Aquila Polonica - Poland WW2

01/15/2026

"Ship sirens, candles and flowers were used to commemorate the 56 victims of the Jan Heweliusz, a combined passenger, car and rail ferry that sank in the Baltic Sea on 14 January 1993.

"Tributes took place on naval vessels and ferries, as well as at the monument 'To Those Who Never Returned from the Sea' in Świnoujście, northwestern Poland."

Poland's worst peacetime maritime disaster, details at Polskie Radio:

Ship sirens, candles and flowers were used to commemorate the 56 victims of the Jan Heweliusz, a combined passenger, car and rail ferry that sank in the Baltic Sea on 14 January 1993.

01/14/2026

"18 January 2026 will mark exactly one hundred years since the first Polish soldiers took up their posts at Westerplatte. To mark this occasion, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk and the 16th Żuławy Logistics Regiment of the Defenders of Westerplatte in Elbląg invite you to commemorate this event. The ceremony will combine military protocol with a living history lesson."

An incredible anniversary being celebrated by Poland's Museum of the Second World War! The site of one of the first great battles of World War II, details here:

18 January 2026 will mark exactly one hundred years since the first Polish soldiers took up their posts at Westerplatte. To mark this occasion, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk and the

01/13/2026

"A Scout troop is on a mission to find the descendants of Polish World War Two veterans buried in a city cemetery.

"At least 80 burials have been located in Newmarket Road Cemetery in Cambridge in the past couple of years by the city's Polish Scouting Association.

"Team leader Lukasz Lakomy, 45, said plaques would be added to 15 of the graves later this year, as part of an official Polish register of veteran burials worldwide."

An incredible effort! Story at BBC News:

At least 80 burials have been found and a scout leader is appealing for descendants to get in touch.

01/12/2026

"Concealed within what appears to be a standard violin case, a museum in Wrocław has added a chilling exhibit to its collection of curiosities—a vampire slaying kit from the early 20th century.

"Looking like a prop from a vintage Dracula film, the case was unearthed in a Warsaw antiques store by researchers from Wrocław’s University of Medicine who then snapped it up to display at the city’s Museum of Forensic Science."

Incredible! Serious security kit or novelty piece? Still unknown, but an incredible find from a century ago either way. Full story and more photos at TVP World:

The kit is believed to date from the early part of the 20th century.

01/09/2026

"The Warsaw Uprising Mound, a memorial park in the Polish capital honoring those who took part in the city’s 1944 uprising against N**i occupation, has been shortlisted for Europe’s most prestigious architecture prize.

"The park, located in Warsaw’s Mokotów district, underwent a major revitalization that was completed and opened to the public in July 2023. The modernization was designed to strengthen the park’s commemorative role while opening it up as an accessible green space for residents and visitors."

A stunning tribute to the Rising and the city itself! Full story at TVP World:

The Warsaw Uprising Mound is among the 40 projects shortlisted for the 2026 EUmies awards.

01/08/2026

January 8, 1894: Father Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest, was born in Zduńska Wola. He became a Christian Martyr when he volunteered to be executed at Auschwitz in place of another prisoner.

Kolbe was heavily influenced by a childhood vision he had of the Virgin Mary, and became an ordained priest in 1919. Between the years of 1930 and 1936, he departed on a series of religious missions in East Asia. Following the invasion of Poland in 1939, his monastery was shut down for sheltering Jewish refugees and publishing anti-N**i literature. He was arrested and imprisoned at Auschwitz.

At the end of July 1941, three prisoners escaped from Auschwitz. In response, the SS camp guards picked 10 random prisoners to be executed as collective punishment.

“It once happened that a young inmate was chosen, whereupon an old man, a priest, stepped out of the ranks and asked the Camp Commandant to take him and release the young man.

“This was a powerful moment and the block froze in amazement.

“The Commandant agreed.

“The heroic priest went to his death and the other inmate returned to the ranks.”

-Excerpt from our title, “The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery,” by Captain Witold Pilecki, available here:
https://www.amazon.com/Auschwitz-Volunteer-Beyond-Bravery/dp/1607720094

Franciszek Gajowniczek, the man whose life Father Kolbe had saved, survived Auschwitz and was freed by Allied liberation forces in 1944. He was reunited with his wife after WW2, and lived a full life until his passing in 1995.

When the selfless sacrifice of Father Kolbe became known, the Catholic church beatified him as a Confessor of the Faith in 1971 by Pope Paul VI, and then as a martyr by Pope John Paul II in 1982. John Paul II declared Father Maximilian Kolbe “The Patron Saint of Our Difficult Century.”

