Edward Wasilewski
Encyclopedia
Edward Wasilewski pseudonym Wichura (Strong gale), was one of the best known anti-communist fighters in the Polish resistance
during the Soviet takeover
of Poland
. Under his command, 44 underground soldiers successfully attacked the NKVD camp
in Rembertów
on the night of 20–21 May 1945, and liberated 700–1000 NKWD prisoners. Wasilewski was arrested on 26 March 1946 and, after a year spent in prison, was broken by agents of the Ministry of Public Security. He worked as an informant until 1960, denouncing many of his former colleagues. He committed suicide by jumping out of a window in 1968, on the day of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
.
Edward Wasilewski grew up in Stanisławów near Mińsk Mazowiecki
. He got engaged in anti-Nazi resistance as early as December 1939 – being merely 16 years old. In the summer of 1940 he joined the underground scouting group Szare Szeregi
, and became one of its organizers. He entered the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) with his scouting platoon. Simultaneously, Wasilewski continued his education in a clandestine secondary – which allowed him to pass the Polish high school exam. In the Home Army, he was assigned to combat division, where he served until the end of the German occupation. In 1943 he completed a clandestine course at a cadet school and received the rank of a platoon officer. In 1944 he was promoted to the rank of the Second Lieutenant and joined the forest battalion. He ended his fight against Germany with the participation in action "Burza" (Storm).
to form an independent guerrilla unit and to commence self-defense activities against the Soviet takeover
. Soon, his unit expanded from a dozen soldiers to over fifty, armed with 25 rifles, over 20 machine guns, pistols and 3 anti-tank rifles. Together, they destroyed several MO
and NKVD strongholds, and on 20–21 May 1945 liberated the camp in Rembertów
.
Arrested after a mock amnesty and persecuted, Wasilewski became a Stalinist informant in September 1950 while suffering from depression. He joined the Department 3 of MBP in May 1951, and in the following years took part in many anti-partisan operations, resulting in capture and execution of numerous underground fighters including Kazimierz Kamieński
"Huzar", and Jan Kmiołek with dozens of others. He drank heavily and contracted tuberculosis. He was laid off from MBP in April 1960, got a job as a petty journalist (never under a real name), and committed suicide 8 years later, on 22 August 1968.
Anti-communist resistance in Poland
Anti-communist resistance in Poland can be divided into two types: the armed partisan struggle, mostly led by former Armia Krajowa and Narodowe Siły Zbrojne soldiers, which ended in the late 1950s , and the non-violent, civil-resistance struggle that culminated in the creation and victory of the...
during the Soviet takeover
History of Poland (1945–1989)
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Under his command, 44 underground soldiers successfully attacked the NKVD camp
Attack on the NKVD Camp in Rembertów
On May 21, 1945, a unit of the Home Army , led by Colonel Edward Wasilewski, attacked a Soviet NKVD camp located in Rembertów on the eastern outskirts of Warsaw. The Russians incarcerated there many hundreds of Polish citizens; members of the Home Army and underground fighters, whom they were...
in Rembertów
Rembertów
Rembertów is a district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed a separate commune of Warszawa-Rembertów...
on the night of 20–21 May 1945, and liberated 700–1000 NKWD prisoners. Wasilewski was arrested on 26 March 1946 and, after a year spent in prison, was broken by agents of the Ministry of Public Security. He worked as an informant until 1960, denouncing many of his former colleagues. He committed suicide by jumping out of a window in 1968, on the day of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
.
Edward Wasilewski grew up in Stanisławów near Mińsk Mazowiecki
Minsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 38 181 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously in Siedlce Voivodeship...
. He got engaged in anti-Nazi resistance as early as December 1939 – being merely 16 years old. In the summer of 1940 he joined the underground scouting group Szare Szeregi
Szare Szeregi
"Gray Ranks" was a codename for the underground Polish Scouting Association during World War II.The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish...
, and became one of its organizers. He entered the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) with his scouting platoon. Simultaneously, Wasilewski continued his education in a clandestine secondary – which allowed him to pass the Polish high school exam. In the Home Army, he was assigned to combat division, where he served until the end of the German occupation. In 1943 he completed a clandestine course at a cadet school and received the rank of a platoon officer. In 1944 he was promoted to the rank of the Second Lieutenant and joined the forest battalion. He ended his fight against Germany with the participation in action "Burza" (Storm).
Anti-communist civil war
Colonel Edward Wasilewski returned to his hometown and continued his underground activities in the Armed Forces Delegation for Poland (Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych). In spite of the young age (21 years) in February 1945 Wasilewski received an order from the commander of the Circumference Mińsk MazowieckiMinsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 38 181 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously in Siedlce Voivodeship...
to form an independent guerrilla unit and to commence self-defense activities against the Soviet takeover
History of Poland (1945–1989)
The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
. Soon, his unit expanded from a dozen soldiers to over fifty, armed with 25 rifles, over 20 machine guns, pistols and 3 anti-tank rifles. Together, they destroyed several MO
Milicja Obywatelska
Milicja Obywatelska was a state police institution in the People's Republic of Poland. It was created in 1944 by Soviet-sponsored PKWN, effectively replacing the pre-war police force. In 1990 it was transformed back into Policja....
and NKVD strongholds, and on 20–21 May 1945 liberated the camp in Rembertów
Attack on the NKVD Camp in Rembertów
On May 21, 1945, a unit of the Home Army , led by Colonel Edward Wasilewski, attacked a Soviet NKVD camp located in Rembertów on the eastern outskirts of Warsaw. The Russians incarcerated there many hundreds of Polish citizens; members of the Home Army and underground fighters, whom they were...
.
Arrested after a mock amnesty and persecuted, Wasilewski became a Stalinist informant in September 1950 while suffering from depression. He joined the Department 3 of MBP in May 1951, and in the following years took part in many anti-partisan operations, resulting in capture and execution of numerous underground fighters including Kazimierz Kamieński
Kazimierz Kamieński
Kazimierz Kamieński, nom de guerre "Gryf" and "Huzar" was an officer of the Polish Army, commander in the underground Polish Home Army , ROAK and the anti-communist organization Freedom and Independence...
"Huzar", and Jan Kmiołek with dozens of others. He drank heavily and contracted tuberculosis. He was laid off from MBP in April 1960, got a job as a petty journalist (never under a real name), and committed suicide 8 years later, on 22 August 1968.
See also
- Ludwik KalksteinLudwik KalksteinLudwik Kalkstein, also Ludwik Kalkstein-Stoliński, nom de guerre "Hanka" ; was one of the better known Gestapo agents during Warsaw Uprising as well as a Stalinist informant following the Soviet takeover of Poland...
, Stalininst informant with Urzad Bezpieczenstwa