All Topics  
Henryk Iwanski

 
Henryk Iwanski

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Henryk Iwanski
 
 
  Topics Henryk Iwanski Topic Home

Henryk Iwanski (1902-1978), nom de guerre Bystry, was a member of the Polish resistance during WWII. He is known for leading one of the most daring actions of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa

The Armia Krajowa , abbreviated "AK", was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II Nazi Germany-History of Poland . It was formed in February 1942 from the Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej and over the next two years absorbed most other Polish underground forces....
 (Home Army) in support of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the History of the Jews in Poland insurgency that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in Occupation of Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to the Treblinka extermination camp....
. For his assistance to the Polish Jews Iwanski was bestowed the title of the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations

Righteous among the Nations , which may at times refer to the B'nei Noah or Noahides as well, is a term used in Judaism to refer to non-Jews who abide by the Seven Laws of Noah and thus are assured of meriting paradise....
 by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem

File:Yad Vashem BW 3.JPGYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
 in Jerusalem in 1964.

Before the Second World War Henryk had reached the rank of captain in the Polish Army.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Henryk Iwanski'
Start a new discussion about 'Henryk Iwanski'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Henryk Iwanski (1902-1978), nom de guerre Bystry, was a member of the Polish resistance during WWII. He is known for leading one of the most daring actions of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa

The Armia Krajowa , abbreviated "AK", was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II Nazi Germany-History of Poland . It was formed in February 1942 from the Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej and over the next two years absorbed most other Polish underground forces....
 (Home Army) in support of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the History of the Jews in Poland insurgency that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in Occupation of Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to the Treblinka extermination camp....
. For his assistance to the Polish Jews Iwanski was bestowed the title of the Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations

Righteous among the Nations , which may at times refer to the B'nei Noah or Noahides as well, is a term used in Judaism to refer to non-Jews who abide by the Seven Laws of Noah and thus are assured of meriting paradise....
 by Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem

File:Yad Vashem BW 3.JPGYad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
 in Jerusalem in 1964.

Before the Second World War Henryk had reached the rank of captain in the Polish Army. Soon after Nazi Germany invaded Poland and began the Holocaust, Henryk was instrumental in the founding of the Zydowski Zwiazek Wojskowy
Zydowski Zwiazek Wojskowy

Zydowski Zwiazek Wojskowy was an Resistance movement Resistance during World War II operating during World War II in the area of the Warsaw Ghetto and fighting during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising....
 (Jewish Fighting Organization). Together with the rest of his family he dedicated himself to support the Jews, working through the Polish resistance (Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa

The Armia Krajowa , abbreviated "AK", was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II Nazi Germany-History of Poland . It was formed in February 1942 from the Zwiazek Walki Zbrojnej and over the next two years absorbed most other Polish underground forces....
). Iwanski was one of the AK members dealing with the Jews, providing them with arms, ammunition, and instructional materials smuggled
Smuggling

Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of the law or other rules....
 through the sewer
Sewer

Sewer may refer to:*A system for transporting sewage:**Sanitary sewer, a system of pipes used to transport human waste**Storm drain, a collection and transportation system for storm water...
s or in carts that brought lime and cement into the ghetto.

From the very first days of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the History of the Jews in Poland insurgency that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in Occupation of Poland during World War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany's effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to the Treblinka extermination camp....
 the AK maintained contact with the Jewish fighters and tried to support them by providing supplies and launching supportive strikes against the Germans. Some of AK soldiers volunteer
Volunteer

A volunteer is someone who works Community service or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so. The word comes from France, it can also be translated as "will" ....
ed to join the fighters in the ghetto from the very first day of the uprising. When one of the commanders of the Jewish units, Dawid Moryc Apfelbaum
Dawid Moryc Apfelbaum

Dawid Moryc Apfelbaum , nom de guerre "Kowal" was an officer in the Polish Army and the commander of the Jewish Military Union , during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising....
, sent a message to the AK informing the Poles that he had been wounded, and asking for arms and ammunition
Ammunition

Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery....
, Iwanski took an AK unit (Panstwowy Korpus Bezpieczenstwa
Panstwowy Korpus Bezpieczenstwa

Panstwowy Korpus Bezpieczenstwa was a Poland underground police force organized by the Armia Krajowa and Government Delegate's Office at Home under Germany occupation during World War II....
, the Security Corps) through a tunnel into the Ghetto to directly support the Jewish fighters. Among the 18 members of the unit were his brother, Waclaw and Henryk's son, Roman. They entered the ghetto on April 27, 1943, bringing ammunition and other supplies and on the spot they decided to relieve some of the exhausted fighters, engaging the Germans together with the remaining members of the ZZW on the Muranowski Square. In the fight Waclaw was killed; Henryk and his son Roman were seriously wounded, Roman fatally. Zbigniew, another son of Henryk fought on Karmelicka Street and died on May 3, 1943, escorting a group of Jews out of the ghetto. After being wounded, Iwanski was brought from the ghetto, escorted by a group of Polish and Jewish fighters, among them Ber Mark, who later wrote a book about the Uprising. Nonetheless, Iwanski returned to the ghetto at least once more, bringing another set of ammunition and supplies. This was one of several actions of the Polish resistance providing assistance to the Jews in the ghetto.

Getto Pomnik
In 1963, for his actions Iwanski was awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari

The Order Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for courage in the face of the enemy. It was created in 1792) by King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland and is considered as one of the oldest military decorations in the world still in use....
, one of Poland's highest military decoration
Military decoration

A military decoration is a state decoration given to military personnel or units for heroism in battle or distinguished service. They are designed to be worn on military uniform....
s for valor. Soon later, in 1964, with his wife Wiktoria he was decorated with the medal of Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations

Righteous among the Nations , which may at times refer to the B'nei Noah or Noahides as well, is a term used in Judaism to refer to non-Jews who abide by the Seven Laws of Noah and thus are assured of meriting paradise....
 (awarded only, if there are or were, at the time of the award, Jewish witnesses who survive
Survive

Survive can refer to:*Survive - The 2006 album by Much the Same.*Survive - a 1997 album by B'z*Survive - track from 'hours...' album by David Bowie, 1999....
d).

Recent questions concerning inconsistencies regarding the nature and extent of Iwanski's support for the Jewish underground have been raised. Examinations of Israeli and Polish archives have brought allegations that Iwanski exaggerated his war time activities, had made anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli radio and television broadcasts, and as an informant of Polish secret police had spied on Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal

Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian-Jewish architectural engineering and Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter who pursued Nazi war criminals in an effort to bring them to justice....
 as an informant against the Jewish Historical Institute (reasons for such accusation might have been that, first, it was unlikley for a member of the Home Army to be tolerated and much less likely to be awarded a medal by the Communists; also possibly a vendetta through the means of history for his activy in 1968 that was either anti-semitic or viewed as such.

See also

  • Jerzy Lawinski
  • Henryk Wolinski
    Henryk Wolinski

    Henryk Wolinski was a member of the Polish resistance movement in World War II, specifically the Armia Krajowa , where he reached the rank of colonel....
  • Wladyslaw Zajdler


Further reading

  • See the list in