Parachuting into Poland, 1944 - by Marek Celt & Jan Chciuk-Celt (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is a first-hand account, never before in English, of a secret World War II mission in 1944 called Operation Salamander, in which Tadeusz Chciuk (writing as Marek Celt) parachuted into German-occupied Poland with the enigmatic political advisor Dr. Jozef Retinger. "--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

This firsthand account, never before published in English, details a secret World War II mission in 1944 called Operation Salamander, in which Tadeusz Chciuk (writing as Marek Celt) parachuted into German-occupied Poland with the enigmatic political adviser Dr. Jozef Retinger. The goal of the mission was to persuade the Polish underground forces and political leadership to accept that it was imperative to start negotiating with the Soviets right away, as they were now to be considered Poland's allies and had the full support of the British and Americans. The story culminates in Operation Wildhorn III, in which Chciuk and Retinger were picked up in Poland by a British plane that landed just a short distance from a significant detachment of German forces, and flew them to safety.

About the Author

The late Marek Celt, pen name of Tadeusz Chciuk-Celt (1916-2001), was a second lieutenant in the Polish Army who twice parachuted into occupied Poland on secret missions during World War II and was awarded the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military decoration. After the war he worked for Radio Free Europe for forty years. Wojciech Frazik is a Polish historian with particular expertise in the history of the wartime Polish Underground. He lives in Kraków and works for the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) there. Jan Chciuk-Celt grew up in Germany, the son of Polish refugees. He lives in Portland, Oregon.