Pinkus Kartin- Underground Warsaw Leader by Jaydon Webb

Pinkus Kartin

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 17:42:08 UTC

Pinkus Kartin was a member of the underground in Warsaw, also known as Eliahu Mozes, and he had a underground name where he was known as Andrzej Szmidt

Early biography

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 17:57:50 UTC

Pinkus Kartin was born in the city of Lusk in Western Ukraine, which was part of the Polish state between the First and Second World Wars. In his youth he joined the Communist Movement and in the Spanish Civil War he was an officer in the Dombrovski Brigade.

Time in the Soviet union

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 18:07:06 UTC

He was recognised as a citizen of the Soviet Union and repatriated to Russia under the terms of the German /Soviet exchange of citizens agreement, which was honoured until the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries.

Enterprises Group

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 18:09:34 UTC

In the Soviet Union he joined the circle of Polish Communists émigrés, underwent special military training, and was counted among the elite “Enterprises Group” that was chosen to penetrate into Poland, lead the underground Communist Party, and organise an armed force backed by the Communists.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 18:25:35 UTC

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 18:27:40 UTC

Pinkus Kartin (Third from the right) and his communist group friends

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 18:59:22 UTC

After a number of abortive attempts to reach Poland, the first squad, including Kartin (also known by his underground name of Andrzej Szmidt) parachuted into the Warsaw area at the end of 1941.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 19:01:18 UTC

This was wrote minutes from the first PWP meeting.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 19:01:50 UTC

Kartin could not take part in the enlistment campaign in the Polish sector since his appearance would betray his Jewish origins. For a while he hid out in the home of a Polish shoemaker, suffering severely from a lack of sufficient nourishment and warm clothing.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 19:02:04 UTC

Finally Pinkus Kartin comrades decided, without taking account of the original plans and responsibilities to charge Kartin with the mission of organising the Party and the combat units in the ghetto. Kartin, with veteran Communist leader Josef Lewartowski, (also known as Finkelstein), secretly met with Mordechai Anilewicz and other leaders of ZOB in Frebruary, 1942.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 19:02:23 UTC

It emerged later that a Gestapo agent who had infiltrated the ranks of the Polish Communists was responsible for the arrest, This arrest basically led to the collapse of the Communist resistance bloc, after an initial cessation of all routine activities it was eventually disbanded in June 1942.

As for Szmidt himself he was murdered by the Germans in Pawiak prison on the 20 May 1942.

jwebb5237 — 2024-12-03 19:03:16 UTC

This was the last found photo of pinkus before he was murdered