The second that could change the course of the war

Niepokulczycki paid us a visit in Warsaw looking for my father who we were to join in October that year. The major had been our trusted friend for a long time. The warm welcome in our bombed by the Nazi artillery flat at 16 Noakowskiego St was naturally followed by stories of the present day and reminiscences of the past. At that time we all deeply believed in our soon victory over the
Third Reich. During that conversation the major told us a story of the last action he had commanded in October, in the Nazi-occupied capital city.

 

The Polish “Dwójka” (Counterintelligence) was in possession of the detailed schedule of Hitler following the “victory parade” in Aleje Ujazdowskie avenue. According to the information Hitler was to go farther down the alley passing the BGK building at the crossroads with Aleje Jerozolimskie avenue.

Major Niepokulczycki’s plan assumed blowing up the limo with Führer inside. The whole action was prepared to the last detail. The explosives had been placed under the road surface, alarm posts waited along the drive route. And then the moment came. After the parade of Nazi military units the motorcade with Hitler’s car followed the expected route. It was just at the corner, in front of the BGK building when, all of the sudden, major Niepokulczycki came to conclusion that if he set off the bomb it would rip to pieces not only the sole Hitler’s vehicle but also other cars of the convoy thus killing innocent, in his view, people. At that decisive moment his officer’s honor and humanitarian spirit got the upper hand and prevented him from killing the innocent people accompanying Adolf Hitler. In the meantime the convenient moment passed and the explosives did not set off!

In this way the misconception of the officer’s honor by major Niepokulczycki saved Hitler’s life and lives of “innocent” future Nazi criminals.

As far as I know flawless major Niepo-kulczycki was arrested in one of later AK actions and died as a hero tortured by Gestapo. The Nazi murderers might have been the people following Hitler during the parade, the people saved by the honor of that Polish officer.

World War Two, the history of Europe and the whole world could have taken quite another course but the honor and humanitarian approach of the Polish major.

Witnesses from the group of major Niepokulczycki may be still alive and perhaps could offer us more details on the action, completely unknown not only to the public but also not recorded in history. We lack the in-depth knowledge of history, especially the latest, as it is too often withheld or distorted.