01/07/2026

"Last month, Tararua district mayor Scott Gilmore attended the 81st reunion of the Pahīatua Polish children and welcomed the new Polish Ambassador, Patryk Błaszczak, on his first visit to Pahīatua.

"'The story of the Pahīatua children remains close to our hearts thanks to those who continue to share it,'" Gilmore said.

"'Eighty-one years ago, 733 Polish children and 105 caregivers, displaced by the devastation of war, found refuge in Pahīatua."

Never forget this amazing story of mercy! Full story at Radio New Zealand:

It's been eight decades since hundreds of children found a new home in Pahīatua during WWII.

01/06/2026

"A flail-type weapon associated with Poland’s legendary medieval Battle of Grunwald has been discovered by a team of amateur history enthusiasts.

"The rare weapon known as a kiścień was widely used by both cavalry and infantry soldiers for crushing the skulls of enemies.

"Discovered in fields near the northeastern village of Gietrzwałd by the 'Tannenberg' Exploration Section of the Society of Friends of Olsztynek, the village is closely associated with the famous 1410 Battle of Grunwald and the military movements surrounding it."

An incredible find! Full story at TVP World:

The amateur researchers say the find was made in an area linked to the legendary battle.

01/05/2026

"A Warsaw Uprising heroine who volunteered to tend the wounded of the bloody battle when she was just 15 years old, has died aged 96.

"Anna Kurek, codenamed Anka, joined medical staff at the outbreak of the battle to liberate the Polish capital from German occupation during World War II on August 1, 1944.

"Her death was announced by BohaterON, an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the era-defining rebellion in the Polish capital."

She will always be remembered as a hero of Poland! Read about her life at TVP World:

Anna Kurek spoke of “despair, misery, pain and tears” at the hospital where she worked.

01/03/2026

Marian Pisarek, 303 Squadron fighter ace, was born 3 January 1912 at Łosie near Radzymin, east of Warsaw.

During the 1939 Invasion of Poland, Pisarek was leading 141 Eskadra and confirmed 3 kills against German aircraft. In 1940, while in France, he was posted to the fighter section of Captain Tadeusz Rolski.

Pisarek arrived in Britain on 23 June 1940 and was posted to 303 Squadron on 21 August 1940. Despite being shot down on 7 September 1940, Pisarek went on to shoot down at least 4 German planes during the Battle of Britain.

On 17 April 1942 he assumed command of the 1st Polish Fighter Wing at Northolt, West London. Pisarek was shot down and killed on 29 April 1942 when leading his wing over France.

Pisarek was awarded the Golden Cross of the Virtuti Militari (posthumously), the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, the Cross of Valour and three bars, and the British DFC. A street in Warsaw was named after him in 1979, as was a primary school at Radzymin in 1991. His biography by Krzysztof Kubala was published in Polish in 2005 under the title Start w nieskończoność (Take-off Into Eternity).

Pisarek is credited with 11 destroyed, 2 shared destroyed, 1 probable destroyed, and 2 damaged.

Information from our book "303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron," written by Arkady Fiedler during the war with the squadron's top pilots. Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/303-Squadron-Legendary-Britain-Fighter/dp/1607720051

12/31/2025

"Poland's National Chopin Institute has launched a series of recordings by past laureates of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.

"The inaugural Warsaw Chopin Competition, held in January 1927, was modest in scope, attracting 26 pianists from eight countries.

"In the decades since, it has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious musical events. Many of its winners—including Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, Krystian Zimerman, Rafał Blechacz, Seong-Jin Cho, Bruce Liu and Eric Lu—have gone on to achieve global recognition."

100 years! Details at Polskie Radio:

Poland's National Chopin Institute has launched a series of recordings by past laureates of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.

12/29/2025

An excellent watch from our friends The American Institute of Polish Culture on the critical Poland American alliance and its role in maintaining security in today's Europe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMTjy7egJnU

"Dr. Klich discusses the evolving partnership between Poland and the United States, focusing on security, defense, NATO cooperation, and the ongoing war in Ukraine. He examines how both nations support Ukraine, strengthen transatlantic ties, and address major geopolitical challenges shaping Europe today."

This video features a public lecture by Dr. Bogdan Klich at the University of Miami as part of the Lady Blanka Rosenstiel Endowed Program in Polish Heritage,...