Anniversary of the birth of a well-deserved Polish guerrilla from planet War II.
Today in our calendar we will look at the life and activities of Antoni Heda, ps. “Gary”.
Antoni was born on 11 October 1916 in Małemierzyce. He was a kid of John, a farmer and Antonina of the Holes. He had 8 siblings—five brothers and 3 sisters. In 1923 he began his education at a local universal school. He showed no peculiar talent for learning, but in 1931 he managed to get into the Radom Railway method School. At the same time, he took part-time work to guarantee himself. Heda describes himself as a weak but ambitious student.
In 1936, he graduated from school, receiving besides military training. As early as September, he started working at the Armed mill in Starachowice. A year later, he received his appointment to the School of Reserve Podchorzych 2nd Legion Division in Sandomierz. The training period speaks very well, mainly due to the skills of the commanders, who managed the actions of young soldiers and the good quality of military equipment.
In September 1938, after the completion of compulsory preparation for military service, Heda returned to work in Starachowice. He besides tried to aid his siblings with a worse material situation. The tense situation on the political phase of Europe has besides made itself known in Starachowice, where production has increased.
Preparations for the war began with more momentum in the first half of 1939, erstwhile the outbreak of the conflict was already considered as a certainty. Antoni Heda was aware of the danger, but the overwhelming tension and national enthusiasm besides gave him. small wonder, then, that on September 1, 1939, on the day of the outbreak of planet War II, he participated in preparations to strengthen the mill in Starachowice.
On September 6, the equipment located there was blown up, which was a consequence of the German army's progress. Then, Antoni went to the nearest commissioning point and was assigned to operate the Kal device gun. 20mm. He then served under 12. The Infantry Division he got into by accident. On 9 September, he participated in a conflict in the Ilża area and in small-time forests. The clashes were settled in favour of German soldiers, and Heda began a laborious journey to join surviving troops.
Finally, he managed to be part of 1 of the rapids of organized combat groups. He fought as part of Gen. Francis Kleeberg's branch and finished his conflict way on October 5, 1939. The September run was a loss, any of the soldiers were taken prisoner, any went home. Heda was among the another group. In early 1940, he decided to engage in conspiracy activities.
He initially joined the Organization of the White Eagle, nevertheless the fast breakdown of groups operating in the area The complaint forced him to change his tactics. He's established communications with Captain Anthony P.S. "The Vulture" and through it joined the increasingly active Armed Combat Union. He rapidly began agitation among friends of independency activists, forming a tiny branch. Heda was friends with Lt. Antoni Hole, ps. “Sen” who sought members of the broken household during the September campaign.
Young conspirators came up with an thought to break into the russian business zone. In July 1940, however, they were detained by the NKVD and after respective months of imprisonment and interrogation in Brest in April 1941, they were read a conviction for 7 years of exile for illegally crossing the border. Heda, as he wrote in his memoirs, had the thought of dismissing the imagination of exile to Siberia. Together with “Snem” he utilized a clever fortitude, giving false information to 1 of the prison informers.
As a result, the transport was returned and Heda and gap were sentenced to 12 years of exile. It was June 1941. A fewer days later, the Germans attacked the russian Union. On June 22, a fresh war began, which this time was to contact especially fresh torturers Heda and Hole. The crew of the fortress in Brest escaped, so Polish prisoners simply went free. Among them were “Gray” and “Sen”, although in their case the joy of liberation did not last long.
Heda got into German captivity and was sent back to Stalag 107. That's where he worked on a crew that took the debris out of the camp. The conditions under which the prisoners lived have insulted human dignity. small wonder, then, that continuous escapes were organized, which besides benefited Heda and his friend Kochanowski. “Gray” describes the operation as a cleverly thought-out action involving Poles working on the team. The waste was exported in barrels where 2 prisoners could hide at once.
The order of attempts to get out of the camp was drawn. In December 1941, happiness smiled at Heda, who managed to scope a close village, where he found refuge in the local population. He took advantage of a teacher with whom he lived, borrowed money and went on a journey to Terespol. Upon arrival, he rapidly made contact with the Polish Underground. In the first half of 1942, he worked alongside the commander of the sub-division of Iłż, Lieutenant Stanislaw Piask, ps. “Błysk”.
He started sabotaging-diversity work, opposed the plans to decision soldiers to the peasant battalions. Not only did he operate under combat conditions, but he besides engaged in the commissioning and organization of the troops, working with the command. Finally, he received a nomination for the position of Chief of the Ilzh Subdivision. In June 1943, he made close contact with Major John Piwnik ps. “Dreary”who welcomed the visitor and accepted the conditions of field cooperation.
The commanders planned joint attacks on Nazi troops and the elimination of the peculiarly cruel Nazi activists. The liquidation actions were highly popular at the time. The Polish Underground utilized them to retaliate for Nazi crimes, but besides to intimidate German service officers who abused power in occupied areas.
Heda's branch murdered Krueger, a German dignitary organizing hunting in the March forests, who besides investigates the Polish environment. On July 21, 1943, there was a merger between the branches of “Zari” and “Ponuri”. The Germans tried hard to capture the Cellar, whose diversionary activity was powerfully affecting them. any independency activists captured by the Nazis were held in Starachowice at the time.
The local prison besides served as a place for violent interrogations. Heda made a reconnaissance of the area and planned a bold recovery action. On August 6, 1943, there was an highly bold action, resulting in the release of nearly 80 people. "Grey" talked to 1 of the prison workers. Then he utilized the strength of his troops, overpowered the crew of the facility and liberated Poles behind bars. This action had extended repercussions in the underground world.
