Statement by IPN - memory of Major Joseph Kuras "Fire"
date:22 February 2024 Editor: Editorial
Declaration by the Institute of National Memory in connection with the decision of the Minister of household and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk to cease organizing celebrations commemorating Józef Kuras “The Fire” and the National Armed Forces Brigade
.jpg)
Photo 2017
On Friday, February 16, 2024, at the head of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Ms Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk decided to “stop” the organisation by the Office for Combatants and People of the Represented Ceremonies commemorating Józef Kuras “The Fire” and the Świętokrzyska National Armed Forces Brigade. At the same time, she accused the conduct of a historical policy consisting of equalising "authentic heroes who were subjected to violent repression after planet War II, specified as Captain Pilecki, with people with consciences charged with crimes"
The Institute of National Memory declares that it has repeatedly presented the results of technological investigation on the activities of the underground of independency during and after planet War II. The factual past discourse includes discussions on all the activities of the underground of various currents. besides disputes, interior fights, as well as mistakes, made in a situation of limited flow of information and deteriorating with all period situation of Poland. The time erstwhile the russian Union turned the German business into communist enslavement frequently forced soldiers of independency troops into dramatic elections and actions. From today’s perspective, it is easy to formulate extremist courts and apply modern ideas and beliefs to the situation a fewer decades ago. And this is the case with the Minister's statement. That is why it is so crucial to conduct historical investigation and print their results.
It is simply a fact that more than a 1000 military actions carried out by the guerrilla group Józef Kuras “The Fire”, which is the main stream of his activities and full worthy of the name of the fight for the independency of the Polish state, have been caused by respective incidents which until present cast a shadow on the commander's full activities. The elimination of communist repression apparatus officers regardless of their nationality was part of the conflict for independency and social opposition against totalitarianism. On the another hand, the killings of unarmed civilians who were not active in the service of communism cannot justify any army, no state, and no historian. This was explained respective times in materials published by IPN and publications of staff of the Institute.
It is simple cognition that the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade, retreating in front of the russian front, undertook negotiations with front troops of retreating Germans. Thanks to this, she successfully led hundreds of soldiers of independency underground to the free planet from the communists – besides feeding the Brigade troops of the liberated erstwhile soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising. It never lost its anti-German and anti-Soviet independence. This was expressed by the liberation of the prisoners of the German camp in Holiszów. At no time has she taken actions that could be assessed as activity in favour of the German state's right against Poland's independence. This was confirmed after the war by the Americans, who considered this unit to be allied, non-collaborating with Germany and in May 1945 granted it, as the only Polish unit, the right to bear American badges and weapons.
The results of investigation on the activities of both the guerrilla group of Józef Kuras “Ognia” and the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade can be found in the following selected publications of the Institute of National Memory. In either of these, the issue raised by the Minister was not left out. However, the actions which are critically assessed present should not put an end to the contribution of these formations to the fight for free and independent Poland.
Selected IPN materials concerning the guerrilla group of Józef Kuras “The Fire” and the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade:
Dawid Golik, Maciej Korkuć, Józef Kuraś “Fire” and the Partisan group “Split”
National camp in the face of 2 totalitarianisms, under the ed. Rafał Sierchuła, Warsaw 2010
Jan Żaryn, “Dancing on the lines, on the abyss.” Polish Organization in Exile and its Communication with the Country from 1945 to 1955, Warsaw 2011
Władysław Kołaciński "Żbik", between hammer and swastika, the improvement and MPs Leszek Żebrowski, Capital Publishing House, IPN 2018
Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade, historical addition to the press
‘IPN Bulletin’ No 89/2007
Anna Zechenter: How the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade saved the prisoners of the German camp in Holiszów
The Institute of National Memory declares that it has repeatedly presented the results of technological investigation on the activities of the underground of independency during and after planet War II. The factual past discourse includes discussions on all the activities of the underground of various currents. besides disputes, interior fights, as well as mistakes, made in a situation of limited flow of information and deteriorating with all period situation of Poland. The time erstwhile the russian Union turned the German business into communist enslavement frequently forced soldiers of independency troops into dramatic elections and actions. From today’s perspective, it is easy to formulate extremist courts and apply modern ideas and beliefs to the situation a fewer decades ago. And this is the case with the Minister's statement. That is why it is so crucial to conduct historical investigation and print their results.
It is simply a fact that more than a 1000 military actions carried out by the guerrilla group Józef Kuras “The Fire”, which is the main stream of his activities and full worthy of the name of the fight for the independency of the Polish state, have been caused by respective incidents which until present cast a shadow on the commander's full activities. The elimination of communist repression apparatus officers regardless of their nationality was part of the conflict for independency and social opposition against totalitarianism. On the another hand, the killings of unarmed civilians who were not active in the service of communism cannot justify any army, no state, and no historian. This was explained respective times in materials published by IPN and publications of staff of the Institute.
It is simple cognition that the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade, retreating in front of the russian front, undertook negotiations with front troops of retreating Germans. Thanks to this, she successfully led hundreds of soldiers of independency underground to the free planet from the communists – besides feeding the Brigade troops of the liberated erstwhile soldiers of the Warsaw Uprising. It never lost its anti-German and anti-Soviet independence. This was expressed by the liberation of the prisoners of the German camp in Holiszów. At no time has she taken actions that could be assessed as activity in favour of the German state's right against Poland's independence. This was confirmed after the war by the Americans, who considered this unit to be allied, non-collaborating with Germany and in May 1945 granted it, as the only Polish unit, the right to bear American badges and weapons.
The results of investigation on the activities of both the guerrilla group of Józef Kuras “Ognia” and the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade can be found in the following selected publications of the Institute of National Memory. In either of these, the issue raised by the Minister was not left out. However, the actions which are critically assessed present should not put an end to the contribution of these formations to the fight for free and independent Poland.
Selected IPN materials concerning the guerrilla group of Józef Kuras “The Fire” and the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade:
Dawid Golik, Maciej Korkuć, Józef Kuraś “Fire” and the Partisan group “Split”
National camp in the face of 2 totalitarianisms, under the ed. Rafał Sierchuła, Warsaw 2010
Jan Żaryn, “Dancing on the lines, on the abyss.” Polish Organization in Exile and its Communication with the Country from 1945 to 1955, Warsaw 2011
Władysław Kołaciński "Żbik", between hammer and swastika, the improvement and MPs Leszek Żebrowski, Capital Publishing House, IPN 2018
Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade, historical addition to the press
‘IPN Bulletin’ No 89/2007
Anna Zechenter: How the Świętokrzyska NSZ Brigade saved the prisoners of the German camp in Holiszów
![Nocne prace przy zabytkowej kamienicy. Wylano blisko 150 ton betonu [ZDJĘCIA]](https://radio.lublin.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250820_213133-2025-08-21-163220.jpg?size=md)
