IF YOU NEED INDIVIDUAL STAMPS RATHER THAN THE WHOLE SET PLEASE
WRITE TO ME AND I WILL LIST THEM SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY.
SOLIDARITY STAMPS WERE PRINTED ON WHATEVER PAPER WAS AVAILABLE AS
BETWEEN 1982 AND 1990 EVERYTHING WAS SCARCE IN POLAND. THIS GIVES
RISE TO VARIETIES WHICH ARE DISTINGUISHED BETWEEN BY THE DISCERNING
SPECIALIST.
AS FAR AS I AM AWARE, BASED ON THE MATERIAL I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN,
THIS ISSUE EXISTS ONLY ON ONE KIND OF PAPER
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SCAN IS A STOCK SCAN. YOU WILL RECEIVE STAMPS
OF A SIMILAR QUALITY
THIS PROPAGANDA STAMP SET WAS ISSUED BY THE POLISH UNDERGROUND
SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT AS A DIVERSIFICATION STATEMENT AGAINST MARTIAL
LAW WHICH HAD BEEN DECLARED BY THE COMMUNIST AUTHORITIES IN POLAND.
IT IS A VERY RARE AND COLLECTABLE ITEM . THE UNDERGROUND MEMBERS
WHO ISSUED THIS STAMP RISKED A LOT, BECAUSE IF CAUGHT THEY WOULD
HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED WITHOUT TRIAL.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A UNIQUE PIECE OF HISTORY. IT IS A
MUST FOR EVERY SERIOUS HISTORIAN AND COLLECTOR OF THIS PERIOD AND
WILL MAKE AN INTERESTING ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION.
General Wojciech Jaruzelski announced the introduction of martial
law in a speech first broadcast on radio and television at 6:00 am
on December 13, 1981. In order to isolate members of the opposition
(from the Solidarity movement), 52 internment centers were created.
A total of 10,132 internment orders were issued against 9,736
people during the period of martial law.
The Pacification of Wujek was a
strike-breaking action by the Polish police and army at the
Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice in Poland, culminating in the
massacre of nine striking miners on December 16, 1981.
It was part of a large-scale action aimed to break the Solidarity
free trade union after the introduction of martial law in
Poland in 1981. Although the strike was suppressed, in a
longer term, it turned out to be a milestone towards the collapse
of the communist system in Poland and, ultimately, to the
collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
On December 16, three days after the introduction of the martial
law in Poland, pro-Solidarity miners striking against the
declaration of martial law were dispersed by the troops of the
Polish army and police. The forces used in the main thrust against
the miners consisted of eight companies of riot police (ZOMO,
supported by ORMO (police reservists) and NOMO) with seven water
cannons, three companies of military infantry vehicles (each
of 10 vehicles) and one company of tanks. The miners repeatedly
fought them off with their tools. During the brawl a number of
strikers and 41 troops were injured, including 11 severely.
In the apex of the events, a commando-type special platoon of ZOMO
opened the "shoot to kill" fire at the strikers, killing nine of
them (Jan Stawisiński, Joachim Gnida, Józef Czekalski,
Krzysztof Giza, Ryszard Gzik, Bogusław Kopczak, Andrzej
Pełka, Zbigniew Wilk and Zenon Zając) and wounding 21
others. One of the deaths took place after 20 or more days in
hospital with severe head-wounds.
