https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mieczys%C ... 2owikowskiMural in honour of Polish WWII superspy to be unveiled in Morocco
Polish Radio 29.12.2022 16:15
A mural in tribute to an acclaimed Polish World War II-era intelligence officer is set to be unveiled in the northwestern Moroccan city of Kenitra in January. The wall painting will pay homage to Maj. Mieczysław Słowikowski, Poland’s top spy in North Africa during the war, Polish state news agency PAP reported. Commissioned by the Polish embassy in Rabat, the mural is slated for unveiling on January 23, officials said.
The vast painting will document Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa during World War II, and honour the man who helped make it a success, reporters were told. The mural will feature and a 17-metre-high likeness of the Polish superspy, alongside a map of the Allied landings and depictions of figures such as the US president at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the British prime minister, Winston Churchill, according to officials.
Operation Torch
The 1942 Operation Torch represented the first step towards a decisive Allied victory in World War II, the PAP news agency noted. The operation featured some 65,000 British and US troops who landed in Morocco and Algeria on the French North African coast on November 8, 1942. It enabled the Allies to drive German and Italian forces out of North Africa and subsequently invade Sicily and the Italian peninsula, according to PAP.
Operation Torch achieved success in part thanks to the work of Maj. Słowikowski’s Intelligence Agency Africa, which supplied the British and American armed forces with over 1,200 spy reports about the situation in Morocco and Algeria, then part of pro-Nazi German Vichy France, officials said.
x Maj. Mieczysław Słowikowski (right). Photo: MINISTRY OF INFORMATION SECOND WORLD WAR FOREIGN OFFICIAL COLLECTION, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (See source)
Proposed by the Polish embassy in Morocco, the mural is being created by Polish artists, in association with the US embassy as well as the administration of Morocco’s Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the city of Kenitra, the PAP news agency reported. The project has been co-sponsored by the Polish and US embassies, among other partners, it said.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, historynet.com
Google translation
Mieczyslaw Słowikowski
Mieczyslaw Zygfryd Słowikowski , actually Mieczyslaw Zygfryd Slowik , ps. "Rygor" (born February 26 [and] 1896 in Jazgarzewo , died July 29, 1989 in London ) - certified infantry lieutenant colonel of the Polish Armed Forces . In 1972, he was promoted to brigadier general by the emigration authorities .
Mieczyslaw Słowikowski
Mieczyslaw Zygfryd Slowik
"Rigor"
Illustration
Lieutenant Colonel of the Infantry Lieutenant Colonel of the Infantry
Date and place of birth
February 26, 1896
Jazgarzew , Kingdom of Poland
Date and place of death
July 29, 1989
London , UK
Service record
Years of service
1917–1947
Armed Forces
Kaiserstandarte.svg Army of the German Empire Polish Army Polish Armed Forces
Eagle II Polish Republic.svg
Poland badge.jpg
units
36th Infantry Regiment
Corps District Command No. 1
Ministry of Military Affairs
20th Infantry Regiment
KOP "Wilno"
Brigade KOP "Grodno" Brigade
Positions
infantry company
commander infantry battalion commander
clerk brigade
chief of staff
Major wars and battles
World War I.
Polish-Bolshevik War.
World War II
Later work
grinder
Decorations
Badge of Honor for Wounds and Injuries - wounded twice
Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Independence Cross Cross of Valor (1920-1941, four times) Cross of Valor (1920-1941) Gold Cross of Merit with Swords Silver Cross of Merit Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921 Medal of the Decade of Regained Independence Legionary of the Legion of Merit (USA) Order of the British Empire since 1936 (military)
Commemorative Badge of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces
General Jacob Devers shakes Major Słowikowski's hand after being awarded the Legion of Merit for his contribution to the North African Campaign.
He studied commerce in Warsaw . In the period from July 1915 to October 1917 he was active in the Polish Military Organization . From October 1, 1917 to July 18, 1918, he was a student of Class "C" at the Cadet School in Ostrów Mazowiecka [2] . After graduating from school, he became a company commander and organizer of a battalion in Dąbrowa Górnicza.
In December 1918, he was accepted into the Polish Army and appointed a platoon commander in the 1st Warsaw Garrison Battalion, later renamed the 6th Warsaw Rifle Battalion. In May 1919, he began his service in the 36th Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion , where he commanded a company and then a battalion. He fought in the Polish-Bolshevik War .
