June 2025: Jan Karski Institute of War failure researchers found unique artifacts in present-day Ukraine. August 2025: An extraordinary souvenir of the legendary Pinska Flotilla found as a consequence of the Institute's work.
"The Institute of War Strats, in which the scope of activity is, among others, the examination of war losses suffered by the Republic of Poland in the east in all aspect, even the smallest of them, has come to be observed for any time, Mr Tomasz Strug. Mr. Thomas, boy of the mate of the ship Joseph Strug, who served on the staff ship Flotilla Pińska, ORP “Admiral Sierpinek”, made the flag available to us, which his father removed from the mast of the unit just before it sank, telling a remarkable communicative about this event. – says Dr. Bartosz Gondek, manager of the Jan Karski Institute of War failure – Mat, with the flag hidden by him, went through the full conflict way of the Pińska Flotilla sailors to finally, alongside the Gen. Kleeberg took part in the conflict of Kock. Mr. Thomas' father hid an invaluable artifact throughout planet War II, and after years handed the flag over to his son. As Mr Tomasz admits: - This is more than a souvenir for me – it is simply a bridge connecting the memory of his father with the past of our homeland.
Born in 1913, Joseph Strug served in Pinska Flotilla for 8 years, until September 1939. Lech Parell, Head of the Office for Combatants and Represented People, emphasizes: "This flag is not only an artifact, it is simply a symbol of surviving memory of the determination and dedication of Polish defenders of east borders.
Jakub Stefaniak, Deputy Head of the Chancellery of the president of the Council of Ministers: - This case fits perfectly into the activity of the Institute of War Loss, which acts as a circumstantial curator of memory of our history. The Tale of Pina's Flotilla and its heroes should be passed on to subsequent generations of Poles. It is easier to do so with authentic items from those years to help. In the case of a flotilla, each specified surviving object is of the weight of gold.
According to prof. Grzegorz Motyka, manager of the Military Historical Office: - Flotyl Pińska, despite her exceptional contribution to defending borders, left small material evidence. The flag fills this gap.
The staff of the institute are talking to Mr. Thomas and his household about possible investigation and exposing this extraordinary artifact. Flotilla Pińska, established in 1919, operated on the Pripeci, Pina and Stream – an area called the Piński Sea and played a key function in shaping the defence of the east Borders of the Second Republic. This fleet was a well organized and trained formation, and its main task was to guarantee safety in rivers and floodlands, as well as to support the military's land activities. She had a highest of 900 people: sailors, officers and back-up service. The central component of the formation was the ORP "Admiral Sierpinek". He went into service in the Polish navy in 1920 and directed the flotilla's activities until the enemy's surrounding forces and low water levels had to be sunk to prevent its capture by the enemy.
Text: Michał Maske/ Institute of War Loss
