People's Republic of Poland Warsaw Uprising Cross with ID Card: Bożena Stapf Mazurek — Gozdawa Battalion: Old Town, Kanały, Śródmieście

The Warsaw Uprising Cross, along with its certificate. The Warsaw Uprising Cross takes the form of a silver-plated and oxidized equal-armed cross. On its obverse is a white-and-red band featuring the symbol of Fighting Poland (“The Anchor”) and the date “August 1, 1944.” The reverse bears the inscription “To the Warsaw Insurgents” and a laurel wreath. The decoration is suspended from a navy blue ribbon with a white-and-red stripe in the center and black stripes reminiscent of the colors of the Order of Virtuti Militari. The cross was awarded to Bożena Stapf, Leon’s daughter.
Dimensions of the Cross: 42 mm × 42 mm.
Dimensions of the certificate: 160 mm × 110 mm.
Bożena Stapf, alias “Kotka,” was born on May 4, 1928, in Warsaw, the daughter of Leon Stapf and Maria (née Rościszewska). Before the Warsaw Uprising, she lived in Zalesie Górne. During the Uprising, she served as a liaison officer with the rank of senior rifleman.
She fought in the ranks of the Home Army, initially in the “North” Group, within the “Sienkiewicz” unit, and later in the “Kuba”–“Sosna,” in the “Gozdawa” battalion. Her combat route took her through the Old Town, the sewers, and Northern Downtown. After the Uprising’s capitulation, she was taken prisoner by the Germans.
Her sister Grażyna “Petek,” a soldier in the “Czata 49” battalion, also participated in the Warsaw Uprising. Bożena’s father, Leon Stapf, was a career sapper officer and one of the first identified victims of the Katyn massacre. The family learned of his death in 1943.