Popiel, Leszek Eugeniusz de Choszczak, 2nd lieutenant "Antoniewicz" (1914-1963)
Born on November 27, 194 in Stryj, Stanislawow Palatinate, in an old frontier noble family, son of Teofil and Helena Worko. After passing his maturity exam in Marshal Joseph Pilsudski State High School in Stryj he moves to Warsaw, where as a voluntary he serves 2-year tour in army. After the service he becomes an employee of the Youth Care Society and later in the Fund of Work. From September 1937 till July 1938 he took an officer course at 54th Infantry graduating with top grade and 7th locate. Then he continues his law school at the Warsaw University, which is stopped by the outbreak of the war. Mobilized as a platoon leader fights with 54th Infantry.At the beginning of 1940 he joints an secret organization the "Union of
Polish Syndicalists", which in 1941 was absorbed by the ZWZ (Union of Armed
Struggle). During that period he uses an assumed name "Pobratymski".
In ZWZ his is detached to operation "Wachlarz" (Fan).
Since April 1943 he was detached to the Kielce-Radom district of Home Army (AK),
to "Ponury" Group under the command of Jan Piwnik "Ponury".
He is deployed as a Group adjutant officer. Uses assumed names "Leszek"
and "Antoniewicz". The Group, from beginning of 1944 under the command
of Eugeniusz Kaszynski "Nurt", takes a part in operation "Burza"
(Storm) as 1st battalion of 2nd Infantry Legion AK. He stays in the Group as an adjutant
and liaison officer till de-commissioning of the Group in November 1944. Since
November he stays at the AK District Command.
In 1945 summer he gets over to the West and to the 2nd Corps of the Polish Armed
Forces, where he is deployed with 2nd battalion assault company. In 1948 he
returned to Poland maintaining contacts with his mates from Home Army. He is one
of the group, which erected a chapel at Wykus (Ponury Group camp during the war)
in honor of the Ponury-Nurt Group soldiers and dead.
He authored many articles on the Group as well as a history of the Group, which he completed in 1962.
He died in the accident on July 25, 1963 in Wroclaw, at the Main Train Station.
subaltern - 9-10-38
2nd lieutenant - 11-11-42
lieutenant - 9-10-1944
captain - 1-1-1945
Awarded Military Valor Cross and Virtuti Military Cross V class (silver).
More information on partisan Group at Wykus in
Kielce region at:
http://www.kki.net.pl/milek/wykus/
With permission of the Author, Mr. Miłosz A. Trukawka
| Jan Popiel & Slawomir Popiel |
This site was created on June 15, 1998
and updated on May 11, 2007 |