On May 3, 1922, he was verified as a lieutenant with seniority on June 1, 1919 and the 2335th place in the infantry officer corps [3] . From September 1923 to October 1925, he was a student at the Military Academy , and after graduation, until April 1926, he was an employee of the 4th Department of the General Staff of the Polish Army . Then he served in the Mobilization Department of the Corps District Command No. I in Warsaw. On March 19, 1928, he was promoted to captain with seniority as of January 1, 1928 and the 211th rank in the infantry officer corps [4]. On July 24, 1928, he was officially transferred to the General Administrative Office of the Ministry of Military Affairs in Warsaw [5] . On April 1, 1930, he was transferred to the position of an officer for the orders of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces [7] [8] . In December 1932, he was transferred to the 20th Infantry Regiment in Kraków [c] . In June 1934, he was transferred to the Border Protection Corps and appointed the chief of staff of the KOP "Wilno" Brigade [11] . He was promoted to the rank of major with the seniority of January 1, 1936 and the 90th place in the corps of infantry officers[12] . In April 1937, he took over the command of the staff of the KOP "Grodno" Brigade .
In 1937, he began working for the Second Department of the General Staff , dealing with foreign intelligence. In December 1937 he was sent to a post in Kiev as a diplomat and head of the post of Department II [13] , where he was found by the outbreak of World War II . From October to December 1939, he stayed at the Officers' Assembly Station in Paris , where he joined the Polish army, which was revived after the September defeat, and until February 1940, he was the deputy commander of the 6th Regiment of Foot Rifles in France. Then he worked in the 2nd Department of the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief.
After the fall of France, he dealt with the transfer of Polish soldiers to Great Britain. At the beginning, the possibility of legal departure from France to Spain on the basis of forged documents was used. A parallel solution assumed crossing the green French-Spanish border and then the whole of Spain. After exhausting these possibilities, evacuation by sea was launched (from October 1940) from the port of Marseille to African ports. Transporting a soldier on a merchant ship cost 100 - 300 francs [14] .
Main article: Africa Agency .
After the successes of the Afrika Korps in the battles in Libya and Egypt, Słowikowski was ordered to go to Algeria, a colony of Vichy Franceto organize an intelligence network. In order to organize agent activities, he founded a factory producing oatmeal, which turned out to be a great commercial success and covered the whole of North Africa, and the funds obtained from the project allowed to finance intelligence activities. Several thousand people were recruited to Słowikowski's network, whose information allowed him to control most areas of the colony's life. His wife Maria also played an important role in Słowikowski's activity. she received reports from mailboxes, hid compromising materials in the event of an inspection and bribed officials [15] .
Słowikowski led the organization until September 1944, thanks to his actions, the Allies managed to land in North-West Africa without major losses and take starting positions to attack the Afrika Korps units operating in Libya .
Then, until October 1946, he served at the Infantry Training Center in Scotland, demobilized in 1947. The President of the Republic of Poland in Exile, August Zaleski , promoted him to a colonel with the seniority of August 15, 1964 in the corps of infantry officers. From June 3, 1971 to July 14, 1972, he was the Minister of Information and Documentation in the government of Zygmunt Muchniewski in exile . In 1972 he was promoted to brigadier general. Considered a traitor in the People 's Republic of Poland , he was deprived of Polish citizenship for political reasons by the ruling communist party . He settled in London, where he worked as a grinder. He also died there [15]. Buried in South London Cemetery (Steatham Park Cemetery).
Promotions
PL Epolet ppor.svg second lieutenant (1919)
PL Epolet por.svg lieutenant (1922)
PL Epolet kpt.svg captain (1928)
PL Epolet mjr.svg major (1936)
PL Epolet pplk.svg lieutenant colonel (1946?)
PL Epolet plk.svg the colonel (1964)
PL Epolet gen bryg.svg brigadier general (1972)
Orders and decorations
Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (posthumously, November 11, 2009) [16]
Cross of Independence (March 16, 1933) [17]
Cross of Valor (five times, a second time in 1921 [18] )
Golden Cross of Merit with Swords
Silver Cross of Merit (3 August 1928) [19]
Commemorative Medal for the War of 1918–1921 [20]
Medal of the Decade of Regained Independence [20]
Commemorative Badge of the Inspector General of the Armed Forces (May 12, 1936)
Badge for Wounds and Injuries (twice) [21]
Legion of Merit (USA)
Order of the British Empire (United Kingdom)
Remarks
In January 1934, the date of birth of Capt. diploma Mieczysław Zygfryd Słowikowski from "February 25, 1896" to "February 26, 1896" [1] .
Tadeusz Kryska-Karski and Stanisław Żurakowski reported that in the period from September 1928 to March 1930 he served in the Organizational and Mobilization Department of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Bureau of the Strict War Council [6] . This is clearly a mistake, as the Office of the Strict War Council was abolished in 1926.
In December 1932, the transfer of Capt. diploma Mieczysław Zygfryd Słowikowski to the 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of Podhale Riflemen detached in Krakow. In April 1933 it was corrected that the transfer took place to the 20th Infantry Regiment in Krakow [9] [10] .