History /
Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [320]
Another controvercial cursed soldier was Józef Kuraś, who fought against communists in Podhale region.
His career is very interesting.
War
He fought in 1939 as a Polish Army soldier.
Next, he returned home in the Tatra Highlands and joined local underground organisations.
After they were infiltrated and broken by Germans, he joined Home Army - AK.
He was sentenced to death by AK court for neglecting his duties.
He escaped and joined another big underground organisation - Peasant Batallions and commanded their execution squad in the area.
He cooperated with local Polish left or Soviet partisans, some led by Jewish officers. He aided the Soviet Red Army in its attack against Germans in the Highland region.
Post-war
In 1945 he dissolved his unit and accepted the Soviet rule in the region. In result, he was allowed by Soviets to organise local militia.
When the local power was taken by communist Poles, he was dissmissed from militia comander position and received a new one: commander of local secret police, the infamous UB. Yes, Kuraś was to organise UB in the Highlands.
Local communist Poles didn`t like the idea and tried to remove and even arrest him, so he deserted with his subordinates and went to the forest.
He commanded the partisan unit which fought against Polish communist army, secret police and Soviet NKVD.
He also ordered to kill Jews whom his partisans apprehended - including 7 Jewish children from a sanatorium.
He died by his own hand, surrounded by communist units, in 1947.
Jzef_Kuras_Ogie..jpg
