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Background history
Ludwik Lilpop, an officer cadet of the Polish Army, a prisoner-of-war in stalags VI B Neu-Versen and VI G Bergneustadt, was born in 1918 to a well-known family of Warsaw-based industrialists and clockmakers, patrons of the arts and art collectors, who were famous for their love for the theater. The young Lilpop did not follow into his ancestors’ footsteps and decided to make a career in the army instead. He entered a military cadets’ school, becoming a candidate for the first officer’s rank (Second Lieutenant). The outbreak of World War II put an end to his education and on 1 October 1939, as a young officer cadet, he found himself in the German captivity. Ludwik’s case offered a classic example of an officer cadet of the pre-war Polish Army: the social background of students in officer cadet schools could vary; however, the majority of them came from environments of intelligentsia and landed gentry, or – like Lilpop – from families of well-off entrepreneurs. A factor shared by all officer cadets, though, was their education and young age, the latter being an asset typically connected with self-confidence, an unshaken belief in ideals, enthusiasm, zeal and also courage. These features of the young age and bravado accompanying it, turned out extremely useful in the battle-field, where students of military schools many a time demonstrated exceptional heroism. Following the September defeat of the Polish Army, officer cadets who were taken captive by the Wehrmacht made a group of disobedient POWs, who bothered camp personnel the most by, among others, undertaking to escape in most inventive, daring and risky ways or making lightly of the obligation to work. When Ludwik Lilpop’s shirt, with which he came to be detained, got worn out, one of his mates sewed a new one for him, which was exceedingly serviceable. He made if using scraps of good material which came from supplied for POWs of the allied Forces. The shirt was a precious item of clothing and served Lilpop right until the end of the captivity, which ended on 30 April 1945, at the moment of the liberation of Stalag VI G Bergneustadt by the American Army. The shirt was sentimentally kept by him for many years after the war.
Prepared by: Sebastian Mikulec
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Ludwik Lilpop’s shirt
Source of acquisition
Gift from Ludwik Lilpop, who – in 1991– presented the shirt to the Museum, enriching the exhibition “Officer Cadets in the Wehrmacht captivity”.
Description of the item
Man’s shirt in size 52, with a straight triangular collar and short sleeves made of thin khaki flax linen, opening all the way down the front; fastened with seven plastic buttons similar in color to the material; on its front, at the height of the chest, symmetrically on either side, two rectangular sewn on buttoned pockets.
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