Wiktor Wiechaczek (

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 ...

''Oset''; 10 October 1879 – 3 June 1941) was a Polish soldier, who participated in the

Silesian Uprisings The Silesian Uprisings (german: Aufstände in Oberschlesien, Polenaufstände, links=no; pl, Powstania śląskie, links=no) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic ...

. Born on 10 October 1879 in

Ruda Śląska Ruda Śląska (formerly ) is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. It is in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica River (t ...

, Wiechaczek was a Polish patriot, living in

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...

, which then belonged to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1913 he took part in a strike in the ''Pawel'' coal mine, for which he was fired. After 1918, Wiechaczek actively participated in pro-Polish movement in Silesia, and together with Józef Trojok, he was one of leaders of the First Silesian Uprising. In 1921, he was a member of the

Wawelberg Group The Wawelberg Group ( pl, Grupa Wawelberg), also known as the Konrad Wawelberg Destruction Group ( pl, Grupa Destrukcyjna Konrada Wawelberga), was a Polish special-forces unit. The group began the Third Silesian Uprising on May 2/3, 1921 by blowi ...

(BTW the only one from Upper Silesia, all the other members were from Poland), and for his activities, Wiechaczek was awarded the

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, number 7840. Wiechaczek was arrested by the Germans on 3 May 1940, and transported to the

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

, and later to

Oranienburg Oranienburg () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel. Geography Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin. Division of the town Oranienburg ...

where he died on 3 June 1941.

References

Sources

¶wiêtoch³owice / wiktor wiechaczek
at swiony.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Wiechaczek, Wiktor 1879 births 1941 deaths People from Ruda Śląska Polish soldiers Military personnel who died in Nazi concentration camps People who died in Sachsenhausen concentration camp Polish civilians killed in World War II People from the Province of Silesia