Poles realized that with a balanced balance of forces they were able to fight Germany, and effective operation was an impulse for further activity of this type. He then hid in the forests of Starachowice with the troops and freed them. He formed a strong combat team, a guerrilla group, and in the following weeks worked on training and equipping soldiers. On September 15, he struck the property in Pakosław occupied by the oppressive local German population.
Once again, the action was a complete success, and the guerrillas moved into the woods, hiding from possible Wehrmacht operation. Shortly after this event, large forces of the gendarmerie appeared in the estate, but Poles were far away. 3 days later, they attacked the village of Gozdawa, where they cleverly gave lessons to the local population persecuting Poles. Another period was devoted to further training.
Only at the end of October, Heda carried out a bold attack on the Municipal Savings Fund, taking over PLN 2.5 million then utilized for the equipment and operation of the guerrilla. In March 1944 forces under “Sharem” tried unsuccessfully to control Starachowice. On March 31, the conflict of Sienna took place and then in the area of Jelenca, where clashes with the German gendarmerie motorized. On June 6, 1944, Heda commanded another action against German prison.
This time, nearly 70 people were released from the horse plant. There were no losses – on the Polish side there were 4 killed. However, the losses of the opponent were higher – 17 killed – which did not compensate for the number of victims.
In the following days, ‘Shary’ led the soldiers into combat in the Konskie-Stetaporków area. July was under the sign of a fight for ammunition. Heda pursued the assumptions of the “Burza” plan, making a major contribution to the guerrilla offensive in areas shortly to be liberated by the Red Army. On July 18-19, he commanded the action to break up a German train under the Pleban Wola, scoring a large amount of weapons and ammunition that were utilized in further fighting.
In early September, he fought at Radoszyce and then with 2. The Legion Infantry Division fought under Trawniki on 13 September. 3 days later, there was a clash at Rykoszyn, where the soldiers of Heda marched to the village of Szewce. By the end of the month, the branch fought in Konetic forests, in the sand forests, in the pigsty forests and in the non-Klansk forests, sneaking distant another German raid. Heda decided to reduce the size of the branch. He celebrated Christmas in the Volleyball of Education.
In fact, until the end of the war, he was no longer active in larger military actions, although he remained in conspiracy, including with the Soviets. The completion of the armed action did not put an end to Antoni Heda's military career. He observed a tense political situation and welcomed the Polish Red Army troops entering the ground with unrest. Liberators turned out to be successive invaders, who rapidly began oppressing the Polish population and persecution among soldiers of the erstwhile guerrilla.
Heda did not lay down his arms and decided to proceed to work for the independency and sovereignty of his homeland. He risked more than his life. As it turned out, on May 8, 1945 the safety Office arrested 3 brothers "Share" – Stanisław, Jan and Stefan, and then his 2 brothers-in-law – Jan Góralski and Stanisław Kiełbasa. Innocent people were subjected to cruel torture. 3 of them were murdered. Heda did not break down, decided to pay for the atrocities of the fresh system.
He continued to organize underground groups, collecting the finance needed to carry out specified activities. He joined the National Army opposition Movement (ROAK) and then the Armed Forces Delegates (DSZ). It was like an extension of the Home Army's war activities, although aimed at Soviets and installed on Polish lands a communist system. As early as August 1945, “Shary” was celebrated for its highly bold action of reflection of prisoners from the prison of Kielce.
His squad attacked a russian outpost on the night of 4th to 5th August. Nearly 250 people were able to cope with prison workers and blew up bars with the usage of TNT. 600-700 people were released, according to Heda, although Communist sources did not admit specified a spectacular defeat, estimating the number of fugitives to barely 300 people. Historians disagree. However, the number given by the Grey seems besides high.
During the action, her commander was injured, for whom it was the last specified undertaking. ‘Gray’ changed his name (Antoni Wiśniewski) and moved respective times. He yet settled in Olsztyn, where he took up work in Emilianów. The peace of work and household life made his arrest difficult. In 1948, he was detained in Gdynia by UB. It was most likely released by a friend. He was then imprisoned in various centres, including Rakowiecka in Warsaw and Mokotów, in Pavilion X.
Many times the interviewer refused to cooperate with UB. The investigation continued, for the standards of the time, alternatively calmly. Eventually, in December 1949, the trial began. The grey man was accused mainly of acting against the fresh communist power, the actions of liberating prisons. His defence lawyer was Winniarski. On January 4, 1950, Heda was sentenced to death. He was imprisoned in a prison cell on Zamkowa Street.
In April 1950 he was pardoned by the decree of then president Bolesław Bierut. The death punishment was changed to life imprisonment. In 1956, Heda was taken amnesty and went free after 8 years in a cell. The reality of life in communist Poland has led Heda to enter the way of fighting for independency again. Freedom was an chance for him to return to his family, but besides to proceed his patriotic activity.
He took up work, in the 1960s he purchased a land in Kany close Warsaw, where he was to build a home in the future. In the 1980s, he became active in the activities of Solidarity. He joined the authorities of the Independent Union of Combatants. On December 13, 1981, he was arrested and imprisoned in a prison in Białołęka. He was released in June 1982. After the fall of communism, Heda actively acted in the Kombatan initiatives.
He was a alien to political commitment. He was promoted to Colonel in 1990 and was appointed Brigadier General in 2006. all year he visited places of memorable fighting years ago, attending the Kombatan celebrations of anniversary celebrations.
He died on February 14, 2008 in Warsaw.
In the view picture: Antoni Heda (first on the left).
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
