Poles in resistance under German uniform: A singular experience of underground warfare in occupied Belgium, 1914–1918
Poles in resistance under German uniform: A singular experience of underground warfare in occupied Belgium, 1914–1918

Summary/Abstract: During World War I, hundreds of thousands of Poles served in the German army,with some participating in the occupation of Belgium. This article focuses on theunique experience of a small group of them, often from the province of Posen,who became involved in the Belgian resistance against Germany. Several of themused their position within the occupying forces to pass on information to Belgianintelligence networks, such as Golenvaux and Wasseige. The best-documentedcase is that of Marian Szeszycki, a guard in the German section of the Liège prison.Szeszycki took advantage of his position to assist Allied agents imprisoned thereand became involved in an actual resistance network operating within the prisonitself, which worked closely with the Dame Blanche, the largest Allied intelligencenetwork in occupied territory. In 1918, Szeszycki successfully helped two death-row prisoners escape and, in the process, deserted himself. As a former Germansoldier, Szeszycki could have been expelled from Belgium after the war, but hegained the support of former resistance members he had worked with, allowinghim to settle in Belgium for a time. His actions, as well as those of his counterpartsinvolved in other networks, did not go entirely unnoticed. Even though the author-ities were reluctant to grant them official recognition, their activities were madepublic, especially within Belgian Catholic circles. In the years leading up to WorldWar II, as rising international tensions raised fears of a new invasion of Belgium andPoland, Szeszycki’s name even appeared in several books about the secret war of1914–1918, contributing to a favorable image of Poland among Western countries.

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