On November 30, 1922, Józef Szczepański "Ziutek", a poet, Warsaw Insurgent, and Knight of the Order of Virtuti Militari, was born. He wrote the lyrics of the popular insurgent song "Pałacyk Michla".

 

Before the outbreak of the war, "Ziutek" studied at the Władysław IV State Gymnasium and Lyceum in Warsaw and belonged to the 17th Warsaw Scout Troop named after General Jakub Jasiński. Thanks to the acquaintances he made at that time, he became involved with the Home Army during the German occupation.

 

He was sent to the Assault Groups and the special operations unit of the Home Army Headquarters "Agat", which was the nucleus of the future "Parasol" Battalion. In May 1944, he completed a course at the "Agrikola" Infantry Reserve Officer Cadet School. He took part, in the "Płochocin" and "Koppe" actions.

 

After the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, he fought in the ranks of "Parasol" in Wola. It was there that he wrote "Pałacyk Michla". During the fighting in the Old Town, by the decision of the commander of the Home Army, General Tadeusz Komorowski, "Bora" was awarded the Cross of Valour. And there, in turn, he wrote a beautiful song "Chłopcy silni jak stal" and a poem "A jak będzie już po wojennie" ("And how it will be after the war"), in which he included his youthful dreams about post-war Poland, which unfortunately were never to come true.

 

Just before leaving the Old Town and suffering wounds that resulted in his death, he wrote his last work, addressed to the passive Soviet Union, "The Red Plague". He ended this poem with a prophetic verse: "But know that from our grave a new Poland will be born - victorious. On this earth you shall not walk, red ruler of rampant force."

 

 

Translated from Kosciuszko Squad Facebook post

​

​