Ludwig Panek
Born on 15 July 1923 in Kaclin (Poland). His family moved to Guegnon (Saône), close to the future demarcation line, in 1925. Ludwik joined the Resistance (POWN-Monika) in 1941. He helped to smuggle escapees from German prison camps in the occupied zone to the free zone. When the free zone was occupied, Ludwig was sent to the Vercors to monitor the arrival of students at the Cyprian Norwid Polish high school and report back to Colonel Huet's military staff. It was in these circumstances that he was admitted to the high school in 1943. He was on holiday at home when the Vercors uprising broke out. He did not return to the high school, but joined Lieutenant Topor's Polish partisans, most of whom were Poles who had been forced into the German army. After the war, Ludwig joined the American army, where he monitored German prisoners. He took advantage of a convoy to return to Poland.