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 individu ...

''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 ...

, 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, locate ...

, which then belonged to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. 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 (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 Dachau () was the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents which consisted of: communists, social democrats, and other dissidents. It is ...

, and later to 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