Words thrown over, that is correspondence “over the wires”

Background history
The slightly puzzling formulation in the title “correspondence over the wires” conceals letters written by prisoners-of-war on scraps of paper and then secretly thrown into the individual sectors by women and men – participants of the Warsaw Uprising, nearly 6 thousand of whom were brought to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf (Łambinowice) in October 1944. This place got fixed in their memory as one of the worst and – at the same time – the most difficult to survive in their wartime itinerary. Secretly passing short messages, written down on scraps of paper which was dramatically hard to come by, made it possible to the POWs to maintain a relatively safe contact without the intervention of the camp censorship. In a natural way, this postal service “over the wires” became a popular means of information flow, playing a vital role in the life of this community. Thanks to it the POWs obtained information on the reality of camp life, actions undertaken by the German authorities, fate of their family members, friends or even the current political developments. We present three selected instances of the correspondence “over the wires” on this exhibition. The first of them are the letters written by Stanisław Grąbczewski, nom de guerre “Stanisław III”, addressed to medical nurse Janina Jarzęcka, nom de guerre “Mewa”. They make an unusually interesting collection of ten letters of varying volume, which were exchanged within a few days in October 1944. What is decisive as far as their exceptional character is concerned is the fact that they are a reflection of personal thoughts, feelings and views of young people who were going through the painful experience of occupation, fighting and captivity. Simultaneously, they are a peculiar “stenographic” record of a deep relationship being born between the two. Another example is featured by the correspondence of Janina Szczepańska-Wścieklica, nom de guerre “Janka”, to her older (by five years) brother, Marian Szczepański, nom de guerre “Żbik”. During the Warsaw Uprising “Janka” – a soldier of the Home Army – was a member of Battalion “Gozdawa” in the Motor Company “Orlęta”, while her brother belonged to Group “Północ” of the Military Concentration “Sienkiewicz”. After the fall of the Uprising, the siblings were transferred on the same transport to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf. They described this place in the following way: “[…] Hunger, darkness and sadness… Wires, wires… […].” Despite the extremely hard conditions, both were overjoyed upon learning that they were alive and relatively healthy. They exchanged letters full of concern, in which the elder brother’s firm admonitions and comments on proper conduct read humorous to say the least. The third example of this kind of correspondence is that of Alicja Tuszyńska-Tuszyn (1923–2013), nom de guerre “Jaga Koziniec”, which she exchanged with her friends, also POWs in Stalag 344 Lamsdorf. All of the letters begin with a similar salutation: “Dear Alinka […],” “Dear Jaguś […],” and in their content relate to personal experience connected with the encountered hardships of their POWs’ existence, revealing a sense of profound anxiety and concern for the nearest. The letters say a lot about the addressee, as well – a young female soldier, who keeps on trying to make at least a pretense of a normal life, worrying herself about her friends in the conditions of constraint. The correspondence “over the wires” makes one of the most unique and interesting media of historical memory and an invaluable source which facilitates completing the knowledge about the specific POW group consisting of participants of the Warsaw Uprising. The content of the camp correspondence has offered, moreover, interesting material for historical analyses present in scholarly articles and an inspiration for a theatrical performance entitled Przerzucane słowa (Words thrown over) directed by Andrzej Czernik. The premiere of the play took place in October 2014 during the ceremony commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the first transport of Warsaw Insurgents arriving in Stalag 344 Lamsdorf.

Words thrown over, that is correspondence “over the wires”

Source of acquisition
The letters of Stanisław Grąbczewski to Janina Jarzęcka were given over to the Museum by Danuta Szlajmer, a POW in Stalag 344 Lamsdorf. The correspondence of the Szczepański siblings was presented by Janina Szczepańska-Wścieklica. The letters addressed to Alicja Tuszyńska-Tuszyn were presented to the Museum by herself.

Description of the item
Six yellowed scraps of paper of different size, filled in with small handwriting. The state of preservation: good.