Freedom and Independence: Poland's post-WWII resistance movement

Freedom and Independence (WiN) was established on September 2, 1945, as the largest independence-oriented armed organization operating in Poland following the end of World War II. Formed from the structures of the disbanded Home Army (AK), the organization was led by experienced AK officers and included approximately 30,000 soldiers, many of whom had participated in the 1939 war.

Members of the organization faced severe persecution from communist authorities and the NKVD, including torture, execution, and secret burials in anonymous mass graves. Notable figures included Łukasz Ciepliński, Marian Bernaciak, and Hieronim Dekutowski.

WiN acted as a political obstacle to Soviet plans for Poland, notably informing the United Nations Security Council regarding electoral fraud during the people's referendum. While some units conducted income-generating actions in late 1945 due to lack of funds—which the government used for propaganda to label them as bandits—the organization remained a core part of the nation's military and civilian elite.