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Kotwica
The ''Kotwica'' (; Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and ''Armia Krajowa'' (Home Army, or ''AK''). It was created in 1942 by members of the ''AK'' Wawer Minor sabotage unit, as an easily usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The initial meaning of the initials PW was ''Pomścimy Wawer'' ("We shall avenge Wawer"). This was a reference to the Wawer massacre (26–27 December 1939), which was considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by German troops in occupied Poland. At first, Polish scouts from sabotage groups painted the whole phrase upon walls. However, it was soon abbreviated to the letters PW, which over time came to symbolise the phrase ''Polska Walcząca'' ("Poland Fighting"). Early in 1942, the AK organised a contest to design an emblem to represent the resistance movement, and the winning design ''(pictured)'' by Anna Smoleńska, a member of the Gray Ranks who hersel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kotwica Jako Symbol Polski Walczącej (SVG)
The ''Kotwica'' (; Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Underground State and '' Armia Krajowa'' (Home Army, or ''AK''). It was created in 1942 by members of the ''AK'' Wawer Minor sabotage unit, as an easily usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The initial meaning of the initials PW was ''Pomścimy Wawer'' ("We shall avenge Wawer"). This was a reference to the Wawer massacre (26–27 December 1939), which was considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by German troops in occupied Poland. At first, Polish scouts from sabotage groups painted the whole phrase upon walls. However, it was soon abbreviated to the letters PW, which over time came to symbolise the phrase ''Polska Walcząca'' ("Poland Fighting"). Early in 1942, the AK organised a contest to design an emblem to represent the resistance movement, and the winning design ''(pictured)'' by Anna Smoleńska, a member of the Gray Ranks who herse ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anna Smoleńska
Anna Smoleńska (; February 28, 1920 in Warsaw – March 19, 1943 in Auschwitz-Birkenau), pseudonym "Hania", Polish student of art history at the University of Warsaw, author of the symbol of Fighting Poland during World War II, girl scout Gray Ranks. Life She was the daughter of , a professor of chemistry at the Warsaw University of Technology. The Smoleński family lived in the so-called House of Professors, which is part of the building complex of the University of Technology at Koszykowa street 75. In 1938 she graduated from the Juliusz Słowacki Junior High School in Warsaw. She began studying art history at the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Warsaw. During the German occupation, she studied at the Municipal Horticultural and Agricultural School at Opaczewska Street in Warsaw, where secret teaching was conducted in Polish. She completed a conspiracy communications course, and was a participant in the "Wawer" Minor sabotage. She looked after the families ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wawer Massacre
The Wawer massacre refers to the execution of 107 Polish civilians on the night of 26 to 27 December 1939 by the German occupiers of Wawer (at the time a suburb and currently a neighbourhood of Warsaw), Poland. The execution was a response to the killing of two German soldiers in a shootout by two petty criminals. An order to arrest at random any men inhabiting Wawer and the neighboring Anin between the ages of 16 and 70 was given and, as a result, 120 men, who were unrelated to the shootout, were gathered, and a show trial was hastily organized. 114 were declared "guilty" and sentenced to death, the others were spared to bury the dead. In total, 107 were killed and 7 survived, as they withstood the gunfire and were not finished off later. It is considered to be one of the first large scale massacres of Polish civilians by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland. Background Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Poland in September 1939. From the start, the war against Poland was intend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minor Sabotage
A minor sabotage (''aka'' little sabotage or small sabotage; pl, mały sabotaż) during World War II in Nazi-occupied Poland (1939–45) was any underground resistance operation that involved a disruptive but relatively minor and non-violent form of defiance, such as the painting of graffiti, the manufacture of fake documents, the disrupting of German propaganda campaigns, and the like."''Mały sabotaż''" ''Słownik Języka Polskiego'' (Dictionary of the Polish Language), PWN. Minor-sabotage operations often involved elements of . The purpose of minor-sabotage operations was primarily < ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polish Underground State
The Polish Underground State ( pl, Polskie Państwo Podziemne, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were established in the final days of the German and Soviet invasion of Poland, in late September 1939. The Underground State was perceived by supporters as a legal continuation of the pre-war Republic of Poland (and its institutions) that waged an armed struggle against the country's occupying powers: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. The Underground State encompassed not only military resistance, one of the largest in the world, but also civilian structures, such as justice, education, culture and social services. Although the Underground State enjoyed broad support throughout much of the war, it was not supported or recognized by the far ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα (ankȳra). Anchors can either be temporary or permanent. Permanent anchors are used in the creation of a mooring, and are rarely moved; a specialist service is normally needed to move or maintain them. Vessels carry one or more temporary anchors, which may be of different designs and weights. A sea anchor is a drag device, not in contact with the seabed, used to minimise drift of a vessel relative to the water. A drogue is a drag device used to slow or help steer a vessel running before a storm in a following or overtaking sea, or when crossing a bar in a breaking sea.. Overview Anchors achieve holding power either by "hooking" into the seabed, or mass, or a combination of the two. Permanent moorings use large masses (com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armia Krajowa
