Hieronim Dekutowski
Encyclopedia
Hieronim Dekutowski was a Polish
boyscout and soldier
, who fought in Polish September Campaign, was a member of the elite forces Cichociemni
, fought in the Home Army and after World War II
, fought the communist regime as one of commanders of Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
.
(now a part of Tarnobrzeg
). He was the youngest of nine kids of Jan Dekutowski, patriotic member of Polish Socialist Party
and follower of Józef Piłsudski. His mother Maria (née Sudacka), did not work and stayed at home, taking care of the kids. The family was very patriotic, Hieronim's older brother died in the Polish-Soviet War
in 1920.
Young Dekutowski between 1930 and 1938 attended Middle School and High School of Hetman Jan Tarnowski
in Tarnobrzeg. At the same time, he was a member of local branch of Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego
, where he was a leader of a group of teenagers, as well as Catholic organization Marian Sodality. After graduation and failing final exams (May 1938), Dekutowski worked for Count Artur Tarnowski, one of the biggest landowners in the 1930s Poland. In May 1939 Dekutowski finally completed his high school education, passing all final exams. He wanted to study at the University of Jan Kazimierz
, but German and Soviet invasion on Poland made it impossible.
. On September 17, 1939, finding out about Soviet aggression on Eastern Poland
, he crossed the Hungarian
border, together with a group of soldiers. After escaping from an internment camp, across Yugoslavia
and Hungary, he got to France, where volunteered to the Polish Army in France (1940) and was assigned to the 2nd Division of Infantry Rifles.
In the spring of 1940, Dekutowski attended a military academy in Coetquidan
, but he did not complete the course due to Battle of France
. During this conflict, he fought near Swiss border, and after capitulation of France, he escaped to Switzerland
, from where he reached Great Britain
. There, in late 1941 he was promoted with distincions to the rank of officer and congratulated by Prime Minister Stanislaw Mikolajczyk
. At first Dekutowski served at a tank battalion, but later was transferred to the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
. On April 24, 1942, he volunteered to go to Poland.
, but Dekutowski was soon afterwards sent to Lublin
, where he became member of Kedyw
of Lublin's Home Army District.
Dekutowski distinguished himself during several successful skirmishes with German occupiers, who at that time were resettling Poles from the area of Zamość
, replacing them with German settlers. He helped save a number of Jews, also liquidated pro-Nazi collaborators. His unit attacked German villages, fought Wehrmacht
troops, but also punished ordinary criminals.
In January 1944, Dekutowski became commandant of Kedyw of the Lublin - Puławy area. He ordered six smaller Kedyw units to join forces, thus creating a strong, mobile regiment, capable of shock attacks on German outposts and troops. According to historians, his unit carried out more than 80 attacks on Germans in the first six months of 1944. The biggest skirmish took place on May 24, near the village of Kreznica Okragla. Dekutowski's unit attacked a German column, consisting of sixteen trucks filled with soldiers and SS. The Germans lost some 50 men and a lot of equipment. On July 17, 1944, Dekutowski was wounded in a hand, but managed to recover in time for Operation Tempest
. He wanted to come to help fighting Warsaw
, but did not succeed with crossing the Vistula
.
As a reprisal, Dekutowski destroyed Tauber's headquarters, and soon afterward a local war began. "Zapora" was wounded in a leg in one skirmish, but managed to escape towards the area of Tarnobrzeg. In the spring of 1945 he organized several bold attacks on Communists, among them:
In June, Dekutowski, promoted to major, retreated towards the Janowska Wilderness and put away weapons, telling soldiers to give up fighting and return to homes. However, without any guarantees of safety, he decided to escape to Western Europe with a small party of people. He managed to reach American Consulate in Prague
, but had to return as the Americans refused to help.
In late 1945 and early 1946, Dekutowski organized several attacks on Communist outposts in southeastern Poland, during which up to 400 Communist soldiers and agents were killed. He would also attack villages which were sympathetic towards the Communists, such as Moniaki, where on September 24, 1946, he whipped 40 Communist. In early 1947, when the government declared amnesty, he planned to give up fighting, but found out that several of his men had been arrested and continued hiding in the woods until mid-1947.
. Taken to the infamous Mokotów Prison
in Warsaw, he was tortured horribly and beaten during the investigation. The sham trial of Dekutowski and his soldiers took place on November 3, 1948. To humiliate the accused, they were dressed in Wehrmacht uniforms. On November 15, the court presided over by Judge Jozef Badecki (who had previously sentenced Witold Pilecki
to death) sentenced Dekutowski to seven deaths. "Zapora", together with six other soldiers, was executed on March 7, 1949. According to witnesses, even though he was 30 at the moment of death, he looked like an elderly man, without teeth and nails, with grey hair, broken ribs, nose and hands. ‘We shall never surrender!’ he yelled sending his last message to his fellow prisoners.
posthumously awarded him with the Polonia Restituta
.
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...
boyscout and soldier
Cursed soldiers
The cursed soldiers is a name applied to a variety of Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and afterwards. Created by some members of the Polish Secret State, these clandestine organizations continued their armed struggle against the Stalinist government of Poland...
