Wanda Gertz
“Lena”, “Kazik”, a soldier, disguised as a man she became a legionnaire. The commander of the first Juzist course at the Communications Training Center in Zegrze.
The woman sitting next to me on the bench doesn’t like to talk about herself. Yet she has had great years behind her, lived in the very mainstream of Poland’s recent history. […] I listen to her speak phlegmatically, in half-words, as if she was more concerned with the cat sitting on her lap than with the fact that each of her sentences would be published. I think to myslef: here is one of the most famous female soldiers […]
She was born on April 13 in 1896 in Warsaw. She was the youngest daughter of Florentyna Maria and Jan Karol Görtz, a tannery products manufacturer. The German surname was an heirloom from her Saxon ancestors, but in spite of the German spelling, the family took on a Polish identity. Growing up, Wanda was brought up in a house where her brothers would play pretend recruits, soldiers or knights. Her father, a January Uprising veteran, passed onto her his dream of an independent Poland, and his patriotism. These factors contributed to her wanting to join the army.
She started working towards her dreams in 1914 when she joined as an aide in the independence organisation called the Polish Confederation which aimed to, among others, raise awareness about the Polish Legions. At the beginning of the 20th century women were not taken to the frontlines, however Wanda did not simply want to support, she dreamed of being a soldier. She was waiting for the right moment.
In early 1916 Brigade II of the Polish Legions was recruiting soldiers. The commander’s order was “Do not enlist women!”. Wanda had to resort to deception, deciding to transgress her gender. Women co-conspirators brought her male clothing and cut her hair. She was able to procure a fake passport, in which she put her cousin’s name. She left for Lublin where the recruitment was taking place. The medical exam could have foiled her plan, but with a lieutenant’s help and taking advantage of the general organisational chaos, she was able to join the force. She began service in the 2nd howitzer battery. A breakthrough moment, as from that point on, Wanda became Kazimierz Jakubowski, “Kazik”.
When she finished her service with the Legions in 1916, she immediately joined the branch of the Women’s Polish Military Organization. Actively fighting alongside women soldiers became an important element of Gertz’s biography. She contributed to organizing a women’s formation during the Polish-Bolshevik war. She served as deputy commander of the 2nd Women’s Volunteer Legion (OLK) at the Command of the Lithuanian-Belarusian Front. Women soldiers defended the areas in front of Vilnius and covered the retreat of Polish troops. They remained in their positions until the last moment, despite the decision-making and information chaos in the headquarters. Gertz independently decided to retreat the Legionnaires. OLK also took part in the Battle of Warsaw. In Vilnius, she met a reporter of “The Times” newspaper, who in the July 1920 issue presented her as a heroine in an article about 250 women fighting to defend the city.
It was not without reason that she chose the Legions. The Marshal – Józef Piłsudksi was an authority and mentor for her. In the interwar period, she often participated in meetings chaired by Aleksandra Piłsudska. Over time, she began to cooperate with the Marshal, working as a secretary in his office in Belvedere. He trusted her greatly.
She served as the commander of the first juzist course at the Communications Training Center in Zegrze. The key task of the juzists was the ability to operate the Hughes telegraph (pronounced Juza) and maintain communication between staff during the armed conflict.
After the outbreak of World War II, she was one of the first people to take the oath of the Polish Victory Service. She headed the Women’s Subversion and Sabotage unit – Disc. Called after her wartime nickname, “Lena’s” unit. She obsessively cared about the safety of her subordinates, only she knew them all. Initially, they carried out minor sabotage actions by, among others, spoiling street barkers, pouring sugar into car tanks, or blowing up tracks. The main task, however, was the liquidation of Gestapo agents and informers. They carried out death sentences after prior observation and surveillance interviews.
During the Warsaw Uprising, she led the Women’s Unit responsible for delivering weapons and reconnaissance of enemy forces. She fought for the last time with a weapon in her hand in September 1944, when she wandered through the sewers of Warsaw for many hours to get to Śródmieście. That same year, she was promoted to the rank of major.
After the war, she traveled around countries looking for scattered Polish women soldiers to recruit them into the Polish army. She went to London, where she fought for women to be granted the rights of soldiers in the Polish Armed Forces. She was socially involved until the end, supporting women soldiers.
