Polish Hero Roman Rodziewicz

In Polish Hero Roman Rodziewicz: Fate of a Hubal Soldier in Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Postwar England, Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm traces the remarkable and tragic tale of Roman Rodziewicz, a true Polish hero of the Second World War. Roman's childhood was spent in Manchuria where his father, first deported to Siberia, later worked as an engineer for a Chinese company. Following the loss of his parents early in life after returning to free Poland, Roman was trained to manage a self-sufficient estate farming and producing various livestock, vegetables, and honey. Prior to the German invasion of Poland, Roman attended military school at the Suwalki Cavalry Brigade. After the surrender of the Polish army, the partisan forces of Major Hubal continued to fight the Germans. The brave anti-German activities of the Hubal partisans beckoned Roman and he joined them. About eight months later Major Hubal was killed. Roman escaped and joined the underground as an officer fighting the German occupation forces. Captured and tortured, Roman was subsequently imprisoned in Auschwitz and later Buchenwald. After the American army rescued Roman, he joined the Polish army in Italy.
At the end of World War II Roman settled in England. One of the greatest misfortunes of his life was losing contact with his fiancé Halinka, and later learning she had married believing him to be dead. Two weeks after her marriage, she received a letter from Roman that he had survived the war. They met many years later, and Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm witnessed the meeting of Halinka and Roman in Warsaw. Roman continues to live in England now having reached the age of 100 years in January 2013. Polish Hero Roman Rodziewicz explores the incredible story of one Polish soldier of World War II, and provides an illuminating contribution to the historical record of the period.

Aleksandra Ziólkowska-Boehm is author of over 35 books and Fulbright Scholar.

Foreword by Matt DeLaMater
Acknowledgments
Preface
Chapter 1. Early Life in Manchuria
Chapter 2. Japanese Occupation
Chapter 3. Finally Poland
Chapter 4. Zofia's Dream - Roman's Dream
Chapter 5. Meeting Marshal Pilsudski
Chapter 6. More Education Problems
Chapter 7. Into the Cavalry
Chapter 8. Learning to be a Farmer
Chapter 9. All About Bees and Honey
Chapter 10. All About Lawski Bród
Chapter 11. All About Partridge
Chapter 12. Roman the Hunter
Chapter 13. Harbinger of War
Chapter 14. Decision to Join Colonel Dobrawski
Chapter 15. Under Major Dobrzanski's Command
Chapter 16. Hubal - The Journal of Roman Rodziewicz
Chapter 17. Warsaw Rendez-vous - Halina
Chapter 18. A Belorussian Outpost
Chapter 19. The Unlucky Boots
Chapter 20. To Jail at Wolozyn
Chapter 21. Gestapo Interrogation
Chapter 22. To Prison in Stara Wilejka
Chapter 23. Train to Auschwitz, Birkenau
Chapter 24. Nightmares Relived
Chapter 25. Numbered for Life
Chapter 26. The Death of 30,000 Jewish Women
Chapter 27. To Buchenwald
Chapter 28. The Final Roll-Call-German Farewell
Chapter 29. Freed by Americans
Chapter 30. On to Italy
Chapter 31. Meeting Hubal's Sister and Wankowicz
Chapter 32. Letter About Halina
Chapter 33. Uncertainty to Return
Chapter 34. My Best Friend in England
Chapter 35. English Marriage
Chapter 36. Visiting Poland
Chapter 37. Meeting With Halina
Epilogue