Stanisław Józef Bronisław Kasznica (July 25, 1908 – May 12, 1948) was the last commander of the

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 pa ...

(NSZ), an anti-communist, and anti-Nazi paramilitary organization, which was part of the Polish resistance movement in World War II and in the period following it. He was born in

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 his father, Stanisław Wincenty Antoni Kasznica, was rector and professor of the

Poznań University Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

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 ...

. During World War II he initially fought in the Polish Army, joining the National Armed Forces resistance group after the defeat of Polish military. After the war he did not cease the fight for Poland's freedom and fought with the NSZ against the Soviet-installed communist regime. He was arrested by the Polish communist secret police, the Urząd Bezpieczeństwa, in February 1947, tortured and condemned to death by a communist Polish court. He was executed on May 12, 1948, in the Warsaw Mokotów Prison. His symbolic grave is located at Warsaw Powązki Cemetery. Kasznica used numerous ''

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 ...

s'', including Stanisław Wąsacz, Wąsowski, Przepona, Służa, Maszkowski, and Borowski.

Honours and awards

:Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari :Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta ( posthumously, 2009) : Cross of Valour :Cross of the National Armed Deed (posthumously, 1993) :Silver Cross of the National Deed Armed with Swords (1944)

References

1908 births 1948 deaths Military personnel from Lviv Military personnel of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria National Party (Poland) politicians Camp of Great Poland politicians Polish Army officers National Armed Forces members Cursed soldiers killed in action Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) People executed by the Polish People's Republic by firearm Executed military leaders Executed Polish people Burials at Powązki Cemetery Politicians from Lviv {{World-War-II-bio-stub