Walter John König (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: Walter Jan König; 25 June 1903 – 26 February 1966) was an Austrian-Polish inventor, industrialist and soldier who fought for Polish freedom during the

Second World War 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

Walter König was born on 25 of June 1903 in

Bielitz Bielsko (german: Bielitz, cs, Bílsko) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that tow ...

, in a Jewish family. No sooner did Poland regain its independence than he acquired Polish citizenship. He spent his early life in

. Having had finished school, he headed for

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to study at the local university. Unfortunately, as

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

did not recognize dual citizenship, he had to renounce Polish citizenship. In 1925 he patented the manufacture of objects of early

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

s. In 1930, Eng. König founded the "Rogolith" company in

Bielsko Bielsko (german: Bielitz, cs, Bílsko) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that tow ...

, which produced buttons from these artificial materials. About 60 people were employed in this company. In 1938 he was baptized. At the end of the 1930s König also applied for Polish citizenship. However, it was not easy, even though he married a Polish woman. His attempt was interrupted by the outbreak of

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 ...

. While many Polish citizens of German origin living in

supported the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

and conducted sabotage against the Polish soldiers, Walter König volunteered to join the Polish Army. After losing the

September campaign The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week after ...

he was sent to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. There, due to his education, he was sent to Siberia, where he was involved in infrastructure development. Though, he still wanted to fight for Poland's freedom. Despite his efforts, he failed to join General Anders's Army. It was not until 7 November 1943 that he became a private soldier in the 5th Heavy Artillery Brigade in Sletsy. Later on, he participated in numerous battles, including liberation of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

-crossing and battle of Berlin. When he returned to

, it came to light that he did not have Polish citizenship. The new communist regime suggested that he should go to Germany. His past as an industrialist was also a detriment. In 1946, however, he managed to bring his wife back from the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, and a year later he was called to receive Polish citizenship. Sadly, his button factory was taken away from him. König found work in a building materials' warehouse. For the next years he was subject to surveillance and even arrested under false charges of stealing materials from his workplace. At the end of his life, he fell seriously ill. Nevertheless, he did not want to leave

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 ...

to go to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

for treatment because he knew that the communist authorities would not allow him to return to his homeland. Walter König died on 26 February 1966. He was buried in Bielsko-Biala.

Bibliography

* Kachel Jacek, ''Sekrety Bielska-Białej'', Wyd. 1., Łódź, Księży Młyn Dom Wydawniczy, 2016 (in Polish) * Private archive of the König family * http://jacekkachel.blogspot.com/2013/08/pamiec-buduje-swiadomosc.html

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:König, Walter 1903 births 1966 deaths People from Bielsko 20th-century Polish Jews 20th-century Polish inventors Polish military personnel of World War II Polish expatriates in Austria Polish expatriates in the Soviet Union