Josef Olechowski
Encyclopedia
Josef Olechowski was born to a noble Polish Catholic family on March 6, 1898 in Łódź, Poland (at that time part of the Russian Empire
) to Marcin Olechowski and Baron
ess Josephina von Plötzke
and died on September 29, 1984 in Toronto
, Canada.
He was a Polish patriot
, lawyer, veteran of the 1919-21 Polish-Soviet war
, Polish intelligence and secret service case officer 1929-38 (in charge of counter espionage against the Soviets) and politician. He was elected to the Polish senate
in 1938.
Upon the invasion by Germany on September 1, 1939, Olechowski was charged with moving a large part of Poland's gold reserves to the safety of Hungary
. Having done that, he returned to Poland to help with the fight against the German and (later)Soviet invasions.
Captured by the Soviet NKVD
in January 1940 (together with his wife and daughter), he was sent to the Lubyanka
prison in Moscow. His wife and daughter were sent directly to imprisonment in Siberia
. His son remained in Warsaw in the Polish underground and was eventually captured by the Gestapo
for aiding the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto
. Released, for unknown reasons, he was later re-captured during the Warsaw Uprising
and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp.
Under Stalin's orders, probably because of his counter-espionage familiarity with German-Soviet itentions, Olechowski was kept alive. Later transferred to the Soviet Gulag
, he was released in 1942 as part of General Władysław Anders army. He reunited with his wife and daughter and was sent to a Polish refugee camp in Kenya. He was unable to return to a communist run post World War II Poland due to a warrant for his arrest by the communist regime.
After the end of World War II, Olechowski moved to London and then on to Canada. He worked extensively to publicize and have the Russian/Soviet authorities acknowledge their role in the Katyn
massacres as well as other Russian and Soviet atrocities against imprisoned Poles, especially the lesser known Augustów roundup and the Ostrashov
the latter incident in which Polish prisoners were place on barges that were sunk in the White Sea
.
He married Contessa Anna Kurnatowski
.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
) to Marcin Olechowski and Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
ess Josephina von Plötzke
Von Plötzke
The von Plötzke, or von Plötzkau family is an old-line noble family from Saxony and Masovia.Conrad de Ploceke for example, married the daughter of a lienholder of the Holy Roman Empire Duke Boleslaw III of Poland and his wife Salome von Berg Schelklingen.Płock in Masovia, an independent duchy...
and died on September 29, 1984 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada.
He was a Polish patriot
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
, lawyer, veteran of the 1919-21 Polish-Soviet war
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, Polish intelligence and secret service case officer 1929-38 (in charge of counter espionage against the Soviets) and politician. He was elected to the Polish senate
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature or parliament. There have been many such bodies in history, since senate means the assembly of the eldest and wiser members of the society and ruling class...
in 1938.
Upon the invasion by Germany on September 1, 1939, Olechowski was charged with moving a large part of Poland's gold reserves to the safety of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Having done that, he returned to Poland to help with the fight against the German and (later)Soviet invasions.
Captured by the Soviet NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in January 1940 (together with his wife and daughter), he was sent to the Lubyanka
Lubyanka (KGB)
The Lubyanka is the popular name for the headquarters of the KGB and affiliated prison on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. It is a large building with a facade of yellow brick, designed by Alexander V...
prison in Moscow. His wife and daughter were sent directly to imprisonment in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. His son remained in Warsaw in the Polish underground and was eventually captured by 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...
for aiding the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
. Released, for unknown reasons, he was later re-captured during the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp.
Under Stalin's orders, probably because of his counter-espionage familiarity with German-Soviet itentions, Olechowski was kept alive. Later transferred to the Soviet Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
, he was released in 1942 as part of General Władysław Anders army. He reunited with his wife and daughter and was sent to a Polish refugee camp in Kenya. He was unable to return to a communist run post World War II Poland due to a warrant for his arrest by the communist regime.
After the end of World War II, Olechowski moved to London and then on to Canada. He worked extensively to publicize and have the Russian/Soviet authorities acknowledge their role in the Katyn
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
massacres as well as other Russian and Soviet atrocities against imprisoned Poles, especially the lesser known Augustów roundup and the Ostrashov
Ostrashov
The Ostrashov Incident refers to the murder during World War II of Polish officers and members of the intelligentsia by sinking a barge holding these prisoners in the White Sea....
the latter incident in which Polish prisoners were place on barges that were sunk in the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
.
He married Contessa Anna Kurnatowski
Kurnatowski
The Kurnatowski was a noble family within Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 14th century into the 20th. The family was part of the Łodzia clan and were participants in politics, arts, military endeavours, and Calvinist clergymen...
.