Stanisław (Shmul) Ostwind-Zuzga reached the highest military rank in the military organizations of the Polish independence underground among all Jews. He fought for Poland all his life until he was murdered by the communist torturers.

Stanisław (Shmul) Ostwind was born on April 28, 1899, to a Jewish family. During World War I, he fought in the Polish Legions that in the future became the basis for the army of independent Poland.

In 1918, when Poland reappeared in Europe, he successfully defended the country in the Polish-Bolshevik war. Baptized in 1920 in the Catholic Church, he served as a policeman before WW2.

He hid and fought

When the Third Reich attacked Poland, on September 1, 1939, he fought against the German army under the Polish general Franciszek Kleeberg. In December 1939, the Germans created the Polnische Polizei im Generalgouvernement (the so-called blue police), which was to consist mainly of Polish pre-war policemen. They were punished with the death penalty for failing to appear in service. However, Stanisław Ostwind had no intention of serving the Germans and was hiding in Podlasie (northern region of Poland), using the false name Zuzga.

A Jewish Pole in the ranks of the National Armed Forces

In Podlasie, in 1942, he joined the underground Polish army. First, he enrolled in the National Military Organization, and then the National Armed Forces. Some accuse the latter organization of criminal anti-Semitism, equating them with the German Nazis. However, many historians emphasize that these assessments are not confirmed by historical facts. In the above-mentioned squads, Ostwind reached the rank of major and was the highest-ranking commander of Jewish origin in the Polish military conspiracy. After special training, he acted in the Siedlce poviat and became the commander of the National Military Organization in Węgrów (Warsaw district).

Communist crime

Unfortunately, in 1944 the Red Army entered Poland again, bringing its criminal communist regime. The communists arrested Ostwind on January 3, 1945. During the interrogation, they revealed his Jewish origin. The torturers were surprised that a Jew had joined the alleged “fascists” – as they called Polish patriots in their propaganda and offered him to join them. Ostwind flatly refused and was subjected to a brutal investigation but he did not betray anyone.

On February 4, 1945, the communists executed him in Warsaw by shooting. His body was thrown into a nameless grave. To this day, his grave has been not identified.