Rudolf Regner
Encyclopedia
Rudolf "Rudek" Regner was a Polish
scout, soldier and member of the White Couriers
. Before World War II, he worked as a bookkeeper in a cooperative located in southeastern Polish town of Turka
(now in Ukraine
).
Between late 1939 and mid-1940, Regner, together with a group of Polish scouts mostly from Lwow, led scores of people across Soviet-Hungarian border (see: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
) in the Eastern Carpathians. He would lead to Budapest
those Poles who wanted to escape Soviet occupation. From Hungary, he would bring newspapers and directives of General Wladyslaw Sikorski
. Regner, who was born and raised in the borderland area (before the war, there had been the Polish - Czechoslovakia
n border), used his knowledge and skills.
Circumstances of his death are unknown. According to some sources, he was captured by the NKVD
in May 1940, while leading a group of escapees. However, it is more likely that he was arrested in Komarniki on July 8, 1940 and incarcerated in the Drohobycz military prison. On May 16, 1941, he was sentenced to death by the court of the Kiev Military District
. He was shot in Lwow prison in early June 1941, just days before Operation Barbarossa
(see: NKVD prisoner massacres).
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
scout, soldier and member of the White Couriers
White Couriers
White Couriers was a group of around 20-30 Polish boyscouts and former soldiers of the Polish Army, most of whom had been associated with the interbellum sports club Junak Drohobycz. It existed between October 1939 and July 1940, when it was broken by the Soviet NKVD...
. Before World War II, he worked as a bookkeeper in a cooperative located in southeastern Polish town of Turka
Turka
Turka may refer to:*Turka, Ukraine, a city in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine*Turka, Russia, a former urban-type settlement in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia; since 2006—a rural locality *Turka, Chełm County, in Lublin Voivodeship...
(now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
).
Between late 1939 and mid-1940, Regner, together with a group of Polish scouts mostly from Lwow, led scores of people across Soviet-Hungarian border (see: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
) in the Eastern Carpathians. He would lead to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
those Poles who wanted to escape Soviet occupation. From Hungary, he would bring newspapers and directives of General Wladyslaw Sikorski
Wladyslaw Sikorski
Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski was a Polish military and political leader.Prior to World War I, he established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independence. He fought with distinction in the Polish Legions during World War I, and later in the...
. Regner, who was born and raised in the borderland area (before the war, there had been the Polish - Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n border), used his knowledge and skills.
Circumstances of his death are unknown. According to some sources, he was captured by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
in May 1940, while leading a group of escapees. However, it is more likely that he was arrested in Komarniki on July 8, 1940 and incarcerated in the Drohobycz military prison. On May 16, 1941, he was sentenced to death by the court of the Kiev Military District
Kiev Military District
The Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces...
. He was shot in Lwow prison in early June 1941, just days before Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
(see: NKVD prisoner massacres).
Sources
- Celt, Marek (1986). Biali Kurierzy. Wydawnictwo LTW, Dziekanow Lesny. ISBN 83-88736-62-0
- Szatsznajder, Jan (1994). Dopisany Zyciorys... Wlawa Ossowskiego. Wyd. "W kolorach teczy", Wroclaw
- IPN: Polskie Podziemie 1939-1941. Od Wolynia do Pokucia. cz. 2, Warszawa-Kijow 2004, Wyd. Rytm, str. 1221-1319.
See also
- Political repression in the Soviet Union
- Wladyslaw OssowskiWladyslaw OssowskiWladyslaw Ossowski , was a Polish boyscout and member of the White Couriers....