Witalis Misiak

Witalis Misiak was a Polish military general who was a member of the Polish Army before creating and leading the White Dawn.

Misiak was born in Warsaw in 1968 and joined the military. Misiak was executed by the Home Army in 2019 which was shared online.

Early Life
Misiak was born in Warsaw to his father, a colonel in the Polish army and his mother who helped run a bank. Misiak became disillusioned to communist rule in Poland due to his father's communist sympathies and views and joined underground resistance groups which he attended with his mother and helped spread anti-communist propaganda. Misiak grew to resent his father and began to share similar views to his mother who fed anti-communist ideas and views to. Abram Misiak was born and Misiak and his mother helped "re-educate" his younger brother against his father's wishes. However the re-education caused the young Abram to become disillusioned with the anti-communist ideas and ended up rejecting it completely. Abram reported his mother and Misiak to the secret police which arrested his father, mother and Misiak on grounds of treason. Abram was also arrested as well. His parent's fate is largely unknown and they were not seen again.

Misiak was released after suffering severe mental trauma and physical wounds but was released. It is likely that both Witalis and Abram were released with Abram being given a new identity due to his young age. Witalis was a teenager and his juvenile age and attitude seemed to be little threat to the state according to the secret police. He continued his underground anti-communist meetings and later joined the ROPCiO and helped publish books and pamphlets, spreading them throughout Poland. Misiak was arrested during a brawl between members of ROPCiO and some police during protests and as a result Misiak was expelled from school at age 17. With nowhere left to go, Misiak joined the military out of desperation.

Military Career
Misiak joined the army in 1970 and despite his previous records of arrest he was allowed in. Misiak was praised for his discipline and intelligence, which earned him a promotion to Sergeant and eventually was promoted to Lieutenant. After around 7 years of active service, Misiak was promoted to Major following the previous Major entering retirement. Misiak was well respected by his men but was constantly monitored by the Polish secret police. Several of Misiak's men were arrested and accused of being indoctrinated by Misiak's anti-communist beliefs. They were discharged from the army following their arrest.

Fall of the Soviet Union
When Poland declared independence and the USSR collapsed a year later in 1991, Misiak was promoted to Colonel and then hastily promoted to General. A demilitarisation of the country and sudden power vacuum in government had allowed Misiak to climb quickly up the ranks and in only the space of around 6 months Misiak went from Major to General.

Iraq Campaign
Misiak and his men were deployed to Iraq during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and he led a brigade of men as a part of the 17-nation Multinational Division Central-South. Misiak oversaw the Najaf Province in southern Iraq which included 5 major cities. Misiak controlled the division from 2003 - 2004 and upon his return home was awarded many medals.

Warsaw Crisis
During the outbreak of the Warsaw Crisis, Misiak remained loyal to the Republic. However after being ordered to violently destroy the Solidarity Movement, Misiak abandoned the Republic. He had sympathy towards to the Solidarity Movement and its rebellious ways. However on the 14th of November, Misiak abandoned the Solidarity Movement following its integration into the brand new Commonwealth of Poland. Misiak disliked the centralisation of the Commonwealth and hated the integration of multiple Neo-Nazi and fascistic rifle militias into the Commonwealth army. Misiak fled and created White Dawn.

White Dawn and Civil War
Upon founding the White Dawn, Misiak embarked on a series of guerrilla campaigns which targeted and destroyed Commonwealth and Republic areas. Misiak was known best for his highly effective guerrilla raids on Republic bases where his troops appeared out of seemingly nowhere and disappeared leaving little trace. For his guerrilla tactic, Misiak was dubbed "The Phantom General". Despite the initial success, several large scale battles put the White Dawn at the disadvantage as it was not equipped or supplied for long and large engagements. As a result White Dawn shrunk dramatically and culminated in Misiak's capture.

Capture and Execution
Misiak was retreating from an engagement against the Commonwealth of Poland when his small convoy was ambushed by armed civilians near Krakow. After a four hour long engagement, Misiak and his staff were arrested and given to the Home Army. He was put on trial by the Home Army and following an hour long trial, was sentenced to death for treason and crimes against the state. Whilst being filmed, Misiak was executed by firing squad. The video was then uploaded to Twitter and was viewed by millions. A few weeks later, his family was captured by the Home Army. On a Facebook live stream, his wife and 14 year old daughter was raped before being shot dead. His two sons were tortured to death on the live stream. Their bodies were thrown into a canal and were recovered by American troops weeks later.