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We invite you to embark on a mutual journey exploring the lives of some heroes we regard as icons at our Museum. These are not figures placed upon pedestals; they are individuals often perceived as “the greatest, the most famous, or the bravest.” We want to illuminate their stories, drawing them from obscurity without diminishing the significance of renowned heroes. We aim to ensure that these “ordinary – extraordinary” heroes are recognised and remembered by their contemporaries. We strive to preserve their memory because these 'ordinary heroes' help shape our understanding of the war.
The first “ordinary hero” we wish to highlight is Zdzisław Wysocki, who was murdered during the German atrocities in Poland in September 1939. He was one among many victims of assaults on columns of civilian refugees. Zdzislaw sustained injuries while being evacuated from Warsaw. He passed away at the age of 13 in a hospital in Łuków.
We also share the poignant story of Janina Lewandowska—a victim of the Katyn massacre. An aviator and parachutist, she, along with a group of military pilots, was captured by the Soviets in September 1939. Janina endured the harsh conditions of both the Ostashkov and Kozelsk camps before tragically meeting her end on April 21 or 22, 1940, when officers of the Soviet NKVD political police in Katyn executed her.
Another significant figure we want to remember is Tania Savicheva, whose story was deeply intertwined with the siege of Leningrad, showcasing the torment endured by its residents. The girl lived with her family in the city, and when the German siege began, she started documenting the harrowing losses of her loved ones in a small diary. As the siege continued, the girl eventually found herself alone, ending up in an orphanage from which she was evacuated. Sadly, she succumbed to exhaustion on 1 July 1944.
The group we refer to as "ordinary heroes" also includes countless victims of wartime atrocities against prisoners of war. Throughout World War II, millions of soldiers from all sides were captured, with many being stripped of their rights under POW status. The most tragic fate befell Soviet prisoners in German captivity. More than 3 million of the 5.7 million soldiers lost their lives due to starvation, disease, exhaustion, inhuman living conditions and systemic extermination.
Some Polish prisoners of war also faced severe repression from the Germans. One of these individuals was Captain Antoni Kasztelan, an officer in the Polish military counterintelligence who participated in the defense of Hel in 1939. He was stripped of his prisoner-of-war status and arrested by the Gestapo. He was imprisoned and tortured in violation of international law and ultimately sentenced to death. He was guillotined in Königsberg on 14 December 1942.
Another notable figure was Dutch professor Rudolf Cleveringa, whose words became a symbol of defiance and resistance against the occupying forces. On November 26, 1940, he delivered a speech at Leiden University in protest of the removal of Jewish professors by the German authorities. For his outspoken stance and involvement in the Dutch resistance, Cleveringa was imprisoned but freed by Allied troops in 1944.
During the war, the Third Reich relied on millions of forced labourers to fuel its war economy. Due to stringent racial laws, personal interactions between these labourers and Germans were generally discouraged and frequently prohibited. However, the presence of so many forced labourers within German society inevitably led to complex feelings between the so-called “slaves’ and their “enslavers.” A notable example is the relationship between Bronia, a young Polish labourer, and Gerhard, a young German man. Their bond came at a price, as they faced public stigma on the streets of Steinsdorf in Silesia, an experience captured in an amateur film from 1941.
During World War II, the Germans systematically exterminated the Jewish population, enforcing the death penalty on anyone caught offering assistance. Nevertheless, some brave individuals risked their lives to help Jews by providing food, documentation, or safe hiding places. Among them were the Joniuk family, a peasant household living near the Treblinka camp, who offered refuge to the Jomtef family, Jewish neighbours they had known before the war. Facing the threat of deportation, the Jomtefs sought their help and were allowed to hide in the attic of a barn. After the war, the Joniuks were recognised as heroes, receiving the Righteous Among the Nations medal from Israel, one of over 7,000 honoured for their bravery.
Under German occupation, owning a camera and taking photographs came with numerous restrictions, making it a subtle form of resistance. Edward Buczek, known as “Polak,” was a photographer in Biłgoraj and a member of the Home Army. In his workshop, he reproduced German documents acquired by the Home Army's intelligence and developed film negatives handed to him by the Germans. He was also a photojournalist, capturing the lives of partisans in the Solska Forest, and later documented the exhumations and burials of those who lost their lives near Osuchy.
We invite you to visit the main exhibition at the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk and discover the stories of these “ordinary-extraordinary heroes”!