
post-WW2 Polish Resistance Warsaw Uprising Veteran Armband
August 1, 2019
Warsaw Uprising – Set of Two Unpublished Photographs
August 15, 2019The Warsaw Uprising – Armband of an Officer of the Home Army Battalion “Kiliński”
£949.99
1944, 37.5cm x 12cm, material
Out of stock
This armband in the Polish national colors was used during the Warsaw Uprising and belonged to Henryk Lipiński, “Warszawianin”.
The armband is made of fabric, with an ink stamp visible in the center on white material in the form of an eagle with a crown, resembling a cap, and the letters “W” and “P”, abbreviating “Wojsko Polskie” (Polish Army).
Such armbands were sewn before and during the Warsaw Uprising in Warsaw. The stamp visible on the armband is characteristic and was used by soldiers of the “Kiliński” battalion fighting in the Śródmieście district. Henryk Lipiński, nom de guerre “Warszawianin”, son of Jan and Stanisława (nee Szczeszek) Lipiński, was born on January 15, 1918, in Mińsk Litewski. He joined the resistance on January 15, 1940. During the Warsaw Uprising, as a second lieutenant, he served in Platoon 164 – 1st Company “Wigry”, part of the “Kiliński” battalion, fighting in the Śródmieście district. After the Warsaw Uprising, he fell into German captivity and was held as a prisoner of war in Stalag 344 Lamsdorf, where he was assigned POW number 102430. After the war, he returned to Warsaw, where he passed away on February 21, 1990.
The armband was found during the cleaning of the insurgent’s family apartment, along with other memorabilia, which are now housed in the Museum of Remembrance of Warsaw Uprising.
Such armbands were worn by insurgents on the right or left arm, depending on the period of fighting in Warsaw in 1944. White-red armbands were an inseparable part of insurgent uniforms, often the only emblem distinguishing them from Germans. Armbands in national colors were also worn by other Home Army soldiers across the country, participating in Operation “Tempest”, including during the Wilno Uprising.