We commemorate the Cursed Soldiers with a stamp issue and a philatelic exhibition
On March 1, 2022, the National Remembrance Day of the "Cursed Soldiers," Poczta Polska is introducing a stamp commemorating Józef Franczak, nom de guerre "Laluś," a partisan of the independence underground who eluded the communists for 18 years. At the same time, Poczta Polska is opening an exhibition presenting its previous philatelic publications related to the "Unbroken Soldiers," which will be on display in several locations across the country.
The stamp, featuring the image of "Laluś," was based on a photograph from the turn of 1938/39, sourced from a private family archive. Designer Adam Kultys placed the red and white national colors in the background of the stamp. The issue's name, "Cursed Soldiers National Remembrance Day," appears at the bottom of the stamp, while the inscription "POLAND" appears at the top. Poles deemed undesirable by the regime by the communist authorities—including Home Army soldiers and other patriotic independence organizations—were imprisoned in the basement of the tenement house at 8 Strzelecka Street.
" Every year on March 1st, we pay tribute to the heroes of the anti-communist underground who continued to fight for a free and sovereign Poland after the Soviets installed the puppet "people's government." These "Unbroken Soldiers" demonstrated extraordinary courage and bravery, even sacrificing their lives for the Polish cause," emphasizes Tomasz Zdzikot, president of Poczta Polska. "The mission of Poczta Polska is to honor national memory and promote patriotic values and attitudes, which we do, among other things, through our philatelic issues. We have been proud to display these miniature monuments in honor of our national heroes for six years, " adds Tomasz Zdzikot.
"Because they lived by the law of the wolf, history remains silent about them," wrote Zbigniew Herbert in his poem "Wolves," about the soldiers of the anti-communist underground who, after World War II, refused to lay down their arms and fought for a free Poland. One of them was the legendary partisan from the Lublin region, Józef Franczak "Laluś," tracked down and pursued by the security service, eluding capture for 18 years after the war's end.
In the Second Polish Republic, the hero of our stamp served in a gendarmerie platoon in the Eastern Borderlands. Following the aggression of Poland's two neighbors, he was taken prisoner by the Soviets, from where he managed to escape and join the ranks of the Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ) and the Home Army (AK). From the spring of 1947, he belonged to a partisan unit of the Freedom and Independence organization (Wolność i Niezawisłość), operating in the Chełm and Lubartów forests. From 1949, "Laluś" began to go into hiding alone. Occasionally, he would join the unit commanded by Second Lieutenant "Wiktor," participating in several combat operations. Franczak's activities focused primarily on eliminating collaborators with the security service and officers of the Moscow-puppet regime. Many people helped "Laluś" survive over these long years. In winter, he lived with trusted farmers, while in summer, he most often hid in the forests. The last Steadfast Soldier was killed during a raid on October 21, 1963. "Laluś" was betrayed by a relative, a collaborator with the Security Service.
On the tombstone of Sergeant "Laluś" are the words: "He sacrificed his life for the freedom of his homeland, which he did not live to see."
He was posthumously awarded the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Lech Kaczyński, and the date and place of the death of the heroic "Laluś" were commemorated on one of the plaques at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.
" Love for one's homeland, like love for one's mother, sometimes demands radical action and loyalty. It's similar with the love of freedom, which often carries the risk of sacrifice and dedication. For these two reasons, the soldiers of the anti-communist underground did not lay down their arms for many years after the war. Hunted, tortured, murdered, "dehumanized," and ultimately forgotten, they teach us how to love our homeland today, how to be loyal, and how to defend freedom to the last drop of blood. It is the duty of Poczta Polska to continually renew the memory of the "Cursed Soldiers" and teach new generations what it means to be Polish. I believe that our new stamp in the series carries precisely this message, " says Wiesław Włodek, Vice President of Poczta Polska.
In addition to the stamp, a First Day of Circulation (FDC) envelope is also being released. The graphic on the envelope depicts a photograph of Józef Franczak among patrol commanders of the "Uskok" unit during a meeting. From left: Stanisław Kuchciewicz "Wiktor," Julian Kowalczyk "Cichy," Józef Franczak "Laluś," Walenty Waśkowicz "Strzała." The photograph, taken in May 1948, comes from the Institute of National Remembrance Archives. The graphic composition is complemented by a medallion and chain belonging to Sergeant Franczak, currently in the collection of the Cursed Soldiers Museum in Ostrołęka.
The issue of the stamp with the image of "Laluś" was made possible thanks to the commitment and kindness of Marek Franczak – the son of Sergeant Józef Franczak.
This year's issue is a continuation of the stamp series initiated in 2016, which commemorates the silhouettes of soldiers of the anti-communist independence underground. The first issue in the "Cursed Soldiers National Remembrance Day" series was dedicated to Major Zygmunt Szendzielarz, codename "Łupaszka." In 2019, the company introduced a stamp commemorating Major Marian Bernaciak, codename "Orlik." In 2021, the issue featured the figure of Colonel Łukasz Ciepliński, codename "Pług." The theme is also complemented by stamps from the "Cursed Soldiers' Gorgets" series from 2017, featuring the gorgets of Lieutenant Franciszek Majewski, codename "Słony," Senior Sergeant Mieczysław Dziemieszkiewicz, codename Rój", from 2018 with the gorgets of Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki, codename "Witold", and Danuta Siedzikówna, codename "Inka", and from 2020 with the gorgets of Prince Captain Władysław Gurgacz, codename "Sem", and Lieutenant Henryk Jastrzębski, codename "Zbych". In addition to both series, a stamp with Franciszek Selmanowicz, codename "Zagonczyk", was issued in 2017.
Starting March 1st, an exhibition of all the philatelic publications related to the "Unbroken" figures introduced by Poczta Polska (Polish Post) will be on display at the Strzelecka 8 Memorial Room in Warsaw. The exhibition in the capital will conclude on March 13th, after which it will be distributed to other locations across the country. The exhibition will be on display at several major Post Offices across Poland:
March 1-13 – Memorial Room “Strzelecka 8” in Warsaw
March 16-27 – Bydgoszcz Post Office 1
March 30 – April 10 – Gorzów Post Office 1
April 13-24 – Szczecin Post Office 1
The final venue for presenting our exhibition will be its exhibition from May 4th at the Cursed Soldiers Museum in Ostrołęka.
About the stamp:
Designer: Adam Kultys
Number of stamps: 1
Value: PLN 4.50
Circulation: 168,000
Printing technique: rotogravure
Stamp format: 31.25 x 51 mm
Paper: fluorescent
Sales sheet: 12 stamps
Date of introduction into circulation: March 1, 2022
This and other philatelic publications of Poczta Polska can be purchased at post offices and in the online store .