and civilian medals and awards: :

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 ...

: Cross of Valour, twice : Order of the Banner of Labour Class II : Knight's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

Home Army Cross The Cross of the Home Army ( pl, Krzyż Armii Krajowej) is a Polish military decoration that was introduced by General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski on 1 August 1966 to commemorate the efforts of the soldiers of the Polish Secret State between 1939 and ...

: three National Arts Awards : Gold Medal for Reconstruction of Warsaw : Honorary Citizen of Warsaw (1995)

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jankowski, Stanislaw 1911 births 2002 deaths Artists from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate Warsaw University of Technology alumni Warsaw University of Technology faculty Home Army members Cichociemni Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Armia Krajowa Cross Warsaw Uprising insurgents 20th-century Polish architects