President Karol Nawrocki took part in the 7th “Cursed Soldiers Run”, an event in western Poland to honour the fighters, referred to by some as the “Cursed Soldiers” and by others as "Enduring Soldiers."
“Today we are restoring the rightful place in history of those whom the communist system tried to erase from national memory”, the president wrote on platform X.
“Their steadfastness, loyalty and readiness for the greatest sacrifices remain a model of patriotic commitment and responsibility for the state. Poland is proud of them”, he added.
After Poland's official underground army (AK) of World War II disbanded, thousands of Poles continued to fight in other formations as the Soviet Red Army extended its grip across the country.
The “Cursed Soldiers” faced a brutal crackdown by Poland’s communist authorities and were a taboo subject during the country’s decades under communist rule.
The fighters were largely stamped out by 1948, although one, Józef Franczak, was gunned down as late as 1963.
Another customary event held in the memory of the Cursed Soldiers is a “Wolf’s Trail” run with thousands of participants across the country. Celebrating its 14th edition this year, the event takes place in some 300 localities in Poland as well as abroad.
With local runs starting in the morning, the distances are 5 and 10 km as well as the symbolic 1963 meters, which refers to the year when the last “Cursed Soldier” was killed.
March 1 was selected as a poignant date for the day of remembrance, as on this day in 1951, seven prominent members of a postwar resistance force called Freedom and Independence were executed in Warsaw.
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Source: PAP