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USAAF 1944 Warsaw Uprising Airlift Memorial View more USAAF 1944 Warsaw Uprising Airlift Memorial
USAAF 1944 Warsaw Uprising Airlift Memorial
Boleslaw Kochanowski has a key role in the upcoming dedication of the USAAF Airlift 1944 Warsaw Uprising Memorial at Huset Park in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. The memorial, honoring the crew of the B-17G Flying Fortress I’ll Be Seeing You, will be unveiled on Saturday, September 21. The aircraft was shot down during a mission in support of the Warsaw Uprising on September 18, 1944.
Kochanowski’s stainless-steel sculpture, reminiscent of the aircraft’s wings, is an enlarged version of the original memorial located in Łomianki, Poland, which was designed by Ewelina Gdak of Gdak Studio in Kielce, Poland. To the sculpture's original design, Kochanowski was asked to add the Kotwica emblem, a symbol of the Polish resistance movement, Polska Walcząca (Fighting Poland). The emblem is formed by the stacked letters "P" and "W" and resembles an anchor, representing steadfastness and resistance. The Łomianki site marks the crash of I’ll Be Seeing You during Operation Frantic 7, a mission that supported Polish resistance fighters. Of the ten crew members aboard, eight perished, including Staff Sergeant Walter Shimshock, a native of Columbia Heights.
Commissioned by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in Poland, Kochanowski was tasked with recreating and enlarging the memorial for the U.S. dedication. This project was made possible through a collaboration between Sister Cities Łomianki-Columbia Heights, the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM), and the City of Columbia Heights, along with other supporting organizations.
In addition to local dignitaries, representatives from Poland—including IPN Deputy President, Mateusz Szpytma, and Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw—are expected to attend the dedication.
The event will highlight the historical ties between Poland and the United States, honoring the shared sacrifices made during World War II. The dedication ceremony will begin at 1 PM at Huset Park, with additional events planned earlier and later in the day.
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