, who fought in Polish September Campaign, was a member of the elite forces Cichociemni
Cichociemni
Cichociemni were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Home Army of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland.-The name:...
, fought in the Home Army and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, fought the communist regime as one of commanders of Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
Zrzeszenie Wolność i Niezawisłość WiN was a Polish underground anti-communist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active to 1952....
.
Early years
Dekutowski was born September 24, 1918 in DzikówDzików
Dzików may refer to the following places in Poland:*Dzików, a district of the town of Tarnobrzeg, Subcarpathian Voivodeship *Dzików, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Dzików, Pomeranian Voivodeship...
(now a part of Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...
). He was the youngest of nine kids of Jan Dekutowski, patriotic member of Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
and follower of Józef Piłsudski. His mother Maria (née Sudacka), did not work and stayed at home, taking care of the kids. The family was very patriotic, Hieronim's older brother died in the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
in 1920.
Young Dekutowski between 1930 and 1938 attended Middle School and High School of Hetman Jan Tarnowski
Jan Tarnowski
Jan Amor Tarnowski was a Polish szlachcic . He was Grand Crown Hetman from 1527 and was the founder of the city of Tarnopol, where he built the Ternopil Castle and the Ternopil Lake....
in Tarnobrzeg. At the same time, he was a member of local branch of Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego
Zwiazek Harcerstwa Polskiego
Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland...
, where he was a leader of a group of teenagers, as well as Catholic organization Marian Sodality. After graduation and failing final exams (May 1938), Dekutowski worked for Count Artur Tarnowski, one of the biggest landowners in the 1930s Poland. In May 1939 Dekutowski finally completed his high school education, passing all final exams. He wanted to study at the University of Jan Kazimierz
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
, but German and Soviet invasion on Poland made it impossible.
September 1939 and escape to the West
At the beginning of September 1939, Dekutowski together with a sister evacuated to Lwów. His exact role in the Polish September Campaign has not been established; he volunteered to the Polish Army and fought in the Battle of Lwów (1939)Battle of Lwów (1939)
The Battle of Lwów was a battle for the control over the Polish city of Lwów between the Polish Army and the invading Wehrmacht and the Red Army...
. On September 17, 1939, finding out about Soviet aggression on Eastern Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
, he crossed the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
border, together with a group of soldiers. After escaping from an internment camp, across Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and Hungary, he got to France, where volunteered to the Polish Army in France (1940) and was assigned to the 2nd Division of Infantry Rifles.
In the spring of 1940, Dekutowski attended a military academy in Coetquidan
Coëtquidan
Camp Coëtquidan is a French military educational facility located in Guer, Morbihan département, in Brittany, France...
, but he did not complete the course due to Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. During this conflict, he fought near Swiss border, and after capitulation of France, he escaped to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, from where he reached Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. There, in late 1941 he was promoted with distincions to the rank of officer and congratulated by Prime Minister Stanislaw Mikolajczyk
Stanislaw Mikolajczyk
Stanisław Mikołajczyk , Polish politician, was Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile during World War II, and later Deputy Prime Minister in postwar Poland, before the USSR took political control of Poland....
. At first Dekutowski served at a tank battalion, but later was transferred to the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
The 1st Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute brigade under command of Maj.Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski, created in Scotland in September 1941, with the exclusive mission to drop into occupied Poland in order to help liberate the country. The British government, however, pressured the Polish...
. On April 24, 1942, he volunteered to go to Poland.
Back in Poland
On March 4, 1943, Dekutowski was sworn as a member of the Cichociemni by Colonel Michal Protasewicz. After a few more months, in the night of September 16/17, 1943, during "Operation Neon 1", he was dropped on a parachute, together with other Cichociemni - Bronislaw Rachwal and Kazimierz Smolak. They landed in the area of WyszkówWyszków
Wyszków is a town in northeastern Poland with 26,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Wyszków County . Wyszków is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Warsaw Voivodeship and Ostrołęka Voivodeship .-Description:The village of Wyszków was first documented in 1203. The town...
, but Dekutowski was soon afterwards sent to Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, where he became member of Kedyw
Kedyw
Kedyw , was an underground movement - Armia Krajowa organization during World War II, which specialized in active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed action against Nazi German forces and collaborators.-Operations:...
of Lublin's Home Army District.
Dekutowski distinguished himself during several successful skirmishes with German occupiers, who at that time were resettling Poles from the area of Zamość
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, replacing them with German settlers. He helped save a number of Jews, also liquidated pro-Nazi collaborators. His unit attacked German villages, fought Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
troops, but also punished ordinary criminals.
In January 1944, Dekutowski became commandant of Kedyw of the Lublin - Puławy area. He ordered six smaller Kedyw units to join forces, thus creating a strong, mobile regiment, capable of shock attacks on German outposts and troops. According to historians, his unit carried out more than 80 attacks on Germans in the first six months of 1944. The biggest skirmish took place on May 24, near the village of Kreznica Okragla. Dekutowski's unit attacked a German column, consisting of sixteen trucks filled with soldiers and SS. The Germans lost some 50 men and a lot of equipment. On July 17, 1944, Dekutowski was wounded in a hand, but managed to recover in time for Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
. He wanted to come to help fighting Warsaw
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
, but did not succeed with crossing the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
.
