Stefan Korboński
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Stefan Korboński (2 March 1901 in
Praszka Praszka (german: Praschkau) is a town in Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 7,655 inhabitants (2019). History The oldest known mention of the settlement dates back to 1260. It was granted town rights in 1392 by Polish King Władysła ...
- 23 April 1989 in Washington, D.C., USA) was a Polish agrarian politician, lawyer, journalist, and a notable member of the wartime authorities of the
Polish Secret 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 Gover ...
. Among others, he was the last person to hold the post of Government Delegate for Poland. Arrested by the
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...
in 1945, he was released soon afterwards only to be forced into exile. He settled in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where he remained active among the local
Polish diaspora The Polish diaspora comprises Poles and people of Polish heritage or origin who live outside Poland. The Polish diaspora is also known in modern Polish as ''Polonia'', the name for Poland in Latin and many Romance languages. There are roughly 20,0 ...
. An active journalist, he was among the few people whose names were completely banned by the communist censorship in Poland.


Early life

Stefan Korboński was born 2 March 1901 in
Praszka Praszka (german: Praschkau) is a town in Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 7,655 inhabitants (2019). History The oldest known mention of the settlement dates back to 1260. It was granted town rights in 1392 by Polish King Władysła ...
near
Wieluń Wieluń ( la, Velun) is a town in south-central Poland with 21,624 inhabitants (2021). Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), it was previously in Sieradz Voivodeship (1975–1998). Wieluń has a long and rich history. In the past, ...
.Stefan Korbonski ''The Polish Underground State'' Hippocrenre, 1981 In 1908 his family moved to
Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...
, where Korboński received basic education at the local gymnasium. However, already in 1918 he joined the ranks of the
Lwów Eaglets Lwów Eaglets ( pl, Orlęta lwowskie) is a term of affection that is applied to the Polish child soldiers who defended the city of Lwów ( uk, L'viv), in Eastern Galicia, during the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919). Background The city now k ...
as a volunteer and took part in the Defence of Lwów. After the besieged city had been liberated, he returned home and volunteered for the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stret ...
at the outbreak of the Polish-Soviet War. Demobilized after the end of hostilities, he did not return home and instead volunteered for the third time - this time joining the ranks of the troops of the
Third Silesian Uprising The Silesian Uprisings (german: Aufstände in Oberschlesien, Polenaufstände, links=no; pl, Powstania śląskie, links=no) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic ...
. For his service in various formations he was awarded with the
Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...
and the Silesian Cross.Stefan Korbonski ''Fighting Warsaw'' Hippocrenre, 2004 Page 4 After the Polish conflicts for the borders ended, Korboński passed his
matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...
exams and joined the
Adam Mickiewicz University Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
of
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, where he graduated from the faculty of law. During his studies he became involved in politics and joined the ranks of the
Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" Polish Peasant Party "Wyzwolenie" or Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie"''Wyzwolenie'' is Polish for ''Liberation'', and many sources translate the party's name fully as Polish Peasant Party "Liberation" or Polish People's Party "Liberation" (Poli ...
and then, in 1931, the People's Party. Following his application, he started working in the local Prosecutors Office and in 1929 opened up his own practice in Warsaw. He also quickly rose through the ranks of his party and in 1936 became its chairman for the
Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939) Białystok Voivodeship may refer to the following administrative districts of Poland: *Białystok Voivodeship (1919–1939), as defined before World War II *Białystok Voivodeship (1945–1975), as defined after World War II *Białystok Voivodeship ...
. Korboński married Zofia Ristau on 10 July 1938.


World War II activities

Prior to the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
he was mobilized for the Polish Army and commissioned to the 57th Infantry Regiment in the rank of
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
. During the Polish Defensive War his unit got surrounded by the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
and Korboński himself was taken prisoner by the
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...
. However, he managed to escape and reach the German-occupied part of Poland. He help found the Polish underground as an active member of the
Union of Armed Struggle Związek Walki Zbrojnej ( abbreviation: ''ZWZ''; Union of Armed Struggle;Thus rendered in Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. also translated as ''Union for Armed Struggle'', ''Association of Armed Strug ...
(ZWZ) and then the
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) esta ...
.Stefan Korbonski ''Fighting Warsaw'' Hippocrenre, 2004 Page 3 Simultaneously, he was also one of the leaders of the clandestine People's Party, active within the system of the
Polish Secret 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 Gover ...
. As such in 1940 he became a member of the Political Communications Committee, a clandestine political platform attached to the underground army as its political arm and a nucleus of the future parliament. Supported by most parties, already in April of the following year he became the chief of the Directorate of Civil Struggle, the agenda of the Polish government responsible for the coordination and organization of civilian resistance, information and propaganda. During his term at the office, Korboński also extended the responsibilities of the Directorate by including maintaining law and order, organizing a net of underground civil courts and coordinating carrying out their verdicts by the
National Security Corps Państwowy Korpus Bezpieczeństwa (Polish for "National Security Corps", abbreviated ''PKB''; sometimes also called ''Kadra Bezpieczeństwa'') was a Polish underground police force organized under German occupation during World War II by the Poli ...
. Korboński in December 1942 became head of Directorate of Civil Resistance.Richard Lukas ''Forgotten Holocaust'' Hippocrene, 1990 Page 96 It was Korboński who informed the London-based Poles that the slaughter of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto had started. The BBC broadcast the information.Richard Lukas ''Forgotten Holocaust'' Hippocrene, 1990 Page 156-157 In July 1943 Korboński also became the head of the Social Resistance Department of the
Directorate of Underground Resistance Directorate of Underground Resistance (, ''KWP'') was an agency of the Polish Underground State created during World War II. History The Directorate of Underground Resistance was created in 1943 from the Directorate of Civil Resistance and the D ...
. Following the outbreak of the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
in August 1944, Korboński became the chief of the Department of Internal Affairs, a ''
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' minister of internal affairs of Poland. However, the fall of the Uprising put an end to that duty. Korboński managed to leave Warsaw as a civilian and continued his duties in hiding. In March 1945, after the NKVD arrested
Jan Stanisław Jankowski Jan Stanisław Jankowski (6 May 1882 – 13 March 1953; noms de guerre ''Doktor'', ''Jan'', ''Klonowski'', ''Sobolewski'', ''Soból'') was a Polish politician, an important figure in the Polish civil resistance during World War II and a ...
, Korboński became the last Government Delegate at Home and held that post until his arrest by the NKVD in June of the same year, during which time he worked to rebuild Government Delegacy.Richard Lukas ''Forgotten Holocaust'' Hippocrene, 1990 Page 25Anita prazmowska ''Civil War in Poland, 1942-1948'' Palgrave, 2004 Page 154Jozef Garlinski ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan, 1985 Page 341


