A 100 years ago in Paris, Poland's representation debuted at the summertime Olympic Games. The White Reds were preparing for the first Olympic start under the national flag as early as 1920, but 1 period before the beginning of the Games in Antwerp, Poland withdrew from the competition. Most of the untimely Olympians participated in the Polish-Soviet war. 24 years later, many athletes – at the order of the Olympicist from Paris – set off to fight for Warsaw.
On 1 August 1944, the insurgents stood openly in their armsto reconstruct freedom of the Polish capital. They went to the barricades on orders. Maj. Gen. Tadeusz Komorowski „Bora”Chief National Army. However, it is worth recalling that the general 2 decades earlier was 1 of 66 Poles who competed at the 8th summertime Olympics in Paris – in the uniform of an officer of the Polish Army (then major) he finished 26th in individual competition in the All-round Competition of the Wierzch Horse and seventh in the squad competition at WKKW. On the another hand, at the 1936 Berlin Games, Colonel Komorowski was the head of the equestrian Polish representation. For 9 months he prepared the players and led them to a silver medal in the WKKW squad competition. Henryk Leliwa-Roycewicz, who commanded their battalion during the Warsaw Uprising, appeared in the silver team. Jan Kiliński – On 1 August 1944, his subordinates seized the building of the “Prudential” Insurance Society and on the tallest building in Warsaw suspended the white-red flag.
Rotmaster and his battalion
Rtm. Leliwa-Roycewicz besides directed the acquisition of the building of the Polish Action telephone Company (PAST) at Zielna Street. On 20 August, after fighting since 3 August, a Polish flag hung at the second tallness of the capital building. In August 2003 a symbol of the Fighting Poland was placed on this historical building – in 2000 the planet Union of Soldiers of the AK – in place. The battalion commanded by Olympic Leliwa-Roycewicz besides won the Main Post Office building on Świętokrzyska Street. It is besides worth emphasizing that soldiers of the Jan Kiliński Battalion remained in position until the surrender of the uprising. Unfortunately, they seized it with severe losses – more than 500 "kilinszczaks" fell and more than a 1000 were injured.
Rtm. Henryk Roycewicz (25th Ulanów Wielkopolski Regiment) on the Arlekin III shaft during the effort to dress WKKW at the Berlin Olympiad in 1936. photograph by Arch. L. Kukawski/Public domain
‘Complete’ and others
On the first day of the uprising, the soldiers of the AK (Kedyw Branch “Kolegium A”) besides captured SS supply warehouses at Stawki Street. 1 of the winners crucial to the insurgents of the facility was Lt. Janusz Rajmund Zalewski "Zupelek", an Olympian from Berlin. Interestingly, the athlete representing Poland at the 1936 Olympics in sailing was an architect and designed defensive fortifications on Westerplatte. He took part in the defence of Warsaw in 1939, and a year before the outbreak he won a conspiracy sailing regatta on the Vistula. Unfortunately, during the acquisition of warehouses at Stawki Street, he was badly injured. He was transported to a infirmary in Wola. A fewer days later, the Germans murdered all the wounded and all the staff of this facility.
Polish Championship in Free American-style wrestling in Łódź. Wrestlers Władysław Kuligowski and Henryk Szlązak during the fight. 1938. Photo: NAC
Other Olympians and well-known athletes besides fought in the Warsaw Uprising. In the book “At the Cost of Life. athletics of Polish Fighting 1939–1945" recalled their editor Bogdan Tuszyński, a longtime associate of “Polish Armed Forces”. Henryk Szlązak, wrestler of the capital Legion, besides competed at the Berlin games – he died on September 30 in Żoliborz. 5 days earlier another 1936 Olympian lost his life – Eugeniusz Lokajski "Brok", the best javelin of the interwar period. During the uprising he was the liaison officer of the Warsaw AK Area office and for a period commanded the 2nd platoon “Cost” (Warsaw AK Area office Protection Company). In turn Henry Doroba “Docha” was the leading boxer of the Legion. After defending Warsaw, escaping from captivity and the Gestapo roundup he devoted himself completely to conspiracy work – he organized many bravado requisition actions, during the uprising he fought in the Powązek area. After retreating to Kampinoska Forest, he returned to the capital at the head of a 200-man ward. In late September he was badly injured – he died after a fewer days in a infirmary in Tworky.
