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Oldest surviving insurgent of 1944 Warsaw Uprising turns 107

15.02.2021 14:48
The oldest surviving insurgent of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising has celebrated his 107th birthday.
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Kazimierz Klimczak.
Kazimierz Klimczak. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz

Kazimierz Klimczak was born on February 15, 1914, and started serving in the Polish armed forces in 1936. He took part in the September campaign, the defensive war after Poland was attacked by Nazi Germany on September 1, 1939, and then by Soviet Russia on September 17 that year.

He was severely wounded in battle. He took part in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, the largest armed resistance operation in Nazi-occupied Europe. As a sergeant in Poland’s underground Home Army, he fought in the Warsaw districts of Ochota and Wola.

In 2017 he was promoted to the rank of colonel.

A special mass was held at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw on Sunday in honour of the distinguished veteran.