The Warsaw Uprising Cross ( pl, Warszawski Krzyż Powstańczy) was a Polish military decoration. It was established by law on July 3, 1981 in order to honor the participants of 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 ...

of 1944. It was discontinued in 1999. It is distinct from Cross of the Warsaw Uprising, which was an informal award instituted during the Uprising itself. The decoration was awarded to persons who took an active part in the Warsaw Uprising. In particular: * Soldiers of all the formations that fought in the Uprising. * Members of the Military Women's Service, of the Health Care services of the Uprising and other auxiliary insurrectionist services. * Other persons who were somehow directly involved in the uprising. The cross was awarded to Polish citizens as well as persons who, although they held non Polish citizenship at the time, also fought on the Polish side in the Uprising. The Cross could also have been awarded to foreigners if they took part in the Uprising or contributed to the fighting in some major way. The Cross could have been awarded post posthumously. Usually the awards were made on the anniversary of the uprising or on the

Victory Day (May 9) etc. , nickname = , observedby = Russia and some former states of Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact; Serbia, Israel , duration = 1 day , frequency = Annual , date = 9 May , scheduling = same day each year , celebrations ...

(anniversary of Nazi capitulation). Until 1989 the Cross was awarded by the

Polish Council of State The Council of State of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Rada Państwa) was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of the Republic of Poland as chairman, the Marsh ...

and later by the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

, on the recommendation of: * The Minister of Defense – in regard to persons who actively participated in the Uprising, whether through armed struggle or in civilian support. * The Minister of Foreign Affairs – in regard to persons of Polish citizenship who were living abroad. * The Veterans associations – in regard to other eligible persons. The first Warsaw Uprising Crosses were awarded on 1 August 1981 to 100 former soldiers of the Uprising, among others Gen.

Jan Mazurkiewicz Jan Mazurkiewicz, pseudonym: "Zagłoba", "Socha", "Sęp", "Radosław" (27 August 1896 – 4 May 1988) was a Polish military leader and politician, colonel of Home Army and brigadier general of the Polish People's Army. Founder of the Secret Mil ...

(''Radosław'') -–commander of the

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 ...

, Gen. Franciszek Kamiński – commander of the

Bataliony Chłopskie Bataliony Chłopskie (BCh, Polish ''Peasants' Battalions'') was a Polish World War II resistance movement, guerrilla and partisan organisation. The organisation was created in mid-1940 by the agrarian political party People's Party and by 19 ...

, Col. Maria Wittek - commander of Military Women's Service, as well as Mieczysław Fogg and Lesław Bartelski. On 16 October 1992, a law was passed which ended the awarding of the medal on the 8 May 1999.

Recipients

* Anna Jakubowska *

Stanisław Aronson Stanisław Witold Aronson (nom de guerre "Rysiek"; born 6 May 1925) is a Polish Jew and an Israeli citizen, as well as a former officer of the Polish Home Army (AK) with a rank of lieutenant colonel. He was also a member of the Kedyw unit, "Kole ...

Henryk Chmielewski (comics) Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (7 June 1923 – 22 January 2021), also known under his pseudonym Papcio Chmiel, was a Polish comic book artist and journalist. During World War II, Chmielewski served in the Home Army and took part in the Warsaw Upris ...

Witold Pilecki Witold Pilecki (13 May 190125 May 1948; ; codenames ''Roman Jezierski, Tomasz Serafiński, Druh, Witold'') was a Polish World War II cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader. As a youth, Pilecki joined Polish underground sc ...

Ludomił Rayski Ludomił Antoni Rayski (29 December 1892 – 11 April 1977) was a Polish engineer, pilot, military officer and aviator. He served as the commander of the Polish Air Force between 1926 and 1939, being responsible for modernization of Polish milit ...

Zbigniew Ścibor-Rylski Zbigniew Dionizy Ścibor-Rylski (10 March 1917 – 3 August 2018) was a Polish brigadier general and aviator who was a participant of the Warsaw Uprising during the World War II. As a Polish Air Force officer, he fought alongside the resistance ...

* Teresa Suchecka-Nowak * Maciej Matthew Szymanski *

Samuel Willenberg Samuel Willenberg, ''nom de guerre'' Igo (16 February 1923 – 19 February 2016), was a Polish Holocaust survivor, artist, and writer. He was a ''Sonderkommando'' at the Treblinka extermination camp and participated in the unit's planned revol ...

* Maria Wittek *

References

* Wanda Bigoszewska: ''Polskie ordery i odznaczenia''. Warszawa: Wyd. Interpress, 1989. {{ISBN, 83-223-2287-9 Polish campaign medals Warsaw Uprising Awards established in 1981 Awards disestablished in 1999