The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasions in September 1939. Over the next two years, the Home Army absorbed most of the other Polish partisans and underground forces. Its allegiance was to the Polish government-in-exile in London, and it constituted the armed wing of what came to be known as the Polish Underground State. Estimates of the Home Army's 1944 strength range between 200,000 and 600,000. The latter number made the Home Army not only Poland's largest underground resistance movement but, along with Soviet and Yugoslav partisans, one of Europe's largest World War II underground movements. The Home Army sabotaged German transports bound for the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union, destroying German supplies and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gray Ranks
"Gray Ranks" ( pl, Szare Szeregi) was a codename for the underground paramilitary 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 Underground State. Some of its members (' – Assault Groups) were among the Home Army's best-trained troops. Though formally independent, the Gray Ranks worked closely with the Government Delegation for Poland and Home Army Headquarters. The Gray Ranks had known under the cryptonym ''Pasieka'' (" bee yard") staffed by the Chief Scout of Gray Ranks plus three to five deputies in the rank of ''Harcmistrz'' (Scoutmaster). Overview Since its organization in 1916, scouts from the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (''Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego'', ZHP) had taken an active part in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: Gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nowy Kurier Warszawski
''Nowy Kurier Warszawski'', initially ''Nowy Kurjer Warszawski'' ("New Courier of Warsaw") was a German propaganda newspaper issued in the occupied Poland during World War II. Its name was coined after a popular pre-war newspaper ''Kurier Warszawski'', with which it had nothing to do but the name. According to German sources the newspaper was issued in 200 000 copies daily, but it was commonly boycotted by the Poles (often defaced with the Kotwica) and the numbers seem to be much overestimated. History Following the Polish defeat against the joint Nazi German and Soviet Invasion of Poland of 1939, on 6 October German and Soviet forces gained full control over Poland. The success of the invasion marked the end of the Second Polish Republic, though Poland never formally surrendered. On 8 October, after an initial period of military administration, Germany directly annexed western Poland and the former Free City of Danzig and placed the remaining block of territory under the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Szare Szeregi
"Gray Ranks" ( pl, Szare Szeregi) was a codename for the underground paramilitary 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 Underground State. Some of its members (' – Assault Groups) were among the Home Army's best-trained troops. Though formally independent, the Gray Ranks worked closely with the Government Delegation for Poland and Home Army Headquarters. The Gray Ranks had known under the cryptonym ''Pasieka'' (" bee yard") staffed by the Chief Scout of Gray Ranks plus three to five deputies in the rank of ''Harcmistrz'' (Scoutmaster). Overview Since its organization in 1916, scouts from the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (''Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego'', ZHP) had taken an active part in all the conflicts Poland was engaged in around this time: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banknote
A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commercial banks, which were legally required to redeem the notes for legal tender (usually gold or silver coin) when presented to the chief cashier of the originating bank. These commercial banknotes only traded at face value in the market served by the issuing bank. Commercial banknotes have primarily been replaced by national banknotes issued by central banks or monetary authorities. National banknotes are often – but not always – legal tender, meaning that courts of law are required to recognize them as satisfactory payment of money debts. Historically, banks sought to ensure that they could always pay customers in coins when they presented banknotes for payment. This practice of "backing" notes with something of substance is t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biuletyn Informacyjny
''Biuletyn Informacyjny'' ("Information Bulletin") was a Polish underground weekly published covertly in General Government territory of occupied Poland during World War II. The magazine was edited by Aleksander Kamiński and distributed as the main organ of ZWZ- AK headquarters in Warsaw, initially in order to inform the AK soldier about ongoing resistance activities. By 1944 ''Biuletyn Informacyjny'' had a circulation of 42,000-43,000 copies. The publishers recommended readers to have the articles reprinted in provincial underground publications throughout Poland. History The Bulletin was started in November 1939 in Warsaw as the main press release of the SZP, the first underground resistance organisation in Poland. Soon it was taken over by the Armia Krajowa and the Bureau of Information and Propaganda of the Polish government-in-exile. Since 1941 it had also several regional versions in all major cities of Poland, both under German and Soviet occupation. During the Warsaw U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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