Alfons Flisykowski
Encyclopedia
Alfons Flisykowski was a Polish
worker of the Polish Post Office in the Free City of Danzig
in the years 1923-1939 and a second commander (after Konrad Guderski
) of the defence of the Post Office from the invading Nazi German forces when World War II
started on September 1, 1939.
Flisykowski was captured by the Germans on 2 September 1939 and handed over to the Gestapo
. Denied the legitimate status of POW
, he was later illegally put on trial, together with the other 37 captured post-office workers. Designated as a "bandit" by the Nazis (and therefore not protected by the Geneva Convention), he was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in Gdańsk
-Zaspa
on October 5, 1939.
Flisykowski's grave was discovered in 1991. In the same year the families of the killed postmen founded an association called Circle of the Families of the Former Workers of Gdańsk Post Office (Koło Rodzin Byłych Pracowników Poczty Gdańskiej) with a goal to repeal the illegal verdict qualifying the postmen as bandits. With the help of Dieter Schenk, a former worker of Interpol
and the author of a book on the subject, the case was put into a verification trial.
As a result of these actions the Land Court
in Lübeck
made a decision, on 30 December 1996, that the previous verdict of 1939 sentencing Flisykowski to death was illegal.
He was awarded the Cross of Valour posthumously on 1 September 1990.
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...
worker of the Polish Post Office in the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
in the years 1923-1939 and a second commander (after Konrad Guderski
Konrad Guderski
Konrad Guderski was a Polish engineer and military officer. He was the organizer and commander of the defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig in the first hours of the German invasion of Poland, 1939. He was killed during the Defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig, during the World War II...
) of the defence of the Post Office from the invading Nazi German forces when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started on September 1, 1939.
Flisykowski was captured by the Germans on 2 September 1939 and handed over to 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...
. Denied the legitimate status of POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, he was later illegally put on trial, together with the other 37 captured post-office workers. Designated as a "bandit" by the Nazis (and therefore not protected by the Geneva Convention), he was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
-Zaspa
Zaspa
Zaspa is one of the quarters of the city of Gdańsk, Poland. Divided into two quarters:*Zaspa-Młyniec *Zaspa-RozstajeZaspa was founded on a place previously occupied by an airport...
on October 5, 1939.
Flisykowski's grave was discovered in 1991. In the same year the families of the killed postmen founded an association called Circle of the Families of the Former Workers of Gdańsk Post Office (Koło Rodzin Byłych Pracowników Poczty Gdańskiej) with a goal to repeal the illegal verdict qualifying the postmen as bandits. With the help of Dieter Schenk, a former worker of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
and the author of a book on the subject, the case was put into a verification trial.
As a result of these actions the Land Court
Land Court
Land Court or Land claims court is a type of court which is charged with dealings over cases involving land titles and for disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies...
in Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
made a decision, on 30 December 1996, that the previous verdict of 1939 sentencing Flisykowski to death was illegal.
He was awarded the Cross of Valour posthumously on 1 September 1990.
Further reading
- Dieter Schenk, Die Post von Danzig. Geschichte eines deutschen Justizmords [Post-Office of Gdańsk. History of a German Justice Murder], 1995