English Heritage is appealing to relatives of the Polish Army-in-exile’s famous Silent Unseen agents to tell their stories. This week marks 80 years since the first mission of the Silent Unseen – a clandestine force of elite special operations paratroopers who jumped into Nazi-occupied Poland.

The Silent Unseen, or „Cichociemny”, trained with the British Special Operations Executive – the SOE. Made up of volunteer Poles fighting with the Western Allies, the Silent Unseen parachuted behind enemy lines to link up with and assist the Polish Home Army in fighting the German occupation.

On the night of 15-16 February 1941, Captain Józef Zabielski and Major Stanisław Krzymowski, along with a political courier named Czesław Raczkowski, dropped into Poland close to the town of Cieszyn. They would go on to link up with Polish underground forces.

More than 300 Silent Unseen would go on to assist with resistance efforts in Poland including the Warsaw Uprising. They would also gather crucial intelligence including on the infamous V1 and V2 rocket programmes towards the end of the war.

Now, English Heritage – a charity which preserves historical monuments in England – is appealing for relatives of the renowned paratroopers to tell their stories. English Heritage staff yesterday laid a wreath at a memorial to the Silent Unseen at Audley End House, near Cambridge, where nearly 600 Cichociemny trained.

Read more at english-heritage.org.uk.

More than 2.1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Poland, that’s according to figures from the Ministry of Health.

At just under 6 doses per 100 people, the figure puts Poland slightly above the EU average, but behind the US and the UK which have both seen especially speedy vaccine rollouts. EU countries have been hit with supply issues and reduced vaccine supply in recent weeks, slowing distribution across all member states. Despite that, more than 21 million doses have been distributed throughout the bloc.

Since all currently in-use vaccines need two shots to develop full immunity, the figure of 2.1 million doses does not translate to 2.1 million people. About 1.5 million first doses have been administered, with 645 000 people getting their second dose so far.

Democratic Party lawmakers in the United States have said an independent commission will be set up to investigate the January 6th attack on the US Congress building.

Writing in a letter to fellow lawmakers yesterday, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said an „outside, independent” inquiry would be launched to investigate the riot which left at least five people dead and the halls of Congress ransacked.

The investigation, which has been compared to the inquiry that followed the September 11th 2001 attacks, follows the end of the trial of former President Donald Trump, who had been accused of inciting the riot. Mr Trump was acquitted by the US Senate last week after enough Republican Party senators voted to block his conviction.

In Gdansk, five companies have come forward with offers to design a new rail link to the south of the city.

Companies from Gdansk, Poznan, and Warsaw have presented offers to design the 'PKM South’ – a proposed extension of the popular PKM, or Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway, into the southern districts of the Gdansk.

The plans range in cost from PLN 3.6 million to PLN 6.6 million and would be prepared by mid-2023.

The original PKM, which was opened as recently as 2015, runs from Gdansk and Gdynia out to Kościerzyna and Kartuzy in Kashubia. The railway has already proved extremely popular, carrying commuters from the suburbs into the city centre as well as serving Gdansk Airport and the Kashubian lake country for tourists.

The PKM has struggled with capacity, however, and there have been growing calls to expand the network and increase capacity by electrifying tracks.

Weather 

A return to chilly temperatures today with highs of -3C, that’s 26F. Sunny spells with some clouds as we head into the afternoon, clouding over later in the day. A chance for some snow overnight with heavy snowfall expected tomorrow.

Thomas Holdstock/mw