09-24-2013, 08:04 AM
This is an example of a group researched in a way almost identical to the one I suggested in "researching polish baward groups" thread. I suggested that regiment history books would be a good source of information about awardees, as some even list extracts from award citations. Here, the book was a bit different, but it brought a lot of information, and when I put my hands on his regiment's history book, maybe more information will be available.
Anyway, I got both lucku and unlucky with this docs.
Unlucky, because I missed the auctions of most of his wartime docs (including the ww2 military ID of a type I have been looking for lately).
Lucky, because I got 3 later docs from a different source, being unaware that they were his and most of all, because I got tchem while I was reading the book "Na drodze stał Kołobrzeg" (Kołobrzeg/Kolberg was blocking the way) - a documentary book about the fights for the city of Kolberg in march 1945 (the city was declared a stronghold by the Nazis) written by it's participant andlater journalist/writer Alojzy Sroga. Masiuk shows up in the book and there's even his photograph there.
Basic data:
Józef Masiuk, son of Piotr, was born in Aziorków, Kolomyja powiat, Stanisławów voivodeship (Stanisławów is currently Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine). He served in the National Defense Battalions in 1938 (a kind of auxiliary troops before the war) and on 8th May 1944 became a soldier of the 14th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division, 1st Army, Polish Army in the East (with a short service in the Red Army before).
In the 14th rgt, he was a chief of the company of the anti-armor rifles (PTRD).
First doc - 1946-dated departure order - commanding him to go to Prądnik (probably near Kraków)as a demobilised.
1955-dated diploma of the Służba Polsce (Service to Poland, a youth organisation that was responsible for basic military and ideological training, helping also in all kinds of state labor - mainly liquidating war damage but also helping in the farms, for some time, joining SP was obligatory) organisation:
"Comrade MAsiuk Józef
For exceptional achievements in the educational work with the youth in the organisation "Service to Poland"
Voivodeship Commandant of the SP
Wrocław
/-/
Matuszewski J., mjr.
Wrocław 29.12.1955"
1978-dated promotion to sr sgt
Anyway, I got both lucku and unlucky with this docs.
Unlucky, because I missed the auctions of most of his wartime docs (including the ww2 military ID of a type I have been looking for lately).
Lucky, because I got 3 later docs from a different source, being unaware that they were his and most of all, because I got tchem while I was reading the book "Na drodze stał Kołobrzeg" (Kołobrzeg/Kolberg was blocking the way) - a documentary book about the fights for the city of Kolberg in march 1945 (the city was declared a stronghold by the Nazis) written by it's participant andlater journalist/writer Alojzy Sroga. Masiuk shows up in the book and there's even his photograph there.
Basic data:
Józef Masiuk, son of Piotr, was born in Aziorków, Kolomyja powiat, Stanisławów voivodeship (Stanisławów is currently Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine). He served in the National Defense Battalions in 1938 (a kind of auxiliary troops before the war) and on 8th May 1944 became a soldier of the 14th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division, 1st Army, Polish Army in the East (with a short service in the Red Army before).
In the 14th rgt, he was a chief of the company of the anti-armor rifles (PTRD).
First doc - 1946-dated departure order - commanding him to go to Prądnik (probably near Kraków)as a demobilised.
1955-dated diploma of the Służba Polsce (Service to Poland, a youth organisation that was responsible for basic military and ideological training, helping also in all kinds of state labor - mainly liquidating war damage but also helping in the farms, for some time, joining SP was obligatory) organisation:
"Comrade MAsiuk Józef
For exceptional achievements in the educational work with the youth in the organisation "Service to Poland"
Voivodeship Commandant of the SP
Wrocław
/-/
Matuszewski J., mjr.
Wrocław 29.12.1955"
1978-dated promotion to sr sgt
