Franciszek Jerzy Jaskulski Major Franciszek Jerzy Jaskulski ( September 16 , 1913 - February 19 , 1947 ) , aka ' Zagończyk ' , was a soldier in the Polish Home Army and a commander in Freedom and Independence ( a Polish underground anticommunist organization ) in the Radom region of Poland . In 2007 the Polish president Lech Kaczyński posthumously awarded Jaskulski the order of Polonia Restituta . Early life . Jaskulski was born in Castrop - Rauxel in Germany , to a family of Polish emigrants . When he was 7 he returned with his parents to Poland . They lived in Zduny in Greater Poland . After finishing his studies in Krotoszyn he started working at the Borough Office in Zduny . During this time he also studied law . In 1937 he graduated from the Cavalry NCOs School in Grudziądz . In 1939 he volunteered for the Polish Army . During the German Invasion of Poland he served with distinction in the 68 Regiment of Infantry . He fought during the siege of Warsaw . He was taken captive by the Germans but successfully escaped in October 1939 . He returned to Zduny , where from 1940 to 1942 he worked at the railway station . At the same time he organized an underground anti - Nazi unit and edited an illegal newspaper , entitled " Zagończyk " ( " Raider " ) . In December 1939 he joined the Union of Armed Struggle ( ZWZ ) , an underground army formed in Poland during the Nazis and Soviet occupation , which was renamed to the Home Army ( Armia Krajowa ) in 1942 . In 1943 after deconspiracy of many units of Home Army in the Radom region by the Gestapo , he escaped to Lublin where he was the commander of Home Army units in near Garwolin . At this time he was promoted and transferred to Puławy . There he had to fight not only with Germans but also with Soviet partisans . In 1944 he was promoted to lieutenant and became the commander of unit called " Pilot " . Imprisonment . Like many other Polish officers and soldiers of the Home Army , Zagończyk was arrested by the NKVD . He was captured on November 3 , 1944 and taken to the prison at Lublin Castle . On January 8 , 1945 he was sentenced to death . The main reason for this severe sentence was that he was a member of the Home Army , which had fought for independence of Poland from the Soviet Union , which didn ' t want Poland to be an independent , free country anymore . He wasn ' t a bandit , but a hero who got Virtuti Militari Order , the highest Polish military decoration for courage in the face of the enemy , and The Cross of Valour ( also a decoration awarded for courage ) . He got both decorations for fighting against the Germans . Two weeks later the death penalty was annulled and his sentence was commuted to 10 years of imprisonment . In September 1945 he escaped from the prison in Wronki by taking advantage of the fact that he was working outside of prison grounds . Fight with communists . After his escape Zagończyk returned to Pulawy . At those times underground army was scattered and divided into many small units , fighting on their own , without one strong aim . Many young people were escaping to forests and becoming guerillas in order to avoid being arrested or killed by NKVD and Red Army . After a few weeks Zagonczyk got an order to move to Kozienice region and take command of units in this region . On October 22 , 1945 he took part in unsuccessful try of liberation Home Army ' s soldiers from communist prison in Dęblin . In the beginning Zagonczyk was commanding of the units in Pulawy region but soon he became the commander of units in the whole Radom region . He was also the commander of organization called Związek Zbrojnej Konspiracji . The main aim of this organization was to fight with Soviets , inform people about real situation of the country . They were issuing many leaflets informing soldiers and people living at the Radom region about situation in Poland and at Europe . This action was to help to win the referendum in 1946 . All attempts were useless because the communists had falsified the results of referendum . But Zagonczyk and his soldiers was still fighting with communists and units of Citizen ' s Militia . Treason , death and rehabilitation . On July 24 , 1946 Zagonczyk liberated prisoners from railway transport near Jedlnia - Letnisko . There was suspicion that the action was inspired by communists in order to arrest Zagonczyk . On July 26 , 1946 Zagonczyk was arrested . Communists tried to force him to give names of people who were involved in fight with them . Zagonczyk didn ' t agree to that . On January 11 , 1947 he was sentenced to death . He was executed in secrecy and the location of his grave remains unknown . He was married with three children . After his death underground army was still fighting . Till 1950 , was fighting unit of Alexander Młyński " Drągal " and Tadeusz Zieliński " Igła " . After Zagonczyk ' s death , communist propaganda accused him of all sorts of crimes , from crimes against humanity , robbery and common theft to membership in UPA . After the fall of the communism , in 1991 , Jaskulski was rehabilitated and declared innocent of the charges of which he had been accused . For his underground activity , Jaskowiak was awarded the Knight ' s Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari and the Cross of Valour . In 2009 he was posthumously awarded him the Officer ' s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by Polish President Lech Kaczyński .