Cursed Soldiers Continued Fighting Long After the End of WWII
When World War II ended, large areas of Poland were occupied by the Soviets and it was agreed by some that it would stay that way. The Soviets planned to exterminate the AK and any Resistance groups that stood in the way of the territory they felt was rightfully theirs. The Red Army and the Home Army had fought several times during the course of World War II. The Home Army had tried to prevent the Soviets from gaining territory. However, the AK officially disbanded in January 1945 to avoid conflict with the Red Army.
The end of the Home Army did not mean the end of the Resistance. The AK structure that was designated for dealing with the Soviets was the NIE (Niepodleglosc) and they continued operating until August 1945. There were several Resistance groups that saw the Soviets as occupiers no different from the Germans and they sought Polish liberation. A Resistance of 50,000 members in different groups sprung up to fight the Soviets. Resistance groups that continued after the end of the war became known as Cursed Soldiers because of the likelihood of being caught and killed by the Red Army.
In an attempt to stop the partisan violence in Poland, many groups came out of the woods and surrendered under the promise of freedom in 1947. Many of them were arrested anyway. A post-AK group, Wolnosc I Niezawislosc, was formed as a way to help those AK veterans transition to civilian life and escape persecution. The members of the group were considered enemies of the state and rarely had the funds they needed. Their operations largely stopped after 1947 and the group disbanded in 1952.
Other Resistance groups continued operating as hundreds of thousands of Polish civilians were arrested and killed under accusations that they were members of the opposition. Millions of citizens were considered suspects and were subjected to investigation. In 1956, 35,000 former AK members were released from prison, but still some Resistance groups continued. The last “cursed soldier” was killed in 1963. This finally brought an end to the WWII Resistance movement against the Soviets.