At the age of 105, Colonel Urszula Tauer, nom de guerre “Ala,” an officer of the Home Army Headquarters and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising, has passed away. A heroine of the Polish resistance, a courier for the Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ) and later the Home Army (AK), she was decorated with Poland’s highest state honors and was one of the last representatives of the “Columbus Generation.” Institutions and veterans’ organizations have emphasized her unwavering patriotism, resilience, and exceptional service to the Polish Underground State.
Colonel Urszula Tauer, nom de guerre “Ala,” has passed away, the Warsaw Uprising Museum announced. One of the last representatives of the “Columbus Generation,” an officer of the Home Army Headquarters and a participant in the Warsaw Uprising, she remained faithful throughout her life to the ideals of the Polish Underground State.
Liaison Officer, Courier, Underground Soldier
The museum recalled that during the German occupation, Urszula Tauer served as a liaison officer and courier for the Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ), and later for the Home Army (AK). Thanks to her excellent command of German, she carried out exceptionally dangerous missions. As a courier, she even traveled to Berlin, transporting reports and intelligence for the Polish underground resistance. In August 1944, she fought in the Warsaw Uprising.
For her service, she received numerous distinctions, including the Gold Medal for Merit in National Defence and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In April, on her 105th birthday, Poland’s Minister of National Defence promoted her to the rank of Colonel.