Edward Wasilewski (1923 – 22 August 1968), pseudonym Wichura (Strong gale), was one of the best known anti-communist fighters in the
Polish resistance during the
Soviet takeover of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. Under his command, 44 underground soldiers successfully
attacked the NKVD camp in
Rembertów
Rembertów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga-Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed ...
on the night of 20–21 May 1945, and liberated 700–1000
NKWD prisoners. Wasilewski was arrested on 26 March 1946 and, after a year spent in prison, was broken by agents of the
Ministry of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security can refer to:
* Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Brazil)
* Ministry of Public Security of Burundi
* Ministry of Public Security (Chile)
* Ministry of Public Security (China)
* Ministry of Public Security of Co ...
. He worked as an informant until 1960, denouncing many of his former colleagues. He killed himself by jumping out of a window in 1968, on the day of the
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The ...
.
[Kazimierz Krajewski, Tomasz Łabuszewski]
Bohater i antybohater: Edward Wasilewski „Wichura”
PDF (298 KB). Accessed 20 March 2011
Wasilewski grew up in
Stanisławów near
Mińsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki (, ) is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship and is a part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Located 20 kilometers from the city li ...
. He got engaged in anti-Nazi resistance as early as December 1939 – being merely 16 years old. In the summer of 1940 he joined the underground scouting group ''
Szare Szeregi'', and became one of its organizers. He entered the
Home Army
The Home Army (, ; 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 ...
(Armia Krajowa) with his scouting platoon. Simultaneously, Wasilewski continued his education in a clandestine secondary – which allowed him to pass the Polish high school exam. In the Home Army, he was assigned to combat division, where he served until the end of the
German occupation. In 1943 he completed a clandestine course at a cadet school and received the rank of a platoon officer. In 1944 he was promoted to the rank of the Second Lieutenant and joined the forest battalion. He ended his fight against Germany with the participation in action "Burza" (Storm).
Anti-communist civil war
Colonel Edward Wasilewski returned to his hometown and continued his
underground activities in the
Armed Forces Delegation for Poland (Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych). In spite of the young age (21 years) in February 1945 Wasilewski received an order from the commander of the Circumference
Mińsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki (, ) is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship and is a part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Located 20 kilometers from the city li ...
to form an independent guerrilla unit and to commence self-defense activities against the
Soviet takeover. Soon, his unit expanded from a dozen soldiers to over fifty, armed with 25 rifles, over 20 machine guns, pistols and 3 anti-tank rifles. Together, they destroyed several
MO and NKVD strongholds, and on 20–21 May 1945
liberated the camp in Rembertów.
[Kazimierz Krajewski]
"Akcje uwalniania więźniów z więzień, obozów oraz placówek UBP i NKWD 1944–1948."
PDF (193 KB).
Arrested after a mock amnesty and persecuted, Wasilewski became a Stalinist informant in September 1950 while suffering from depression. He joined the Department 3 of
MBP in May 1951, and in the following years took part in many anti-partisan operations, resulting in capture and execution of numerous underground fighters including
Kazimierz Kamieński "Huzar",
[Jan Warpechowski]
Huzar - Testament Jana Warpechowskiego, czyli jak zdradzono Kazimierza Kamieńskiego. ''Ciechanowiec OnLine''. 29.01.1960.
and
Jan Kmiołek with dozens of others. He drank heavily and contracted tuberculosis. He was laid off from MBP in April 1960, got a job as a petty journalist (never under a real name), and killed himself eight years later, on 22 August 1968.
See also
*
Ludwik Kalkstein, Stalininst informant with
Urzad Bezpieczenstwa
Notes and references
Artykuły historyczne. ''Fundacja Pamietamy''. 5 May 2010.*
ttp://www.ciechanowiec.info/articles.php?article_id=47 "Huzar – Testament Jana Warpechowskiego, czyli jak zdradzono Kazimierza Kamieńskiego." ''Ciechanowiec OnLine'', 26 January 2007.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasilewski, Edward
1923 births
1968 suicides
1968 deaths
Home Army members
Cursed soldiers
Military personnel who died by suicide
Suicides by jumping in Poland
Police informants
Prisoners and detainees of Poland