Anti-Communist resistance
In January 1945 Dekutowski decided to continue hiding and fight the Communists. One of main reasons for decision was an incident which took place in the village of Chodel, on the night of February 5/6, 1945. A communist commandant of precinct of Urząd Bezpieczeństwa in Chodel named Abram Tauber, who had been saved by Dekutowski and his men during the war, invited four members of the Home Army to his headquarters. They went there, confident that they would be safe given that they saved Tauber's life. Instead, Tauber tied their hands and shot all four.As a reprisal, Dekutowski destroyed Tauber's headquarters, and soon afterward a local war began. "Zapora" was wounded in a leg in one skirmish, but managed to escape towards the area of Tarnobrzeg. In the spring of 1945 he organized several bold attacks on Communists, among them:
- on April 26, his unit seized the town of Janów LubelskiJanów LubelskiJanów Lubelski is a town in eastern Poland. It has 11,882 inhabitants .Situated in the Lublin Voivodship . It is the capital of Janów Lubelski County.It has a large hospital...
, liquidating several agents and releasing Home Army members from prison,
- in May he attacked Urząd Bezpieczeństwa office in Bełżyce Kazimierz DolnyKazimierz DolnyKazimierz Dolny is a small town in Central Poland, on the right bank of the Vistula river in Puławy County, Lublin Province.It is a considerable tourist attraction as one of the most beautifully situated little towns in Poland. It enjoyed its greatest prosperity in the 16th and the first half of...
, killing 5 agents and 2 Soviet officers.
In June, Dekutowski, promoted to major, retreated towards the Janowska Wilderness and put away weapons, telling soldiers to give up fighting and return to homes. However, without any guarantees of safety, he decided to escape to Western Europe with a small party of people. He managed to reach American Consulate in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, but had to return as the Americans refused to help.
In late 1945 and early 1946, Dekutowski organized several attacks on Communist outposts in southeastern Poland, during which up to 400 Communist soldiers and agents were killed. He would also attack villages which were sympathetic towards the Communists, such as Moniaki, where on September 24, 1946, he whipped 40 Communist. In early 1947, when the government declared amnesty, he planned to give up fighting, but found out that several of his men had been arrested and continued hiding in the woods until mid-1947.
Capture and death
In September 1947 "Zapora" once again tried to escape to the West, but was caught in NysaNysa, Poland
Nysa is a town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river with 47,545 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of the surrounding Gmina Nysa, a mixed urban-rural commune with a total population of 60,123 inhabitants...
. Taken to the infamous Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison is a prison in Warsaw's borough of Mokotów, Poland, located at Rakowiecka 37 street. It was built by the Russians in the final years of the foreign Partitions of Poland...
in Warsaw, he was tortured horribly and beaten during the investigation. The sham trial of Dekutowski and his soldiers took place on November 3, 1948. To humiliate the accused, they were dressed in Wehrmacht uniforms. On November 15, the court presided over by Judge Jozef Badecki (who had previously sentenced Witold Pilecki
Witold Pilecki
Witold Pilecki was a soldier of the Second Polish Republic, the founder of the Secret Polish Army resistance group and a member of the Home Army...
to death) sentenced Dekutowski to seven deaths. "Zapora", together with six other soldiers, was executed on March 7, 1949. According to witnesses, even though he was 30 at the moment of death, he looked like an elderly man, without teeth and nails, with grey hair, broken ribs, nose and hands. ‘We shall never surrender!’ he yelled sending his last message to his fellow prisoners.
Aftermath
Dekutowski, and his men, were buried in an unknown location. His symbolic tomb is located at the Military Cemetery in Lublin. His sentence was voided by District Court in Warsaw on May 23, 1994.Awards, Decorations and Citations
Middle School number 9 in Lublin is named after him, in the same city there are 2 monuments of "Zapora" and his men. On November 15, 2007, President Lech KaczyńskiLech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
posthumously awarded him with the Polonia Restituta
Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta is one of Poland's highest Orders. The Order can be conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, defense of the country, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries...
.
- Cross of Valour, 1964 (posthumously)
- Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti MilitariVirtuti MilitariThe Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
, 15 November 2007 - Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Sources
- Marek Jan Chodakiewicz: The Dialectics of Pain. Part III. at www.projectinposterum.org
- GAZETA POLSKA at www.gazetapolska.pl
- Monument of Dekutowski and his men in Lublin
- Page of Lublin's Middle School number 9
External links
- Official website
- Zaporczycy - Hieronim Dekutowski and his soldiers
- - "'Zapora' in the net of communist secret police agents" by Dr. Jarosław Kopiński, Ph.D., Instytut Pamięci Narodowej, IPN, Lublin, Poland]