Stanislaw Milczynski

Born in Poznan, Poland on 4 April 1918, Stanislaw joined the Polish Army in 1937, fought in WWII in the September Campaign in Poland, later joining the underground Home Army (AK) and eventually leading his Home Army company in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.

In 1942, he was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned for 3 months in the police prison in Radogoszcz near Łódź. In 1943, he moved to Warsaw and took the position of commander of platoon number 1708 in Pyry and Dąbrówka districts. From September 1943 until the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, he was the initiator and executor of over 30 diversion and liquidation operations (including the elimination of Wilhelm Bunjes, deputy commander of the Warsaw district gendarmerie), 6 operations transporting airdropped weapons, 8 armed cover operations for airdrop facilities, and 6 cover operations for transmitting radio stations of the Home Army Headquarters. He eliminated two German searchlight stations in Kabaty and in Kierszek (where he was wounded), taking prisoners and capturing weapons.

He broke German units in the battle at Karolinów and Piskorka. On the night of August 18 to 19, 1944, he broke through to Warsaw with his battalion (174 soldiers) after a bloody, two-hour battle for the Wilanów Palace. In the Warsaw Uprising, under the pseudonym “Gryf,” he commanded the “Krawiec” Company, Region V in Lower Mokotów. He took part in attacks on German barracks on Podchorążych Street; until September 15 (when he was seriously wounded by an explosive projectile in his left arm) he defended Chełmska Street and fought in the defense of the Vistula Escarpment. On the night of September 26 to 27, 1944, the “Krawiec” Company covered the evacuation and went down into the sewers as one of the last. After the fall of the uprising, from October 4, 1944, he was in German captivity at Stalag IV B in Mühlberg (Brandenburg). He was liberated by the Americans on April 25, 1945. He made his way to Italy, and on July 11, 1945, he joined the 2nd Polish Corps and was assigned to work in the Information Office. In 1946, he arrived in the United Kingdom, where he served as security officer in the Polish Corps.

He had deployments in the camp in Foxley. In September 1949, he enrolled in the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, which he completed with distinction in June 1952. In 1953, he emigrated with his family to Canada. He worked in the construction industry as a carpenter, joiner, and eventually the owner of his own company. In 1955, he joined the Circle of Former Soldiers of the Home Army in Toronto, where he served as president for two terms (in 1968 and 1972).

He retired in 1983. He is the author of the captivating memoirs “Diary of Lieutenant ‘Gryf’ 1939 – 1945” (Toronto, 2005).

All is described in his memoirs, "Diary of Lieutenant Gryf 1939-1945". The heroic exploits of these brave men and women fill the pages as a testament to resistance to oppression and occupation.

Wounded, captured, and tortured by the Gestapo, Stanislaw's bravery was recognized with many awards including:

Virtuti Militari V Class
Cross of Valour (3 times)
Gold Cross of Merit
Silver Cross of Merit with Swords
Army medal (4 times)
Cross of the 1939 September Campaign
Cross of the Home Army
Partisan Cross
Cross of the Warsaw Uprising
1939 Defense medal
Gold Polish Army medal
Wound Badge (twice)
British War Medal (1939-1945)

After release from the German POW camp, Stanislaw was an Officer in the Polish Second Corps in Italy, between 1945 and 1946.

After the war, Stanislaw settled in England and, in 1953, immigrated with his young family to Canada to begin a new life working in woodworking and interior design.

He died in Toronto on 26 January 2016, at the age of 98 years. His ashes were transported to Poland and, with the honorary escort of the Polish Army, laid to rest at the Warsaw Insurgents Cemetery in Powsin.