Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz
Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz | |
---|---|
Born | Warsaw, Poland | 14 December 1911
Died | 4 January 1943 Athens, Greece | (aged 31)
Nationality | Greek/Polish |
Occupation | Athlete |
Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz (
Life
Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz was born in Warsaw on 14 December 1911, as the son of the Russian army colonel Count Vladimir Ivanov, and a Polish mother. His parents divorced soon after. His mother married a Greek, Ioannis Lambrinidis, and together they emigrated to Thessaloniki in northern Greece in 1926.[1][2]
He became an athlete in the
With the outbreak of
The first time he was caught by the Gestapo, after being betrayed by one of his associates, Konstantinos Pantos, he managed to escape after three days. The Germans then put a reward on him of 500,000 drachmas. He was finally captured after another betrayal on 8 September 1942, and sentenced by a German tribunal on 2 December to a triple death sentence. The proposal of a spy exchange for a German general captured by the British was rejected by the British authorities. He was executed at the Kaisariani shooting range on 4 January 1943. In the seconds before execution he attempted to escape. He was just a few meters from a bush when he was shot, wounded and put back in front of the execution squad.[2][3]
Memory
On 5 December 1944, Field Marshal
In Greece, his memory is further honoured by a statue in Thessaloniki, as well as an annual swimming competition held since 1953, the "Ivanofeia". His former sports club, Iraklis, has named the
In April 2021, Poland issued a postal stamp honoring Iwanow, which was initiated by the Polish-Greek Parliamentary Group.[6]
Movie
In 1971, the Polish film "Agent No. 1", directed by Zbigniew Kuźmiński, was premiered, in which Karol Strasburger played the role of Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "70η επέτειος από τον ηρωικό θάνατο του Γιώργου Ιβάνοφ-Σαϊνόβιτς" (in Greek). Embassy of the Polish Republic in Athens. 8 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "A Celebration in Memory of Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz". Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ a b "70th anniversary of the death of Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz, hero of Poland and Greece". Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ Meyer, Eliah (11 October 2015). "THE MOST SECRET LIST OF SOE AGENTS". Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "SOE Files". The National Archives. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Issue of the stamp "Jerzy Iwanow-Szajnowicz" - Poland in Greece - Gov.pl website". Poland in Greece. Retrieved 2022-08-24.