Piotr Konieczka

Piotr Konieczka (April 29, 1901 - September 1, 1939) was a Corporal[1] of the Polish Army. He could have been the first Polish soldier to die in World War II.

Piotr Konieczka
Born(1901-04-29)April 29, 1901
(Czarże), German Empire
DiedSeptember 1, 1939(1939-09-01) (aged 38)
Jeziorki near Piła, Poland
Years of service1939
RankCorporal
Battles/warsPolish Defensive War
Awards

Biography

Piotr Konieczka was born in the village of Czarże by Chełmno.[1] He moved with his family to Brodna[1] in Greater Poland where he bought a three-hectare farm. He was mobilized in the spring 1939.[1] On the night of August 31 to September 1, he served in a platoon sent to strengthen the Jeziorki[2] border checkpoint.[1] After 1:00 am the checkpoint was attacked by the German diversion squad.[1] Around 1:40 am Konieczka, left alone operating a machine-gun,[1] was wounded and bashed to death with rifle butts.[1]

According to Polish historians, Konieczka could have been the first war victim in Poland. Historian confirmed from records that Konieczka was the first war victim in Greater Poland region. While the attack was not by regular Wehrmacht, it was considered to be part of the war, because the attackers did not retreat back to German territory, as was happening with earlier acts of German sabotage against Poland.[2][3]

In 2009, a monument was erected to him in Jeziorki.[2]

On September 14, 2010, he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.[4]

Notes
  1. "Zapomniany żołnierz – pierwsza polska ofiara II wojny św". gazeta.pl. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  2. "Piotr Konieczka - żołnierz, który zginął przed atakiem na Westerplatte", Newsweek.pl, August 31, 2010 (retrieved January 24, 2017)
  3. "Poległ jeszcze przed atakiem Niemców na Polskę". Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  4. Monitor Polski year 2010 number 90 position 1044 – poz. 19.
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