WW2 Polish Warsaw Uprising – Document Set – “Żaglowiec”

An intriguing set of documents belonging to Corporal Cadet Juliusz Bakiera, codename “Błysk,” a soldier who fought in the Warsaw Uprising in Platoon 202 of the “Żaglowiec” Group, which operated in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district.

The set includes:

• A portrait photograph of Juliusz Bakiera, likely taken after his liberation from the Stalag XI A camp.
• Two letters sent to Juliusz Bakiera: one with a clearly visible postmark dated November 25, 1944, and the other sent by Jerzy Gawdzik, also an Uprising participant with prisoner number 47598, who was wounded in September 1944 and was a soldier in the “Chrobry II” Group.
• Two labels affixed to packages sent to prisoners of war, with one showing packaging paper on the reverse. One package was received on December 14, 1944, and the other on January 13, 1945. Both were sent to Juliusz Bakiera.
• Two business cards.
• Receipt No. 801 from the Parents’ Committee of the Gymnasium in Puławy regarding Juliusz Bakiera, issued on November 3, 1937.
• Eleven envelopes, nine of which contain letters from 1946-1948, in various formats.
• A document/letter typed on a typewriter titled “Diploma Work, Juliusz Bakiera…”

Juliusz Bakiera, codename “Błysk,” was born on June 1, 1923, in Osiny. He was the son of Szymon and Zofia Bakiera (née Kuś). He became involved in the resistance movement in August 1940, where he actively participated in underground activities as a soldier in Platoon 207, which was part of the “Żaglowiec” Group, operating in the 2nd District “Żywiciel” in Warsaw’s Żoliborz. Before the Uprising, he lived at 34 Zjednoczenia Avenue in Warsaw. During the Warsaw Uprising, he fought in Żoliborz in Platoon 202 of the “Żaglowiec” Group, holding the rank of corporal cadet. His older sister, Wanda Bakiera, codename “Zgrzebna,” was a medic in the “Żmija” Group and was killed on September 14, 1944. After the Uprising’s capitulation, he was taken prisoner by the Germans and interned in Stalag XI A Altengrabow, with prisoner number 46293. He passed away on May 11, 2011, in Siedlce, where he was buried in the municipal cemetery.

This is a fascinating set of items from a participant in the Warsaw Uprising who fought in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district. The inclusion of a photograph showing Juliusz Bakiera, codename “Błysk,” makes this set particularly interesting.