Jan Bytnar
Encyclopedia
Jan Roman Bytnar was a Polish
Scoutmaster (harcmistrz), Polish Scouting resistance
activist and Second Lieutenant of the Armia Krajowa
during the Second World War. The son of Stanisław Bytnar and Zdzisława Rechulówna, Jan Bytnar is a leading character of both Aleksander Kamiński
's Kamienie na szaniec and Barbara Wachowicz's Rudy, Alek, Zośka.
on 23 March 1943 and rescued by the Grupy Szturmowe of the Szare Szeregi
three days later during the so-called Arsenal action on 26 March. He died on 30 March from injuries sustained by the Gestapo
, aged 21.
The extremely brutal interrogation
of Bytnar was conducted by SS Rottenführer
Ewald Lange and SS Obersturmführer
Herbert Schultz. Both were assassinated by Grupy Szturmowe of Szare Szeregi. Schultz was shot dead on 6 May 1943 by Sławomir Maciej Bittner (aka "Maciek") and Eugeniusz Kecher (aka "Kolczan"). Lange was shot dead on 22 May 1943 by Jerzy Zapadko (aka "Dzik").
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...
Scoutmaster (harcmistrz), Polish Scouting resistance
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...
activist and Second Lieutenant of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
during the Second World War. The son of Stanisław Bytnar and Zdzisława Rechulówna, Jan Bytnar is a leading character of both Aleksander Kamiński
Aleksander Kaminski
Aleksander Kamiński was a Polish school teacher, form tutor, author of Polish Cub Scout and Brownie method, writer, historian, Scoutmaster , and wartime resistance leader under the codenames: Kamyk, Dąbrowski, J...
's Kamienie na szaniec and Barbara Wachowicz's Rudy, Alek, Zośka.
Arrest, death, and reprisal
He was arrested by the German NazisNazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
on 23 March 1943 and rescued by the Grupy Szturmowe of the 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...
three days later during the so-called Arsenal action on 26 March. He died on 30 March from injuries sustained by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, aged 21.
The extremely brutal interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
of Bytnar was conducted by SS Rottenführer
Rottenführer
Rottenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1932. The rank of Rottenführer was used by several Nazi paramilitary groups, among them the Sturmabteilung , the Schutzstaffel and was senior to the paramilitary rank of Sturmmann.The insignia for Rottenführer...
Ewald Lange and SS Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer
Obersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi party that was used by the SS and also as a rank of the SA. Translated as “Senior Assault Leader”, the rank of Obersturmführer was first created in 1932 as the result of an expansion of the Sturmabteilung and the need for an additional rank in...
Herbert Schultz. Both were assassinated by Grupy Szturmowe of Szare Szeregi. Schultz was shot dead on 6 May 1943 by Sławomir Maciej Bittner (aka "Maciek") and Eugeniusz Kecher (aka "Kolczan"). Lange was shot dead on 22 May 1943 by Jerzy Zapadko (aka "Dzik").
See also
- Polish Secret StatePolish Secret StateThe Polish Underground State is a collective term for the World War II underground resistance organizations in Poland, both military and civilian, that remained loyal to the Polish Government in Exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were put in place in the final days of the...
- Związek Harcerstwa PolskiegoZwiazek Harcerstwa PolskiegoZwiązek 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...
- MuryMuryThis article is about the Second World War Polish Scouting organisation. For article about the song, see Mury .Mury was a clandestine Girl Scouts group organized by young Polish women who were political prisoners in the concentration camp in Ravensbrück...
- Batalion ZośkaBatalion Zoska- Order of battle of the battalion :-Bibliography:*"Pamiętniki żołnierzy baonu Zośka", Nasza Księgarnia, Warsaw 1986 ISBN 83-10-08703-9....
- Batalion ParasolBatalion ParasolBattalion Parasol was a Scouting battalion of the Armia Krajowa, the primary Polish resistance movement in World War II. It consisted mainly of members of the Szare Szeregi, distinguishing itself in many underground operations, and in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 .-...