Postwar career

Released from Soviet prison following the creation of the communist-controlled
Provisional Government of National Unity The Provisional Government of National Unity ( pl, Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej - TRJN) was a puppet government formed by the decree of the State National Council () on 28 June 1945 as a result of reshuffling the Soviet-backed Provisional ...
, he returned to the bar and active political career within the reactivated
Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL) is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although it ...
, the most popular party in Poland at the time and the main opposition force to the Soviet-backed communist regime. 30 of the 145 seats in the post-war government were offered to non-Soviet supported group and it was planned for Korboński to be part of the post-war government but his name was removed by Bierut.Stanislaw Mikolajczyk ''The Pattern of Soviet Domination'' Sampson Low, Martston & Co, 1948 Page 168 In the forged 1947 elections he was also elected a member of the
Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
. However, the rise of
Stalinism Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...
in Poland put an end to a small margin of political freedom and, following the flight of
Stanisław Mikołajczyk Stanisław Mikołajczyk (18 July 1901 – 13 December 1966; ) was a Polish politician. He was a Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile during World War II, and later Deputy Prime Minister in post-war Poland until 1947. Biography Back ...
, Korboński and his wife also were forced to flee Poland.Stanislaw Mikolajczyk ''The Pattern of Soviet Domination'' Sampson Low, Martston & Co, 1948 Page 267 They fled to Sweden and then settled in the United States. Korboński continued his political career in the United States within Polish emigre circles. He headed the New York office in 1950.Wojciech Rojek ''The Poles in Britain 1940-2000'' Frank cass, 2004 Page 35 Korboński also became a noted journalist, a head of the Polish Council of Unity and a member of the International
PEN Club PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internation ...
. Among other awards, in 1973 he received the Alfred Jurzykowski Prize and in 1980 the
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
Institute granted Korboński with the
Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sav ...
medal.Richard Lukas ''Forgotten Holocaust'' Hippocrene, 1990 Page 79 Korboński was also a recipient of the Cross of the Home Army, the 1939-1945 War Medal, Golden Cross of Merit and the Order of the White Eagle (posthumously in 1995). He died of
aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...
at the
George Washington University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened on ...
.


Scholarly work

Korboński authored numerous works devoted to the history of AK and Polish underground. They include: *''W imieniu Rzeczypospolitej'', Paris: Instytut Literacki, 1954 *''W imieniu Polski Walczącej'', London: B. Świderski, 1963 *''Polskie Państwo Podziemne'', Paris: Instytut Literacki, 1975 *''Między młotem a kowadłem'', London: Gryf, 1969 *''W imieniu Kremla'', Paris: Instytut Literacki, 1956 *''The Jews and the Poles in World War II'', New York : Hippocrene Books, 1989.


Non-fiction novel

*''Za murami Kremla'' (Behind the Walls of the Kremlin), New York: Bicentennial Publishing Corporation, 1983.


See also

* List of Polish lawyers *
Trial of the Sixteen The Trial of the Sixteen ( pl, Proces szesnastu) was a staged trial of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State held by the Soviet authorities in Moscow in 1945. All captives were kidnapped by the NKVD secret service and falsely accused of var ...


References


External links


Page dedicated to Korboński
hosted by IPN

– his activity to save Jews' lives during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
, at
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Korbonski, Stefan 1901 births 1989 deaths People from Olesno County 20th-century Polish lawyers Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" politicians People's Party (Poland) politicians Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Armia Krajowa Cross Polish Righteous Among the Nations Members of the Polish Sejm 1947–1952 Polish people detained by the NKVD Polish People's Party (1945–1949) politicians Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland) Polish emigrants to the United States People associated with the magazine "Kultura"