Klementyna Mankowska
Klementyna Mankowska (born August 1, 1910 in Wysuzka (today: Ukrainian Висічка , Wyssitschka ), Austria-Hungary ; † January 4, 2003 in Château Sermoise near Nevers ) was a member of the Polish resistance and an agent for Polish and British intelligence services during the Second World War .
Life
Klementyna Mankowska grew up in a noble Galician family near Lemberg . In 1939 she lived with her two sons on the estate of her husband Count Adam Mankowski in Winnogóra near Posen .
After the occupation of Warsaw, she joined the Polish resistance movement in October 1939 and belonged to the "The Musketeers" resistance group, which was mainly recruited from the Polish nobility . The group, led by Stefan Witkowski , worked independently of the Polish government in exile and directly for the British secret service.
In June 1941 Mankowska had contact with Rudolf von Scheliha . Wilhelm Canaris was one of her sources of information . Ultimately, Canaris made sure that Mankowska was hired as an agent of the Abwehr and, as such, escaped arrest and left France unscathed.
Via the Wehrmacht commander in chief in occupied France for the Nantes area , she gained information about the German occupation troops and about German troop movements that she was able to forward to Great Britain.
Mankowska's attitude towards the Germans
Mankowska's unconditional loyalty belonged to the Polish resistance and the fight against the German enemy . However, since she met many opponents of National Socialist policy, especially in the German military , she always pleaded for differentiation and for not condemning the entire German population across the board.
Honors
- 1953: Polish Cross of Merit with Swords (highest possible award of the Polish government in exile for civilians)
- Federal Cross of Merit, First Class "In recognition of your special services to the Federal Republic of Germany and German-Polish reconciliation"
Fonts
- An agent's odyssey. A woman's fate in World War II. (German first edition 1995)
literature
- Wolfgang Büscher : Berlin – Moscow. A journey on foot . Rowohlt, Reinbek 2003, ISBN 3-498-00631-2 .
- Bernard Wiaderny : The Polish Underground State and the German Resistance 1939-1944. Berlin 2003
- Christoph Kleßmann : The self-assertion of a nation. National Socialist cultural policy and Polish resistance movement in the General Government 1939–1945. Düsseldorf 1971.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Review: Nonfiction book Klug und Frauen A Polish Countess as a Double Agent in World War II FAZ from May 20, 1996
- ↑ Clémentine Mankowska: Espionne malgré moi , Editions du Rocher, Monaco 1994, z. BS 52ff.
- ^ Susanne Kienlechner: The Nazi Culture in Poland. Rudolf von Scheliha and Johann von Wühlisch. Two German diplomats against the National Socialist culture in Poland. In: “The future needs memories”. Shoa.de eV, accessed on April 10, 2014 .
- ^ The Polish Countess Klementyna Mankowska In: Zeitzeugen. on the website of Michael Foedrowitz, international archive research for film productions
- ↑ Clémentine Mankowska: Espionne malgré moi , Editions du Rocher, Monaco 1994, z. BS 229.
- ↑ Clémentine Mankowska: Espionne malgré moi , Editions du Rocher, Monaco 1994, z. BS 269.
- ↑ Clémentine Mankowska: Espionne malgré moi , Editions du Rocher, Monaco 1994, p. 275f.
- ↑ August Graf Kageneck: Spy with a heart for the enemy. In: The world . December 11, 1997, accessed April 10, 2014 .
- ↑ Lars Jockheck: Review in sehepunkte 3. 2003, No. 4
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mankowska, Klementyna |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mańkowska, Klementyna |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Polish resistance fighter and agent |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 1, 1910 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wysuzka |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 4, 2003 |
| Place of death | Château Sermoise |