Edward Wasilewski

Who was Edward Wasilewski?

Edward Wasilewski, pseudonym Wichura, was one of the best known anti-communist fighters in the Polish resistance during the Soviet takeover of Poland. Under his command, 44 underground soldiers successfully attacked the NKVD camp in Rembertów on the night of 20–21 May 1945, and liberated 700–1000 NKWD prisoners. Wasilewski was arrested on 26 March 1946 and, after a year spent in prison, was broken by agents of the Ministry of Public Security. He worked as an informant until 1960, denouncing many of his former colleagues. He committed suicide by jumping out of a window in 1968, on the day of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Wasilewski grew up in Stanisławów near Mińsk Mazowiecki. He got engaged in anti-Nazi resistance as early as December 1939 – being merely 16 years old. In the summer of 1940 he joined the underground scouting group Szare Szeregi, and became one of its organizers. He entered the Home Army with his scouting platoon. Simultaneously, Wasilewski continued his education in a clandestine secondary – which allowed him to pass the Polish high school exam.