Piotr Kazana

born on 11 November 1906 , in Nowy Sącz in the family of Jan and Maria née Perła.^[1] Kwiatkowski’s childhood dream was to become a pilot.^[2] After graduating from Elementary School in 1924, he went to Zakopane, where he graduated from the State School of Wood Industry.^[3] At that time, in addition to his interest in aviation, serious involvement in skiing became part of Kwiatkowski’s life. After returning to Nowy Sącz, he was enlisted for compulsory military service in the 3rd Podhale Rifle Regiment in Bielsko, where he became a member of the skiing section of the Military Sports Club of the 3 PSP.^[4] After finishing service, he returned to Nowy Sącz and became involved in organization of skiing sport in “Sandecja” KS KPW, as an athlete and trainer, and gliding sport in the KPW Nowy Sącz section, and then in the glider school in Tęgoborze near Nowy Sącz, with numerous national and regional successes.^[5] In September 1939 Kwiatkowski was mobilized in the 2nd Air Force Regiment in Krakow. In the wartime conditions, despite his best attempts, he was not able to find it and he returned to Nowy Sącz.^[6] At risk of arrest, he joined the underground movement. In November 1939, he was sworn in by Freisler and started working in the smuggling of people to Hungary in the network of Gucwa “Góral”. In the years 1940–1944 he was a courier of the Government Delegation for Poland, he would mainly take the routes through Orava. In 1944, after the connection with Hungary was severed, Kwiatkowski was involved in the work of “Limba”^[7], he guided Felczak across the border and they both joined the 2nd Company 4th Battalion of the 1 PSP AK Partisan Unit commanded by Cpt. Julian Zapała “Lampart”^[8]. After the war, he tried to return to normal life and devoted himself mainly to instructor work for of glider pilots; he also started working in the Main Railway Workshops in Nowy Sącz as a material dispatcher^[9], in the quarry in Klęczany, he also worked as a manager of the Glider School in Tęgoborze. In 1950 “[…] As a politically uncertain man […]”^[10] he was dismissed from this position. He returned to aviation in 1956. He was under observatien of the Security Office and “[…] Since the first days of the liberation of Poland he [L. Kwiatkowski] has demonstrated his distinctly hostile attitude toward People’s Poland […]”.^[11] He died on 11 February 1968 in Nowy Sącz after a long and severe illness and was buried at the Municipal Cemetery. He was awarded with the Order of Virtuti Militari, 5th Class, the Gold Cross of Merit, the Bronze Cross of Merit, the Partisan Cross, the Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence and was honored with Paul Tissandier Diploma and the title of a Distinguished Sporting Aviation Activist title. One of the streets in Nowy Sącz, in the Gorzków district, and the Podhale Aeroclub were named after him.

——————————————————————————————

[1] Relacja Antoniego Kwiatkowskiego, Nowy Sącz 18.05.2014.

[2] Życiorys Leopolda Kwiatkowskiego, ms, Nowy Sącz 5.03.1946,

[3] Relacja Antoniego Kwiatkowskiego, Nowy Sącz 18.05.2014.

[4] WKS 3PSP membership card of L. Kwiatkowski.

[5] See further: P. Kazana, Przyczynek do biografii Leopolda Kwiatkowskiego, „Almanach Sądecki”, № 3–4/2015, pp. 75–81.

[6] Z. Mordawski, Leopold Kwiatkowski (1906–1968), „Rocznik Sądecki”, vol. XXIII, Nowy Sącz 1995, pp. 324–326.

[7]“Limba” – a n underground regional organization, which was most likely established as an extension of the activities of the Secret Military Organization and the Organization of the White Eagle in Orava. The members of this organization participated in securing smuggling points on the ZWZ-AK courier route with the code name “Szkoła” and on the civil communication routes of the Government Delegation for Poland. The organization was also gathering intelligence, among others, on the Slovak border guard posts on the Slovak-occupied Orava. See further: J. Kasperek, Podhale w latach wojny i okupacji 1939–1945, Warszawa 1990.

[8] See further: D. Golik, Partyzanci Lamparta. Historia IV batalionu 1. pułku strzelców podhalańskich AK, Kraków 2014.

[9]Prośba o zwolnienie ze służby na Polskich Kolejach Państwowych, Leopold Kwiatkowski File, Department of the PKP S.A. Company Archive in Sosnowiec, Nowy Sącz 31.07.1946.

[10] IPN Kr 010/8727, Teczka agenturalnego sprawdzenia na Leopold Kwiatkowski, Nowy Sącz 19.03.1963, p. 234.

[11] Ibidem, Plan operacyjnych przedsięwzięć po linii rozpracowania agenturalnego sprawdzenia na: Leopold Kwiatkowski, Nowy Sącz, p. 15.