Remember those old school photos? This monument is like a class photo. It honors the soldiers of the Kolegium A unit of the Home Army’s Kedyw.
The Pomnik oddziału Kolegium A Kedywu AK War memorial stands as a tribute. It honors the unit’s soldiers and commanders. It also honors Dr. Józef Rybicki, the unit’s creator. The monument’s unveiling was a ceremony on Warsaw’s Żoliborz.
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz spoke at the ceremony. She said she was proud to unveil the monument. She said it would remind residents of the heroes who died. It would also remind them of those who survived the post-war repressions.
Professor Andrzej Kunert spoke about Dr. Józef Rybicki. Rybicki faced a people’s court in 1947. He was sentenced to nine years for his Home Army activities.
The Kolegium A unit formed in March 1943. It was a merger of sabotage groups. These groups had operated within the Secret Military Organization. The unit was initially called “Andrzej’s Group”. This was due to Dr. Józef Rybicki’s pseudonym. The unit included groups from Żoliborz, Śródmieście-Mokotów, and Wola. The Żoliborz group had 30 soldiers. They were mostly young people from intellectual backgrounds. Many were students of the St. Jan Poniatowski High School.
Veterans of the Kolegium A unit attended the unveiling. Stanisław Likiernik, Bolesław Górecki, and Stanisław Aronson were present. Likiernik described the unit. He said it was not a typical military unit. There was no saluting or giving of orders. Kolegium A was simply a group of friends. Most were from the same school. They fought together for their city.
Likiernik recalled the “Pol” action. On June 15, 1944, the unit killed SS-Obersturmfuehrer Herbert Junk. Junk was the commander of Pawiak prison from 1942 to 1943. This Pomnik oddziału Kolegium A Kedywu AK War memorial stands near where that happened.
Gronkiewicz-Waltz spoke of the unit’s actions. They seized military warehouses on Stawki Street. They got food for Warsaw residents. She also said that these soldiers avenged Pawiak prisoners. They killed the hated prison commander. She emphasized the importance of the soldiers’ heroism. She noted that a free Poland would not have been possible without them.
Dr. Józef Rybicki was a classical philologist by training. He led the unit in many sabotage actions. These included blowing up German trains. They also assassinated important figures of the occupation regime.
Rybicki was wounded in the Warsaw Uprising. In 1945, he joined the Delegation of the Armed Forces for the Country. He co-founded the Freedom and Independence initiative. He was a political prisoner from 1945 to 1954. In 1976, he co-founded the Workers’ Defense Committee. Rybicki received many honors. These included the Silver Cross of Merit and the Order of Virtuti Militari.
So, as you stand before the Pomnik oddziału Kolegium A Kedywu AK War memorial, remember the courage. Remember the camaraderie. Think about the sacrifices made by these young men. They fought for a free Poland.