Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Confessions of a Home Army Executioner: A Memoir of the Polish Home Army by Marek Sobieralski is a profound and harrowing account of the moral complexities of war. The memoir chronicles the experiences of Stefan Dąmbski, a young man who joined the Polish Home Army at the tender age of 16 and quickly became an executioner, carrying out death sentences during the Nazi occupation of Poland.

Sobieralski’s translation of Dąmbski’s memoirs offers readers a rare glimpse into the psyche of a man who was both a patriot and an executioner. The narrative is gripping, not just for its historical significance but for its deep exploration of the human condition under the extreme pressures of war. Dąmbski’s reflections on heroism, patriotism, guilt, and the essence of war itself are presented with raw honesty and emotional depth.

The book is described as “moral dynamite” by historian Norman Davies, and rightly so. It detonates any romanticized notions of war, revealing the grim reality of what men are capable of in such dire circumstances, and more importantly, what war does to men. The moral struggle that Dąmbski endures throughout his life, questioning the very acts he was compelled to commit in the name of war, is a testament to the enduring human spirit’s quest for meaning and redemption.

Sobieralski’s meticulous translation preserves the intensity of Dąmbski’s original Polish memoir, making it accessible to an English-speaking audience. The foreword by Roger Moorhouse and the introduction by Sobieralski himself add layers of historical context and insight, enriching the reader’s understanding of the events and their impact.

Confessions of a Home Army Executioner is a moral inquiry into the darkest corners of human actions during war. It is a significant contribution to the literature on World War II and a must-read for anyone seeking to comprehend the complex tapestry of human morality in times of conflict. This book is a powerful reminder that history is not just about events, but about the individuals who live through them and are forever changed by their experiences.

Note: I received a free unpublished proof of this book, for a limited time, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

This was a very interesting, but very heavy, book about World War II. Before I get into the review, this is definitely a book that I would only recommend to adults (18+). There are a lot of graphic descriptions of real-life violence, from the perspective of someone who actually did it. There is also a great deal of discussion of Nazism, the Holocaust, murder, rape, war crimes, guns, Soviet oppression, death, and war. I will not describe any of these events graphically in this review, but this book is literally centered around all of these things.

The book largely consists of a memoir written by Stefan Dambski, the titular Home Army Executioner; an American citizen who emigrated from Poland during WWII after serving in Poland’s Home Army. However, there is also some commentary/introduction of the memoir by other writers, including forewords by two other writers, an introduction by Sobieralski, who translated the work from Polish into English; and Dambski’s daughter Teresa.

One thing that instantly impressed me about this book was Dambski’s ability to condense such a dark and thought-provoking narrative into such a short book. The entire text is less than 200 pages long. Yet it never feels like anything is “missing”—while there are almost certainly aspects of his experience that he did not include in the book, he does a great job of giving the “gist” of what happened.

The Home Army was a multifaceted organization in Poland during WWII, which first fought against the Nazis, then later the Soviets and Ukrainians. The Home Army did have its own nationalist views to some extent, though the entire history and views of the organization are not discussed in this book. Dambski, as an executioner, was sent to kill Nazis, those collaborating with Nazis, then later Soviets and Ukrainians, including civilians who were not involved in any of the Ukrainian attacks on the Polish.

Reading the narrative forces the reader to ask themselves many questions, most of which have no easy answers. Were Dambski’s actions justified? If so, to what extent? While resisting the Nazis was ultimately a good thing, were Dambski and the Home Army actually resisting because of the Nazis’ genocide of Jewish people and others the Nazis wanted to eliminate, or were they only doing it out of a sense of Polish nationalism? Were their actions effective? Were Dambski’s actions against the Ukrainians, many of whom were uninvolved with the conflict, the result of his moral callousness after years of executing people? Did he want to remain loyal to the Home Army? Why did the Home Army make decisions with such different moral underpinnings and implications over time? Even Dambski himself does not have clear answers to these questions.

Personally, I found it very interesting to read the true, grim story of a teenager going down the path of politically-motivated killings and changing as a person because of it, as well as how he saw the events later on. As memoirist, Dambski certainly shows remorse for his actions given the benefit of hindsight. His narrative raises the point that regardless of the intentions or the merits of resisting the Nazis, it is simply unavoidable that war and killing will have a negative effect on people. Even a war that was completely justified would still lead to massive trauma for everyone involved. I was impressed that the book managed to raise questions about war in general, despite focusing on one particular situation.

I definitely recommend this book if you are interested in the subject matter.

Confessions of a Home Army Executioner by Marek Sobieralski is the riveting memoir of Stefan Dąmbski who at a young age joined Armia Krajowa in German-occupied Poland during World War II. He eventually volunteered to execute Nazi enemies and Polish compatriots, a grim and distasteful job.

