Evacuation of Poles from Wilno/Vilinus 1945

[StefanM]

Vilnius (Wilno to Poles) in Lithuania, has like many cities and regions in Eastern Europe, had a turbulent history: History of Vilnius - Wikipedia

The Vilnius (Wilno to Poles) Region was perhaps the only Polish region where the occupying forces changed five times. First, there was the Soviet occupation in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact [23 August 1939]. Then, afterwards the USSR handed over a significant part of the former Vilnius Voivodeship to the Republic of Lithuania in October 1939. After the USSR’s invasion of the Baltic States in mid-1940 the Soviets returned. On 22/23 June 1941, the Germans invaded the Vilnius Region. Three years later, at the beginning of July 1944, the Soviets resumed their occupation for a third time, which was also referred to as the “third Soviets”.

The Soviets decided that the Vilnius region was to became again a part of the Lithuanian SSR and subsequently the Soviet government, backed by the Lithuanian communists, decided to repatriate the Polish population from Lithuania and Belarus after the end of World War II.

The German occupation ended with a huge uprising of the Polish underground. During the Operation “Ostra Brama” which was a part of the ‘Operation Tempest’, gathered units of Vilnius and Nowogródek partisan companies attacked Vilnius and on 13 July 1944, after around a week of fighting, and in co-operation with the Red Army, they took occupation of the city. On 17 July, the Home Army troops, which had concentrated in the Turgiel region, were surrounded by NKVD (Russ. Народный комиссариат внутренних дел - Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del - НКВД) and the Red Army troops. At the briefing in Bogusze, some Polish officers as well as the Commander of the united Vilnius and Nowogródek Provinces, Col. Aleksander Krzyżanowski nom de guerre “Wilk” [a short while previously to this] were treacherously arrested. The next day disarmament of the surrounded Polish troops commenced. Owing to a rapid response of Polish officers who managed to avoid the arrests, a few thousand partisans managed to escape the trap.

Source: Doomed Soldiers

This is evacuation/repatriation identity document dated 22 February (Polish: Luty) 1945 to leave Vilinus, Lithuanian SSR.





As well as the scarcity of the find I was also attracted by the badly crumpled, taped-up, history-lived look of the document

[meyle77]

Seen some of those in person that were issued to family members but from Lwow and Wolyn. Losing Kresy is a very sad part of the recent Polish history. Thanks for posting.

[StefanM]

I picked up another similar evacuation from "Wilno" document. Again the taped-up much folded and frayed appearance adds to its attraction for me.