Early Life
Pfefferberg was born into a Jewish family in Kraków, Austro-Hungarian Empire. He gained a master's degree in philosophy and physical education from the Jagiellonian University, Kraków. He then became a high-school teacher in Kraków until 1939. He became the physical education professor at Kosciuszko Gymnasium in Podgórze.
In 1939 he joined the Polish Army and took part in the defense of Poland against the German invasion. He later explained to the Australian novelist Thomas Keneally how he was wounded on the San River where his life was saved by his sergeant major, who carried him to a field hospital.
Read more about this topic: Poldek Pfefferberg
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