The Forest Soldier

Two invasions. Two cruel enemies backed by massive armies. An undermanned and poorly armed group of Underground soldiers decide to fight back against all odds. The fight will take them on an incredible journey from the wild east all the way to the Warsaw Uprising. This book tells the WWII story of Lieutenant Józef Niedźwiecki, a cavalry officer from the northeast borderlands of Poland. Beginning with the Battle of Lwów in 1939, this amazing narrative follows Józef through over five years of battles, culminating in imprisonment in the notorious Nazi POW camp Stalag XB, and finally, liberation and escape to first England then the United States. Over the course of those five years, Józef escaped twice from the clutches of the NKVD, the first time narrowly avoiding being executed in the Katyn Forest Massacre, the second time after over a year of torture and interrogation in NKVD prison. He led a squadron of partisans under the command of the famed Major Adolf Pilch, and was one of the organizing leaders of the Iwieniec Uprising, referred to by historians as one of the largest and most successful military operations in the history of the Polish Home Army. Józef was responsible for discovering a secret Soviet military order that proved that the Russian command had officially ordered the betrayal of the Poles who were supposed to be their allies. He was awarded four medals of valor, including the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration. This is the story of a soldier and his family, and their fight to stand against both the forces of Hitler and the forces of Stalin, saving as many as they could along the way. This is a story of courage, sacrifice and perseverance; betrayal and persecution; and also miraculous twists of fate. This hardcover edition has color interior images.