Stanisław Ostwind-Zuzga (code-names "Kropidło", "Bolesław"; 26 April 1899 – 4 February 1945) was a master sergeant of the Polish Army, major of

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), local commandant of NSZ in Węgrów, and one of the highest-ranked officers of Jewish background in Polish anti-Nazi resistance 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 ...

Life

He was born in Warsaw as Szmul Ostwind son of Wolf (Władysław) Ostwind and Rebeka (Regina) née Saudel. Between 1915 and 1917 he fought in the Polish Legions, in the

Polish 1st Legions Infantry Regiment First Legions Infantry Regiment of Józef Piłsudski ( pl, 1 Pulk Piechoty Legionow Jozefa Pilsudskiego; 1 pp Leg.) was an infantry regiment of the Polish Army in 1914-1939. Named after Józef Piłsudski, in the Second Polish Republic it was stati ...

, led by Major

Edward Śmigły-Rydz Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

. He participated in the Battle of Kostiuchnówka, among others. After the

Oath crisis The Oath crisis ( pl, Kryzys przysięgowy) was a World War I political conflict between the Imperial German Army command and the Józef Piłsudski-led Polish Legions. Initially supporting the Central Powers against Imperial Russia, Piłsudski ...

, he was interned by Germans in

Szczypiorno Szczypiorno is a municipal neighbourhood of the city of Kalisz, Poland, located in its south-western part. Formerly until 1976 a separate village at the outskirts of the city, it is best known as a seat of a World War I and Polish–Soviet War pr ...

. In 1919 he graduated from military academy as a master sergeant, after which he was assigned to 36th Infantry Regiment, and participated in

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

of 1920. In the interwar period he was baptised into the Catholic Church, and worked for the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

.Nacjonalizmy różnych narodów perspektywa politologiczno-religioznawcza
Księgarnia Akademicka, book chapter by Wojciech Muszyński, page 140 in the PDF, , 2012, quote: "Pochodził z częściowo spolonizowanej rodziny żydowskiej z Warszawy, jako młody ochotnik wstąpił do I Brygady Legionów Polskich, uczestniczył jako podoficer w wojnie polsko-bolszewickiej. W okresie międzywojennym przyjął chrzest i pracował jako przodownik w Policji Państwowej." ("He came partly a Polonised Jewish family from Warsaw, as a young volunteer joined the First Brigade Polish Legions, he participated as a non-commissioned officer in the Polish-Bolshevik war. In the period He was baptized in the interwar period and worked as a leader in the State Police.) After Germany invaded Poland in 1939, he lived under the false name "Zuzga". Since 1942 he was a member of the

National Military Organization Narodowa Organizacja Wojskowa (National Military Organization, NOW) was one of the Polish resistance movements in World War II. Created in October 1939, it did not merge with the Service for Poland's Victory (SZP)/Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ); l ...

in Łuków County, later he transferred to the

(NSZ). He finished his training in the NSZ training facility "Dym" (Smoke) in

Jata Jata is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jeżowe, within Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Jeżowe, south of Nisko, and north of the regional capital Rzeszów. The ...

, after which he conducted operations in

Siedlce Siedlce [] ( yi, שעדליץ ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship (1975–1998). The city is situated b ...

area. In May 1944 he became a leader of the regional command of NSZ in Węgrów. He was the top-ranked Polish Jewish officer in the Polish non-communist resistance. On 1 June 1944 he was promoted to the rank of Major. One of his first actions as a leader was an attempt to negotiate joining forces with

Home 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 ...

, an attempt which most likely failed. On 3 January 1945, he was arrested by the newly established (after the Soviet occupation of Poland), Communist secret police ( Ministry of Public Security). He was later transferred to a prison in Otwock and tortured during questioning. After his Jewish origin was discovered, the Communists attempted to convince him to switch sides, an offer which he refused. He was executed on 4 February 1945. In 2018, by order of the President of the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Andrzej Duda, Ostwind was posthumously awarded the Commander'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 ...

for outstanding services to the independence of the Republic of Poland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostwind, Stanislaw 1899 births 1945 deaths National Armed Forces members 20th-century Polish Jews 20th-century Polish people People executed by Poland by firearm Polish military personnel killed in World War II Cursed soldiers killed in action