Kotwica

The "Kotwica" (IPA| [ˌkɔt'fiʦa] ; Polish for "Anchor") was a World War II emblem of the Polish Secret State and "Armia Krajowa" (Home Army, or "AK"). It was created in 1942 by members of the "AK" Wawer "Small Sabotage" unit as an easily-usable emblem for the Polish struggle to regain independence. The "Anchor" is a combination of the letters PW, standing for "Polska Walcząca" ("Fighting Poland") . It also stands for "Wojsko Polskie" ("Polish Army") and "Powstanie Warszawskie" ("Warsaw Uprising").

The "Kotwica" was first painted on walls in Warsaw, as a psychological-warfare tactic against the occupying Germans, by Polish boy scouts on March 20, 1942. On June 27, 1942, a new tradition was born: to commemorate the patron saint's day of Polish President Władysław Raczkiewicz and Commander-in-Chief Władysław Sikorski, members of the "Armia Krajowa" stamped several hundred copies of the German-backed propaganda newspaper, "Nowy Kurier Warszawski" (The New Warsaw Courier), with the "Kotwica". Initially, only 500 copies were so stamped; the following year, the number reached 7,000.

On February 18, 1943, the Armia Krajowa's commander, General Stefan Rowecki, issued an order specifying that all sabotage, partisan and terrorist actions be signed with the "Kotwica". On February 25, the official organ of the Armia Krajowa, Biuletyn Informacyjny, called the Kotwica "the sign of the underground Polish Army". Soon the symbol gained enormous popularity and became recognized by most Poles. During the later stages of the war, most of the political and military organizations in Poland (even those not related to Armia Krajowa) adopted it as their symbol. It was painted on the walls of Polish cities, stamped on German banknotes and post stamps, printed in the headers of the underground newspapers and books, and it became one of the symbols of the Warsaw Uprising.

After World War II, Poland's communist authorities banned the "Kotwica". Used by most associations of former "Armia Krajowa" members in exile, it was strictly prohibited in Poland. As the communist grip weakened, the symbol was no longer censored, and in 1976 it became one of the symbols of Ruch Obrony Praw Człowieka i Obywatela (ROPCiO), an anti-communist organization defending human rights in Poland. Later it was also adopted by various other anti-communist political organizations, ranging from the rightist Konfederacja Polski Niepodleglej (KPN) of Leszek Moczulski to the leftist Solidarność Walcząca ("Fighting Solidarity").

ee also

* Cross of Lorraine - symbol of the Free French
* H7 - symbol of Haakon VII of Norway
* OZO (short for "Oranje Zal Overwinnen", "The House of Orange Shall Prevail") - the symbol of the Free Dutch
* W - symbol of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands