Wacław Krzeptowski

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Wacław Krzeptowski (1897-1945) was one of the leaders of the Goralenvolk during World War II. Before the German occupation he had been chairman of the Peasant Party in Nowy Targ. In the early years of the war, he lobbied Hans Frank in favor of his plan to establish an independent state for his ethnic group in southern Poland. This project proved to be a failure due to lack of support among the local population.

During the German-Soviet war, Krzeptowski tried - with limited success - to recruit soldiers for his "Goralenlegion" to fight alongside the Axis Powers. At the end of the war, he refused to flee to Germany and instead tried to continue the fight against the Soviets in the mountains of his native region, where he was captured soon thereafter by the Home Army and executed for high treason.