What does patriotism and concern for the common good mean to us? How high a price are we prepared to pay for the freedom, security, and prosperity of us all—of our children and grandchildren? How much do sovereignty and the honor of the Homeland mean to us today, on the 75th anniversary of the communist crime whose victim was Lieutenant Colonel Łukasz Ciepliński “Pług”? – asks President Karol Nawrocki in a letter to the organizers and participants of the National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers at the Museum of the Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic in Warsaw.
On March 1, the National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers, we pay tribute to the heroes of the post-war anti-communist underground. President Karol Nawrocki has been taking part in the commemorations associated with the national holiday since the night hours.
In a special letter to the participants and organizers of the ceremonies at 37 Rakowiecka Street—read out by the President’s adviser Jan Józef Kasprzyk—he recalled the heroism of the Unbroken, contrasted their stance with contemporary times, and posed several fundamental questions.
Below is the full text of the letter:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Compatriots,
The National Day of Remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers fills our Polish hearts with pride and admiration for the heroes of the struggle for an independent Homeland faithful to its identity. At this special time, we solemnly pay tribute to the soldiers and underground activists who fought the Soviets and their collaborators to their last breath, heroically upholding the oath they swore to God and the Republic of Poland. With the highest reverence, we bow our heads before the patriots who, in their country’s hour of need, withheld nothing from Poland: blood, sweat, and tears; life in hiding—branded with the disgraceful stigma of “reactionary bandits”; permanent separation from loved ones; unspeakable suffering at the hands of communist executioners; and finally death and burial in nameless, forgotten graves.
At the same time, this is a day when some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as individuals and as Poles stand before us. What does patriotism and care for the common good mean to us? How high a price are we prepared to pay for the freedom, security, and prosperity of us all—of our children and grandchildren? How much do sovereignty and the honor of the Homeland mean to us today, on the 75th anniversary of the communist crime whose victim was Lieutenant Colonel Łukasz Ciepliński “Pług”? In what way do we wish—and are we able—to follow the example of this hero of the struggle against two inhuman totalitarian regimes? Do we consent to the fulfillment of his executioners’ intentions—that “Pług” and the other Cursed Soldiers–Unbroken should forever be shrouded in a contemptuous veil of oblivion?
A superficial knowledge of Poland’s recent history may suggest that the sacrifice of these steadfast knights of the national cause was in vain. Yet in truth, we owe them so much! The post-war fate of our country would certainly have unfolded differently had it not been for the active resistance of the anti-communist underground.
In 1945, Soviet soldiers—equipped and armed by their American allies—fulfilled their task: advancing from the east, they accelerated Germany’s defeat. At the same time, however, they were subject to the orders of one of the greatest criminals in history, a cruel tyrant dreaming of dominion over the world. Stalin wanted his rule to extend everywhere his armies reached—directly or through local collaborators. Unfortunately, the far-sighted proposals of American General George Patton and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not gain support among the civilian and military elites of the Western Allied states. A preventive strike—one that would have significantly weakened the rapidly expanding Soviet empire and pushed it back, including from Poland—was not carried out. The consequences of that decision were later borne not only by Poles but by the entire free world, poisoned by the Soviets with the gangrene of subversive ideologies and networks of influence, robbed of advanced technologies, spending vast sums on the arms race, and living in fear of a Third World War and nuclear apocalypse.
The imposition of communist rule in the countries of the so-called Eastern Bloc took different forms, but on our soil the Soviets and their supporters knew no peace for many years. Soldiers of the Polish independence underground fought regular battles against the Red Army, the NKVD, the Internal Security Corps, the Security Office, and the Citizens’ Militia. They broke into prisons and freed detained patriots. They administered justice to agents, emboldened collaborators, and overzealous red persecutors of the civilian population. They effectively blunted the main weapon wielded by the collaborationist regime—fear of the brutal ruthlessness of its functionaries.
Under these conditions, the thorough Sovietization of Poland—including, among other things, pushing the Church to the margins of social life, collectivizing the countryside, and fully indoctrinating society—proved impossible. And even when the echoes of gunfire in forests and mountains, on roads leading to villages and towns, had already fallen silent—when the last of the Unbroken had gone to eternal watch—their legend endured. Their blood cried out to heaven, awakened consciences, and fueled the will to resist the communist dictatorship also in the 1970s and 1980s. At the dawn of the 21st century, the silent gazes of the Cursed Soldiers from black-and-white photographs spoke to thousands of young patriots—grateful that the memory of such remarkable compatriots, of warriors so boundlessly devoted to the Homeland, had been restored.
Today, “Pług,” “Witold,” “Nil,” “Łupaszka,” “Ogień,” “Zagończyk,” “Inka,” “Nela,” “Młot,” “Orlik,” “Jastrząb,” “Zapora,” “Lalek,” and their fellow soldiers-in-arms receive our report: your sacred cause has triumphed! Poland is free, strong, and secure, and its citizens know the truth about the history of their Homeland. The slanderous propaganda aimed against you has collapsed into ruin. On your graves and at the foot of your monuments lie white-and-red bouquets, and candles burn in remembrance. Your righteousness and sacrifice are held up as examples to children and youth, shaping the patriotic attitudes of the soldiers and officers who safeguard our country’s security.
I trust that in 10, 20, or 30 years, we will still be able to stand without shame before the shades of the Cursed Soldiers–Unbroken and report to them: we follow in your footsteps with determination and courage. We were and remain absolutely faithful to Poland. We avoided mistakes and omissions; we protected and strengthened our state even further. Thank you for your struggle and sacrifice, for your example of how to believe and fight to the very end—despite all adversity!
Eternal honor and glory to the Unbroken Soldiers!
Long live Poland!
Respectfully,
Karol Nawrocki
President of the Republic of Poland