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Background history
The Museum collections contain many items connected with Warsaw insurgents, six thousand of whom – after 63 days of fighting – were transported to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf. For many of them this was the first prisoner-of-war camp, and for a part – the only one, where they were interned. Stanisław Pietras, nom de guerre “Kobuz”, was one of those who found themselves brought to Lamsdorf. During his stay in this POW camp, he received a leather wallet from his mate, which we present on the exhibition. Stanisław Pietras was born in Jakuszewice on 31 January 1918. In 1937, he began his studies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology, yet the outbreak of World War II found him in Jakuszowice, from where – together with a group of friends – he set out eastwards, trying unsuccessfully to be assigned to a detachment of the Polish Army. After the end of the 1939 September Campaign, he joined in the conspiratorial work in Pińczów County, from where – following his exposure in June 1942, he went to Warsaw. It was there where he joined the ranks of the Home Army (Battalion “Chrobry I”) in the spring of 1943. He was responsible for running the press and information service and was also the organizer and commander of a dedicated task group, whose missions consisted in liquidation of informers collaborating with the Nazi. He fought in the Warsaw Uprising with the rank of Corporal Cadet in the IIIrd Company operating in the area of the following city districts: Wola, the Old Town and City Centre North. He took part in the attack on Nordwache in Chłodna Street. After coming to Lamsdorf, he was assigned the POW number 102935. In the camp, Stanisław Pietras got the leather wallet with the letter “P” embroidered on it. Execution of such an object made of leather in the camp conditions was difficult. Stanisław Pietras kept writing down notes in his notebook, which reflected his wartime experience, particularly strongly emphasizing the bad conditions in Lamsdorf: “The food is disastrous and, consequently, we wish to leave for a permanent camp, where there are better chances to get better nutrition. The question of food has become the basic issue around which everything else is revolving.” On the successive pages of his notebook, apart from describing the current camp life, “Kobuz” wrote down poems.
Prepared by: Bartosz Janczak
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Wallet from Lamsdorf
Source of acquisition
The wallet was given over by Jerzy Pietras, the son of the POW.
Description of the item
A wallet made of black leather of 13cm x 21cm, bearing the emblem in the form of the letter “P”.
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