Boleslaw Pietkiewicz - KW, KPMC

[Kangur]

Hi
Has anyone of you have the opportunity to look into the PISM archive? I would like to know the whole story of his service. I wrote few e-mails with this museum but probably did not understand regarding details.
Regards,
Grzegorz

[andrzejku98]

Hello Kangur,

Sierz Boleslaw Pietkiewicz is buried at the Polish War Cemetery at Casamassina in grave 12-C-4.

With regards to the PISM their website is at IPMS Oficjalna Strona Internetowa

there is a Polish and English version of their website just click the Polish Flag.

Best wishes

Andrzej

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Hi Grzegorz,

I’ve created a new thread for your discussion as it was stretching beyond the bounds of the Krzyz Walecznych thread.

. . . Russians caught him and sent to Siberia. I know this will seem unlikely but he escaped and joined the polish army and he fought in 1939. . . . . . After the surrender of Polish he was taken prisoner by the Russians and put in a transport to the Katyn of whom also escaped.

Agreed, it does seem very unlikely! It is one thing for a prisoner on the run to evade the NKVD nets, and another to cross and survive the vastness of Siberia. And as your great-grandfather was not an officer he would not have been on the “Katyn” execution list. It’s not unusual for some accounts to be embellished over the passing years.

Also, Poland never surrendered. Although the armed forces on Polish soil were defeated as of October 6, 1939, Poland vowed to carry on the fight in exile and underground against the German and Soviet invaders.

Regards,
Tony

[andrzejku98]

Hello Kangur,

The website Index of victims of soviet repression list Boleslaw Pietkiewicz son of Izydor has being arrested in 1940, that's all that I could find.

Best wishes

Andrzej

[Kangur]

Hi,
Really? I got a old letter (but not from war) in the home where it says that the grave of Bolesław is located in Barii. In sunday I will do scan this letter
Regards,
Grzegorz.

[Kangur]

Hello Kangur,

The website Index of victims of soviet repression list Boleslaw Pietkiewicz son of Izydor has being arrested in 1940, that's all that I could find.

Andrzej

Hi
Maybe he was captured in 1940 as a civilian. My family has 3 coats of arms of the nobility and every generation of my family fought against the Russians. Maybe this decided to send him to Katyń (Russians killed 7 thousand "civilians" there - including soldiers without the status of prisoner located in prisons) or maybe it was a place with a similar name. I don't know whether he was captured as a soldier or as a civilian. This is what I wrote was my uncle's version (version about Katyń is that he jumped into the water with his friend when the train was passing over the bridge on the river. His friend was killed - hit by a bullet in the water, while Bolesław survived). He was godson of Boleslaw and he is brother of my grandmother. A story about Siberia is 100% true because Bolesław personally told my uncle about it. He was 14 years old then. I must find more information but I don't know where where to look. I looked through the entire internet for 3 years and I have found less info than you in a few days
Thanks for replay
Regards
Grzegorz

[andrzejku98]

Hello Kangur,

The Polish War Cemetery at Casamassima is near to Bari in southern Italy, it contains the graves of Polish Soldiers who died between 1944-1945 total of 431 graves which included Major Henryk Sucharski.

These are photographs of the graves in the cemetery found on the internet:



















Best wishes

Andrzej

[Kangur]

I want to go there. It is now for me, my life goal