In turn, Tadeusz Semadeni, swimmer and waterpolist, creator of the swimming section of AZS Warsaw and the Polish Swimming Union, served in the AK many liable functions, among others he was a justice of the Military peculiar Court and a co-worker of the Government Delegate to the Country – he died on 19 August with his boy Alik, a 16-year-old scout, during fights at the Warsaw University of Technology. The uprising was besides not survived by Eugeniusz Cendrowski, 1 of the first boxing teachers in the Warsaw YMCA, Fort Bem and Świta. On September 15, he was badly injured in Czerniakow. During the evacuation of the group of prisoners of war, he asked the Germans to slow down the pace of the march, as many wounded did not withstand it. For this effort to intercede for his colleagues he was pulled from the column and shot in Rakowiecka Street.
Tadeusz Semadeni. Photo: Zbisem/Public domain
On the another hand, the first Polish flag of the Olympic squad at the 1924 Paris Games, at which time the lieutenant, Sławomiz Szydłowski, was promoted to the rank of captain during the Warsaw Uprising – he worked in the structures of the Military Uprising Protection Service. His fellow Olympic teammate Tadeusz Friedrich (in Paris he was a reserve in the sabre team, and in 2 consecutive games in Amsterdam and Los Angeles won bronze medals in the squad tournament) while he fought in the uprising in civilian formations.
After the defeat of the uprising
In total, about 30 Olympians from Paris, Sankt Moritz (the 2nd Winter IO in 1928), Amsterdam (IX summertime IO 1928), Los Angeles (X summertime IO 1932) and Berlin (XI summertime IO 1936) took part in the uprising. Many times I managed to meet 1 of them – Wisława Noskiewicz-Karczmarczyk. She represented Poland in sports gymnastics in Berlin. She was an AK soldier – she had the nickname “Wisła”. I met her in the eighties of the last century erstwhile she actively collaborated with the board of the Polish Gymnastic Union and as a justice of the global class in athletic and artistic gymnastics she judged at many national competitions with the Polish Championships at the head. She was very popular in the gym. She died in 1991 at the age of 80 – for the remainder of her life she was the Chief Executive of the Gymnastic Society “The Falcon”.
The uprising and planet War II besides survived the heroic commander of the Jan Kiliński Battalion. Rtm. Henryk Leliwa-Roycewicz fought in Warsaw until 8 September, erstwhile he was badly injured during the attacks on the ruins of the Colosseum cinema. He was hit in the head, knee and shoulder. His artery was punctured, but in time, his subordinates pulled him out. The soldiers moved him to the basement of his destroyed house. Under the loving care of his wife, he came to his full strength. After the war for his insurgent past was sentenced to six years in prison. He was not acquitted until February 1957 and could then return to his beloved sport. He was a riding coach and a judge. On February 23, 1990, little than 4 months before his death, he was appointed to the rank of Colonel at rest. He rested next to his subordinates in the office of the Jan Kiliński Battalion soldiers at the Military Cemetery in Powązki.
General Tadeusz Komorowski "Bór" besides survived the war. After signing 2 October 1944 in Ożarów Mazowiecki "The Agreement on the cessation of war in Warsaw" On 5 October, after a morning review of the shield platoon under the command of Captain Stanislaw Jankowski "Agaton", the general marched at the head of the insurgent divisions into captivity. In May 1945, he regained his freedom and went to London – he took the position of Chief Leader and then Prime Minister of the Polish Government in exile. He died in August 1966 – he was buried in Gunnersbury Cemetery, London. In 1994, his ashes were transported to Poland, where they rested at the Military Cemetery in Powązki. More than 30 years later, I had the chance to meet his older boy Adam in Krakow, who visited Wawel Castle with his wife and sons.
Walking through Warsaw streets, let us remember those who fought for the capital 80 years ago. Let us remember that among the insurgents there were besides many athletes, with Olympic leaders. Meanwhile, 80 soldiers from the Olympic squad of Poland were present at the XXXIII summertime IO held in France. Central Military Sports Team. possibly any of them will become officers or known architects in the future. I hope they do not gotta follow in the footsteps of the Olympians who, 80 years ago, went armed to fight for Warsaw and free Poland!
