Krystyna Wituska
{{short description|Polish resistance fighter (1920-1944)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Krystyna Wituska
| image = Krystyna Wituska.jpg
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| birth_date = {{birth date text|12 May 1920}}
| death_date = {{death-date and age|26 June 1944|12 May 1920}}
| death_place = Halle (Saale), Germany
| occupation = Resistance fighter
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Krystyna Wituska (12 May 1920 – 1944) was a Polish resistance fighter during World War II.{{Cite web |title=Krystyna Wituska (1920–1944) |url=https://www.porta-polonica.de/en/atlas-of-remembrance-places/krystyna-wituska-1920-1944 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=www.porta-polonica.de |language=en}}
Early life
Born in Jeżew near Łódź, she came from a wealthy family and grew up on a large sugar beet plantation owned by her father. Wituska received her early education at home from governesses.{{Cite web |title=Krystyna Wituska: Her Life and Literary Afterlife |url=http://cosmopolitanreview.com/krystyna-wituska/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |language=en-US}} On the eve of World War II, Wituska was attending finishing school in Switzerland but returned to Poland.{{Cite book |last=Wituska |first=Krystyna |url=https://books.google.nl/books/about/Inside_a_Gestapo_Prison.html?id=SAvtbhtQKZ4C&redir_esc=y |title=Inside a Gestapo Prison: The Letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944 |date=2006 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |isbn=978-0-8143-3294-8 |language=en}}
Resistance activities
At the age of 20, she joined the Polish Underground resistance movement. As a member of the resistance, Wituska engaged in activities against the German occupation forces.
In 1942, Wituska was captured by the German Gestapo. During her imprisonment, she wrote letters that were later published, providing insight into her experiences and thoughts while incarcerated.{{Cite web |title=I Am First a Human Being: The Prison Letters of Krystyna Wituska · Canadian Book Review Annual Online |url=https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/3785 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=cbra.library.utoronto.ca}}
While in prison, Wituska formed connections with other prisoners. Notably, she received a farewell letter from Maria Terwiel, another resistance member, who offered legal advice and formulated appeals for clemency on behalf of fellow prisoners.
Execution
Despite efforts to save her, Krystyna Wituska was executed by the Germans in 1944 at the age of 24. Her letters and story have become part of the historical record of Polish resistance during World War II, offering a personal perspective on the struggles and sacrifices made by young people fighting against occupation.
See also
References
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