Józef Rzepka
Encyclopedia
Captain Józef Rzepka was born in 1913 in the village of Bratkowice
(now in Rzeszów County
, Subcarpathian Voivodeship
). He graduated from the 1st High School in Rzeszów
, then went to Warsaw
, to study law at the Warsaw University.
During the Polish September Campaign he fought as colonel of the Polish Army, then became a member of Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej
(later: Home Army), in the area of Rzeszów. In the summer of 1944, Rzepka was commandant of the Home Army field forces around Rzeszów, which took part in the Operation Tempest
. When Red Army
captured Rzeszów, he decided to continue fighting for Poland’s freedom. On the night of October 7/8, 1944, Rzepka participated in a failed attempt to free members of the Home Army, who were incarcerated by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD
in the Rzeszów castle prison.
In mid-1940s Rzepka joined anti-Communist organization Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN), as a member of its Information Department. Some time in the fall of 1945, he moved to Upper Silesia
and settled in Zabrze
. While there, he became a member of the 4th Headquarters of WiN, led by Łukasz Ciepliński. Arrested in 1948, along with a group of other members of WiN, he was transported to the infamous Mokotów Prison
in Warsaw. Brutally tortured, in 1950 he was sentenced to death. His appeal for clemency sent to then president of Poland Bolesław Bierut were rejected. Captain Rzepka was executed by Staff Sergeant Piotr Śmietański
on March 1, 1951, at 8:45 pm. His body was never returned to his family and remains buried in an unknown location.
In 1992, Warsaw Military Court voided the 1950 sentence and posthumously cleared Rzepka of all charges.
Bratkowice
Bratkowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Świlcza, within Rzeszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Świlcza and north-west of the regional capital Rzeszów....
(now in Rzeszów County
Rzeszów County
Rzeszów County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of Rzeszów, although the...
, Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...
). He graduated from the 1st High School in Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
, then went to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, to study law at the Warsaw University.
During the Polish September Campaign he fought as colonel of the Polish Army, then became a member of Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej
Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej
Związek Walki Zbrojnej was an underground army formed in Poland following its invasion in September 1939 by Germany and the Soviet Union that opened World War II.The precursor to the ZWZ was the Service...
(later: Home Army), in the area of Rzeszów. In the summer of 1944, Rzepka was commandant of the Home Army field forces around Rzeszów, which took part in the 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....
. When Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
captured Rzeszów, he decided to continue fighting for Poland’s freedom. On the night of October 7/8, 1944, Rzepka participated in a failed attempt to free members of the Home Army, who were incarcerated by the Soviet secret police, the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in the Rzeszów castle prison.
In mid-1940s Rzepka joined anti-Communist organization Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN), as a member of its Information Department. Some time in the fall of 1945, he moved to Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
and settled in Zabrze
Zabrze
Zabrze is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union is a metropolis with a population of around 2 million...
. While there, he became a member of the 4th Headquarters of WiN, led by Łukasz Ciepliński. Arrested in 1948, along with a group of other members of WiN, he was transported 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. Brutally tortured, in 1950 he was sentenced to death. His appeal for clemency sent to then president of Poland Bolesław Bierut were rejected. Captain Rzepka was executed by Staff Sergeant Piotr Śmietański
Piotr Śmietański
Staff Sergeant Piotr Śmietański , was one of the main executioners in Stalinist Poland, employed by the communist secret police Urząd Bezpieczeństwa. He was stationed at the Mokotów Prison in the Warsaw borough of Mokotów known also as Rakowiecka Prison located at Rakowiecka 37 street...
on March 1, 1951, at 8:45 pm. His body was never returned to his family and remains buried in an unknown location.
In 1992, Warsaw Military Court voided the 1950 sentence and posthumously cleared Rzepka of all charges.
Sources
- http://www.rzeszow.uw.gov.pl/main.php?muid=3&mid=127&akID=5022&cid=809070c69fd2cd36