Polish WWII Resistance Operations 'Pensjonat' and 'Szary' Honored

A new book by historian Wiesław Happ documents the 1943 "Pensjonat" operation of the Armia Krajowa in Jasło, in which about 180 prisoners were liberated from a German jail. The publication compiles decades of research, eyewitness accounts and earlier articles on the two major AK actions in the Jasło region – the prison break in August 1943 and a December 1943 raid on a German weapons depot.

In Kielce, a ceremony on 2 August commemorated the 1945 night raid that shattered the local UB prison, led by Anton Hed, known as "Szary". The operation freed several hundred detainees without casualties and is remembered as one of the most successful post‑war anti‑communist actions. Participants included Hed’s daughter Teresa Heda‑Snopkiewicz and local officials who highlighted the meticulous planning and intelligence that enabled the bloodless breakthrough.