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"I must have been inspired" Joseph Conrad
Gestapo

The incredible true story of the men who took on the Gestapo to save a friend

The daring attack took place 80 years ago today at 5.30pm on March 26th. Photo from the set of the film Action under the Arsenal directed by Jan Łomnicki Public domain

Operation Arsenal, which took place 80 years ago today, was to go down in history as one of the most daring prison breaks of the Second Word War. And yet few have ever heard of it. TFN's Joanna Jasińska looks back at the events surrounding one of WWII's lesser-known bitter-sweet triumphs.

“Hello, hello. This is Radio Majdanek. Good morning ladies.” How an imaginary radio station helped women endure horrors of WWII death camp

Conceived 80 years ago this week, the fictitious radio station at Majdanek informed fellow prisoners about the latest whippings by SS guards or who had died of typhus, but also included radio theatre and education programmes aimed to raise morale and bolster resistance.

Mass grave from WWII found in ‘forest of death’ near Jedwabne

Most of the 11 Polish victims had their hands tied behind their backs, and some of the skulls have traces of injuries. The mass grave contained bullet casings from a German Mauser.

Oldest Righteous who saved over 50 Jews from the Holocaust dies aged 103

After falling in love with a Jewish woman, Jόzef Walaszczyk became compelled to save her and the lives of over 50 others from the Holocaust.

It’s a wrap: filming of Holocaust epic finishes in Lublin

The international production tells the story of Irena Gut, a Polish nurse who hid twelve Jews under the nose of a Wehrmacht officer. Featuring a star-studded cast, the film will premier in cinemas next year.

Tarnów woman dubbed ‘Guardian Angel of Auschwitz’ to be made saint for helping death camp inmates

Deported to the camp on 27 April 1942, Stefania Łącka “reached the peaks of heroism" trying to support and save others from death.

Lublin castle massacre saw nearly 300 prisoners exterminated by Gestapo as Hitler’s forces prepared to flee the city

Begun at around 9am on the 22nd of July, the executions carried out by a special death commando unit saw prisoners shot dead in their individual cells before being herded together and killed en-masse. Others were gunned down in the castle’s corridors and courtyard.

Nazi tunnels inside inactive VOLCANO could hide long-lost archive of Kraków Gestapo, say explorers

Thought to contain WWII secrets including traitors, the archive believed to be inside the Bond-like underworld complex has been described as ‘an invaluable source of information about the dark times of the WWII occupation.’

Explosive new book reveals harrowing account of WWII Jews forced into doing the unthinkable

Published in English, ‘Warsaw Ghetto Police: The Jewish Order Service during the Nazi Occupation’ by Holocaust academic Dr Katarzyna Person is the tragic story ‘of people who are placed in an impossible situation during war and the decisions they make.’

English Heritage issues plea for memories of elite Polish unit that trained at UK stately home during WWII

The Cichociemni, or the Silent Unseen, were elite special-operations paratroopers trained in the UK to carry out covert operations, sabotage and intelligence-gathering in occupied Poland. Most of them completed their training at Audley End House, an early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden, Essex, England, one of the finest Jacobean houses in the UK.

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Business | Life

Poznań added to Michelin Guides’ prestigious list of top culinary cities

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, said: “Its cuisine reflects its cosmopolitan outlook, with influences ranging from Italy to Japan and, while chefs show respect for traditional recipes, they are not afraid to interpret these in a modern fashion.”

The first report:

  • It is a 'day of shame' for IOC says Polish dep FM
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  • Belarus risks more sanctions after Russian nuclear declaration says PM
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  • Poland to address problems with Ukrainian grain exports says PM

Exclusive

Rzeszów scientists develop phone battery that charges in eight minutes and lasts 68 YEARS!

Produced by The Batteries, the new technology has already been dubbed “a game changer” by the industry press, with the firm hoping to begin large-scale production once work on their “pilot factory” is finished.

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