The first day of the 2nd Congress of the Memory of the Cursed Soldiers concluded with a Roll Call of Remembrance honoring Major Hieronim Dekutowski “Zapora.” On 7 March 1949, he was executed along with six of his subordinates within the walls of the Mokotów Prison. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Presidents of the Institute of National Remembrance – Dr Karol Polejowski and Dr Krzysztof Szwagrzyk.
A solemn Roll Call of Remembrance was held at the Death Wall, where participants lit candles and laid wreaths in tribute. As part of the first day of the Congress, Adrianna Garnik, Director of the Museum of the Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic; Jan Józef Kasprzyk, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland; Prof. Dr. hab. Tadeusz Wolsza, Deputy Chairman of the IPN Council; Teresa Brykczyńska from the Social Committee for the Observance of the National Day of Remembrance of the “Cursed Soldiers”; and Fr. Jarosław Wąsowicz, Chaplain to the President of the Republic of Poland, discussed the remembrance of the Cursed Soldiers as an obligation of the Republic of Poland. The discussion was moderated by Tadeusz M. Płużański.
During the concert “Do Not Perish, Poland” – held in memory of Andrzej Kołakowski – the winners of first place in the Patriotic Song Competition, Antonina Łuczaj and Weronika Robak, presented their interpretations of the bard’s songs. The participants also had the opportunity to listen to performances by Hubert Bojarski, Leszek Czajkowski, Jan Kołakowski, Paweł Piekarczyk, and the band Forteca. Walka Trwa.
Among the speakers in another discussion panel titled “Living History – the Role of Historical Reenactment Groups in Education about the Cursed Soldiers” were Tomasz Karasiński from the Historical Group “Radosław,” Weronika Gawińska-Brulikis from the Independence Historical Group Association, Sławomir Wojdat from the Society of Enthusiasts of Polish Tradition and Culture, and Tomasz Żurawski from the Museum of the Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic. The panel was moderated by Adam Stefan Lewandowski, Deputy Director of the Office of the President of the Institute of National Remembrance.
The panelists spoke about how their passion for sharing history in this way began. They also shared reflections on the emotions and moving experiences that accompany them when portraying historical figures.
We invite you to join us for the second day of the 2nd Congress of the Memory of the Cursed Soldiers.
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Hieronim Dekutowski may have been silenced by communists, but his name lives on as a symbol of courage and the fight for freedom. Today we remember one of the most fearless commanders of the Polish WW2 independence underground, Major Hieronim Dekutowski, nom de guerre “Zapora”.
After Poland’s defeat in 1939, Dekutowski made his way to Great Britain, where he completed elite special‑operations training as one of the legendary Cichociemni (Silent Unseen) paratroopers.
In 1943, he was parachuted into occupied Poland and operated in the Lublin region. By January 1944, he became commander of the Home Army’s Directorate of Diversion in Lublin–Puławy, leading his unit in some 80 attacks on German occupation forces in just six months.
After World War II, Dekutowski remained in arms against the emerging communist regime. As a leader of the anti‑communist resistance, part of the broader movement known as the "Cursed Soldiers", his unit targeted military outposts and prisons, freed Home Army soldiers and eliminated Soviet collaborators.
In September 1947, he was captured while attempting to flee to the West. Dekutowski was imprisoned in the notorious Mokotów Prison, subjected to brutal interrogation, sentenced to death, and executed on 7 March 1949. Like many Cursed Soldiers, he was buried in a nameless grave at Powązki Cemetery.
After decades of search, in 2012, the IPN team, led by Prof. Krzysztof Szwagrzyk, located and identified his remains. Major Dekutowski was reinterred with honour in the Pantheon‑Mausoleum of the Cursed and Indomitable at Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.
To mark the 77th anniversary of his death, we invite you to watch the documentary “Zapora” - a powerful testimony of his life told through the memories of his subordinates, colleagues, friends and family. Their stories, illustrated with archival photos, documents and animations, paint a portrait of a demanding and stubborn, yet deeply human man who longed for a normal life.