Horrendous details aren't glossed over. But war is devastating in every way. Stefan exhibited a cold detachment as would be necessary under such circumstances. He didn't take his violent duties lightly and described how he was able to kill, how he felt about it and the effects on him. The tone is matter of fact and he didn't glorify his actions. Getting into his mind was fascinating and unsettling. Not an easy read, naturally, but an important one.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this engrossing book.

Stefan Dambski (3 December 1925 -13 Jan 1993), was born in Nosowka, Poland.Dąmbski joined the Home Army (Armia Krajowa),the anti-German resistance movement in occupied Poland, at the age of 16 and soon volunteered to carry out death sentences on both Nazi enemies and colluding Polish compatriots.The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasions in September 1939.Over the next 2 years, the Home Army absorbed most of the other Polish partisans and underground forces. Its allegiance was to the Polish government-in-exile in London, and it constituted the armed wing of what came to be known as the Polish Underground State.The Home Army sabotaged German transports bound for the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union, destroying German supplies and tying down substantial German forces.It also fought pitched battles against the Germans, particularly in 1943 and in Operation Tempest from January 1944. The Home Army's most widely known operation was the Warsaw Uprising of August–October 1944. The Home Army also defended Polish civilians against atrocities through assassinating prominent Nazi collaborators and Gestapo officials in retaliation; prominent individuals assassinated by the Home Army included Igo Sym (1941) and Franz Kutschera (1944).There were ethnic clashes and long-standing tensions with Ukrainians and Lithuanians.The Home Army's allegiance to the Polish government-in-exile caused the Soviet government to consider the Home Army to be an impediment to the introduction of a communist-friendly government in Poland, which hindered cooperation and in some cases led to outright conflict as relations worsened. On 19 January 1945, after the Red Army had cleared most Polish territory of German forces, the Home Army was disbanded.Home Army troops were arrested, imprisoned, or executed immediately afterwards. Stefan Dambski was lucky to land in the US postwar.
This is a moral tale filled with self-accusation and guilt, as Dąmbski struggles and questions notions of heroism, patriotism and the very act of war itself.

A truly chilling read.

The author has given a no thrills look at how it was to be in the polish home army during the invasions of both Germany and Russia during the time of WW2.

The unique insight into the life of an executioner during that time is important to understand but the matter of fact way that it is described is factual and on a human side haunting.

this had the memoir elements that I was looking for. It had a great story to tell and it felt like I got to know Stefan Dąmbski. It had everything that I was looking for from a memoir.

Stefan Dąmbski joined the Polish Home Army in 1942 when he was just 16 years old. The Home Army formed the military wing of the Polish Underground, the resistance movement established to fight the Nazi occupation of Poland during the Second World War. During this occupation, the Home Army passed death sentences on hundreds of individuals – both Nazi enemies and colluding Polish compatriots. As one of the few Home Army members who volunteered to carry out these death sentences, the young Dąmbski quickly became a seasoned executioner.

This is quite a short book but filled with events, some raw and brutal but all seems honest. The “resistance” is usually attributed to the French during the world wars but this shows that it happened all over Europe. This is not a book for the faint hearted. In fact, it just becomes a tale of brutality, murder and rape. Which somehow detracts from the initial story of freedom fighters defending their country and just descends into murderous mayhem. This spoiled, what was initially people fighting for survival and turning it into unregulated carnage. For me, this spoiled the memoir and turned into a boast.

“The local population, as always, was at the mercy of people who were participating in the war.”

Stefan Dąmbski’s recollections of his time in the Polish Home Army during the Second World War are a sobering reminder of what violence humans are capable. He speaks only of actions he committed, or witnessed, and does not speculate as to the actions of others. The matter-of-fact way in which Dąmbski describes his “liquidation” work gives the impression of a cold-hearted man. It feels easy to condemn Dąmbski for such brutal wartime actions, but he knows this and condemns himself. There is no celebration or righteousness evident, and he does not seek absolution. Dąmbski provides context for his decisions and shares his understanding of why he and some of his fellows participated in executions.

On a larger scale, this book helps to fill a gap in understanding Europe’s resistance movements during the Second World War. As noted in the introductory materials, most attention is given to the French resistance in English-language books and media covering Nazi resistance in Europe. There are myriad reasons for this – one perhaps being the danger for Eastern Europeans who found themselves in Soviet-controlled states after the war, like Dąmbski himself – but the result is the same. Dąmbski helps to fill in some of those missing pieces.

Confessions of a Home Army Executioner is an important addition to popular understanding of the Second World War in Europe. Beyond that, it is also an incredible look into the mind of a young man in the grips of war. I would recommend this to anyone – both inside and outside of higher education.