Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
Encyclopedia
Zrzeszenie Wolność i Niezawisłość WiN (Freedom and Independence) was a Polish
underground anti-communist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active to 1952.
The main goal of its activity was to avoid Soviet
domination over Poland and to fight communism
. Its primary method was not military action against the state but rather to provide protection (false documents, money) for former soldiers of Armia Krajowa
and other Polish resistance
organizations not allied to the Soviets and thus treated by them as enemies.
WiN announced the falsification of the Polish people's referendum, 1946
to the United Nations Security Council
.
It was persecuted by both the Soviets and the Polish communists. NKVD
soldiers and Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego agents carried out a bloody war with its 30,000 men in Mazowsze and Lubelskie
region. WiN's soldiers liberated many Russian jails in Poland, and killed those it regarded as collaborator
s and communist agents. The organization was penetrated by Urząd Bezpieczeństwa agents, its security compromised as early as late 1945.
In April 1947, many WiN fighters came out of hiding in an apparent amnesty
.
November 1945 to October 18, 1946 colonel Franciszek Niepokólczycki
October 1946 to January 5, 1947 lieutenant colonel Wincenty Kwieciński
January 1947 to November 1947 lieutenant colonel Łukasz Ciepliński
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...
underground anti-communist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active to 1952.
The main goal of its activity was to avoid Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
domination over Poland and to fight communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. Its primary method was not military action against the state but rather to provide protection (false documents, money) for former soldiers of Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
and other Polish resistance
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
organizations not allied to the Soviets and thus treated by them as enemies.
WiN announced the falsification of the Polish people's referendum, 1946
Polish people's referendum, 1946
The People's Referendum of 1946, also known as the "Three Times Yes" referendum, was a referendum held in Poland on 30 June 1946 on the authority of the State National Council...
to the United Nations Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
.
It was persecuted by both the Soviets and the Polish communists. 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....
soldiers and Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego agents carried out a bloody war with its 30,000 men in Mazowsze and Lubelskie
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
region. WiN's soldiers liberated many Russian jails in Poland, and killed those it regarded as collaborator
Collaborationism
Collaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
s and communist agents. The organization was penetrated by Urząd Bezpieczeństwa agents, its security compromised as early as late 1945.
In April 1947, many WiN fighters came out of hiding in an apparent amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
.
WiN's presidents
September 2, 1945 to November 5, 1945 colonel Jan RzepeckiNovember 1945 to October 18, 1946 colonel Franciszek Niepokólczycki
Franciszek Niepokólczycki
Franciszek Niepokólczycki - colonel and a sapper in the Polish Army, soldier of the Polish Home Army and the anti-communist organization Freedom and Independence and a political prisoner during the Stalinist period in Poland.From November 1918 on he was a member of Polish...
October 1946 to January 5, 1947 lieutenant colonel Wincenty Kwieciński
January 1947 to November 1947 lieutenant colonel Łukasz Ciepliński