Münster Lauheide

They include the tombs of 18 soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, who died after the end of the warfare. The remaining Poles were forced labourers and prisoners of war. The Polish part of plot IV consisted initially of 10 rows of nameless graves hidden under dense vegetation and a memorial stone placed in the middle, with the following inscription in German:

RESTING PLACE OF POLISH CITIZENS, VICTIMS OF THE WAR OF 1939-1945 [translated from Polish]

77 names were carved under this inscription, sometimes with the initial of the first name, without any other personal details. In 2009, the plot was renovated, as a result of which everyone buried there was given a bright tombstone with their first name, surname and the dates of birth and death. The new commemorative stone made of the same material is decorated with the Polish eagle with the following inscription in Polish and German beneath:

TU SPOCZYWA 77 POLAKÓW

OFIAR NIEMIECKIEGO

NARODOWEGO SOCJALIZMU:

ŻOŁNIERZE 1. DYWIZJI PANCERNEJ,

JEŃCY WOJENNI, WIĘŹNIOWIE

OBOZÓW KONCENTRACYJNYCH

ROBOTNICY PRZYMUSOWI.

HERE REST 77 POLISH VICTIMS

OF GERMAN NATIONAL SOCIALISM:

SOLDIERS OF THE 1ST ARMOURED DIVISION, PRISONERS OF WAR, CONCENTRATION CAMP PRISONERS, FORCED LABOURERS.

 The data in the left column comes from archival materials, in the right - from the tombstones before restoration (original spelling preserved):

BURDA FELIKS Lance Corporal Rifles

8th Rifle Battalion                                                                                E. BURDA

* 25.8.1900 Janki woj. Lublin

† 17.7.1947 Münster hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1900/43/I-28021

BERNACZEK JÓZEF Cpl.

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     BERNACZEK

* 1.10.1900 Złoczów/Warsaw

† 16.2.1946 Schüttorf

R-C. Serv. Number 1900/6/I-8678

GORZOŁKA JAKUB a.k.a. "Konieczny" Rifleman

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     J. KONIECZNY

* 24.7.1908 Jaworzynka district Cieszyn

† 31.3.1946 Schüttorf

R-C. Serv. Number 1908/104/I-35936

HUMIENIUK JAN Lance Corporal Rifles

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     HUMENIUK         

* 20.11.1920 Wereszczaki district Krzemieniec

† 17.3.1946 Münster Gildenhaus

R-C. Serv. Number 1920/24/I-30481

JANGSZ BOLESŁAW Rifleman

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     B. JAGUSZ

* 5.2.1922 Wzorki district Kielce.

† 5.8.1945 British military hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1922/115/I-60115

Mićkiewicz Arkadiusz Sgt.

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     K.A. MIEKIEWICZ

* 13.1.1915 Drucha district Brasław

† 8.8.1945 Bentheim

R-C. Serv. Number 1915/267/I-60117

OCHMAN TADEUSZ Lieutenant

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     TOCHMAN

* 30.12.1910 Suchożebry

† 8.8.1945 Bentheim

R-C. Serv. Number 1910/10/I-PLF

NALEWAJK STEFAN Sergeant Major of Horse

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     ST.NALEWAJK

* 30.3.1914 Lipinki Stare district Pułtusk

† 3.8.1947 Münster hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1914/12/I-7287?

ZIELIŃSKI ALOIZY Uhlan

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                     A . LIELISKI

* 28.2.1922 Szczutki district Bydgoszcz

† 04.3.1947 Münster hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1922/90/I-52554

Kochay Kazimierz Antoni Capt.                                                      K. A. KOCHAY

* 1.3.1902 Targowice district Wadowice

† 17.12.1945 Baza. 52 Brit. Division

R-C. Serv. Number PLF.1902

ZYGMUNTOWICZ STANISŁAW Lance Corporal Rifles              ST. ZYGMUNTOWICZ

* 6.6.1903 Warsaw

† 18.3.1948 British military hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 30087545

RUDZIŃSKI PIOTR Cpl.

1st Anti-Tank                                                                                      RUDZINSKI

* ???

† 29.11.1946 Oldenburg British military hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1915/9/I-8261

KOPIECKI ANTONI Cpl.

Supplies Centre LSC.                                                                                     A. KOPIECKI

* 23.1.1919 Zabrze

† 23.1.1947 Bersenbück

R-C. Serv. Number 1919/417/I-65226

PAPKALA KAROL Sergeant

RAF Repair Workshop                                                                      PAKALA

* 9.9.1916 Nowy Bytom

† 1.4.1947 Oldenburg British military hospital

R-C. Serv. Number 1916/708688

ZUBURA W. 00277753 LPW Camp                                                  W. ZYBURA

† 9.6.1949 not recorded

CUROBAK M. (KUROBACKI?)

1st Armoured Division                                                                       M. CUROBACK

* ???

† 31.5.1946 not recorded

WIERZBICKI W. 13317 104 Military Camp                                   W. WIERZBICKI

* ??? † 8.3.1946 not recorded

ZIONIEREWICZ S.                                                                            S. ZONIEREWICZ

Lance Corporal Rifles 0012301/A. FG. Münster Pol. Camp                             

* ???

† 15.4.1946 not recorded

KARCZ R. (KARCH?)

1st Rifle Battalion                                                                              R. KARCH

* ???

† 22.1.194? not recorded

Among the soldiers of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, there is also the grave of a soldier of the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade of General Stanislaw Sosabowski:

BORNER FLORIAN                                                                                    F. BORNER

Lance Corporal Rifles

II Battalion of the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade

* 22.7.1924 Nowa Wieś district Katowice

† 24.7.1945 Münster British military hospital

R-C. Serv. Number1924/291/I-65346