Łukasz Ciepliński

Łukasz Ciepliński (; 26 November 1913 – 1 March 1951) was a Polish soldier who fought in the Polish anti-Nazi and anti-communist resistance movements. He used various aliases: Pług, Ostrowski, Ludwik, Grzmot, and Bogdan. Ciepliński was executed at Mokotów Prison in Warsaw, with a shot to the back of the head by the Polish secret police, Urząd Bezpieczeństwa.

For almost fifty years, his name was expunged from all books by the Communist government of the PRL.

Early years Ciepliński was born in the village of Kwilcz, Kreis Birnbaum (Polish: Powiat międzychodzki), in then German Empire's Province of Posen, now back again Poland. Although Poland was partitioned at the time, he grew up in a patriotic family.

As his native village was located on the then-western outskirts of Polish ethnic territory, his parents – Franciszek Ciepliński and Maria (née Kaczmarek) – taught him Polish history and traditions as a child. His great-grandfather fought in the Greater Poland uprising (1848), while his older brothers fought in the Greater Poland Uprising (1918-1919). His parents owned a bakery store, and Cieplinski was one of their eight children.

Young Ciepliński began his education at elementary school in Kwilcz but completed it in Międzychód in 1929. After graduating from high school, Ciepliński enlisted with the Third Cadet Corps in Rawicz, and in 1934 enrolled in the Military College in Ostrów Mazowiecka.

In 1936, the young officer joined the 62nd Infantry Regiment in Bydgoszcz, where a year later he became leader of an antitank unit. The book begins in a courtroom in the early 1950s, during Cieplinski's trial. Then it moves back, presenting his life – Polish September Campaign and his conspiratorial activities. The authors also mention other resistance members who cooperated with Cieplinski.

Legacy For fifty years, Ciepliński's name was banned from public use. His widow, Jadwiga Cieplinska and their little son Andrzej, who was only 3 years old when his father was executed, were ostracized, lived in poverty, and remained under the ever-watchful eyes of the Polish secret police. After the collapse of the Communist People's Republic of Poland, the new democratic government honored him posthumously with Poland's highest decoration for valor, the cross of the Virtuti Militari 5th Class, at the decree of President Lech Kaczyński on 3 May 2007. Commemorative plaques dedicated to his memory can be found in Rzeszów and Kwilcz; the 28th Elementary in Rzeszów has been named after him, as well as a street in the same city. The monument in his memory was unveiled on 17 November 2013 in Rzeszów.

None of Ciepliński's tormentors were ever brought to justice.