An excellent collection of memorabilia of Warsaw insurgent Pvt. Officer Cadet Zbigniew Rawicz-Roesseler a.k.a. "Bob", soldier of the legendary "Parasol" battalion.
Zbigniew Rawicz-Roesseler a.k.a. "Bob", son of Stefan and Malgorzata (née Lavocat) Rawicz-Roesseler, born on 25.05.1924 in Kcynia. During the conspiracy he was a soldier of the "Pegaz" company, from the summer of 1944 a soldier of the 1st company-battalion "Parasol". During the Warsaw Uprising, with the rank of senior cadet rifleman, he served in the 1st company of the "Parasol" battalion, part of the famous "Radoslaw" grouping. Together with his battalion he went through the combat route, which began in Wola, through the Old Town and, after passing through the sewers after its fall, made his way to Srodmiescie, from where he continued on with other soldiers of the "Parasol" battalion to Upper Czerniakow, from where he later crossed the Vistula River. Zbigniew Rawicz-Roesseler survived the war. After the war he became a journalist. He died in Warsaw.
Among the many memorabilia in the group, several items stand out:
- A German Pilot's winter version,
- a pair of leather gloves
- a silver German coin from 1939
- a veteran's patch of the "Parasol" battalion
- Ribbon for the Virtuti Militari Cross.
The most interesting items being in the set, by far, is a -German pilot's badge designed for German airmen and a pair of gloves. These items were used by Zbigniew Rawicz-Roesseler alias "Bob" during the Warsaw Uprising. The use of these types of pilots by the Warsaw Uprising "channelers," among others, is well documented, thanks to surviving photographs showing insurgents wearing this type of headgear. An amazing and rare set of memorabilia of a soldier of the famous "Parasol" battalion. Original pieces of uniforms used by Warsaw Insurgents are hard to find artifacts on the collector's market.
