HOME ARMY and WARSAW UPRISING

HOME ARMY and WARSAW UPRISING INDEX: 1939-1942; Beginning of Secret Army; the ZWZ period 1942-1943; Home Army (AK) in Underground War 1944-1945; "Tempest". Warsaw Uprising. Dissolution of AK Notes and Links
1939 - 1942; THE BEGINNING OF A SECRET ARMY. THE "ZWZ" PERIOD
The failed September campaign in 1939 and the division of Poland into two occupied zones, German and Soviet, did not break the will of the Polish people to continue its fight for freedom.In Warsaw, before the surrender, a secret military organization was set up with the approval of the Supreme Commander, who was already in Romania. General Michael Karszewicz-Tokarzewski took command and gave it the name "Słuźba Zwycięstwu Polski" (Service for Poland's Victory), or "SZP". In addition, both in Warsaw and in other places in the country, many other secret groups sprang up. Some were organized by army officers, who had avoided being taken prisoner, others were initiated by groups from political parties or by groups of friends.
SZP immediately sought for ways to cooperate with the political parties, which had been in opposition to the government before September 1939, but which now had become the base of the Polish Coalition Government, which was formed in France. A Head Council is formed at SPZ command center, which consists of representatives of three Polish parties - the Polish Socialist Party, the Peasant Party (Partia Ludowa) and the National Party. The new Polish Government, now situated in Angers near Paris, in December 1939 created "Związek Walki Zbrojnej - (ZWZ)" (Union for Armed Struggle) with the " aim of creating centers of national resistance " and "rebuilding the Polish nation through armed struggle ". The ZWZ was based on the organizational network of the SPZ. Col. Stefan Rowecki was named ZWZ Commander for the area of German occupation and based in Warsaw; Gen. Tokarzewski was named Commander for the Soviet occupied area. Trying to cross the border between zones in March 1940, Gen Tokarzewski was arrested and taken deep into Russia.
Decrees of the Polish Government stipulated that ZWZ is "universal, national, non-party and non-class " and that it would include all Poles wishing to fight against the occupants. They further stipulated that ZWZ is "a secret military organization, based on strict principles of hierarchy and discipline." The decrees called upon all similar organizations in the country to subordinate themselves to the ZWZ Commanders appointed by the Supreme Commander. Joining the ZWZ required taking an oath of obedience and secrecy. The Head Council functioning at the SPZ was transformed into the "Polityczny Komitet Porozumiewawczy - (PKP)," (Political Coordinating Committee), enlarged by the addition of representatives of the Labor Party (Partia Pracy). Kazimierz Pużak, of the Polish Socialist Party, was elected Chairman of the Committee.
After the fall of France in June 1940, the Polish Government moved to London and established the Supreme Command of the ZWZ in Poland. Gen. Rowecki, in Warsaw, was appointed Commander-in-Chief, to be solely in charge of military matters. At the government-in-exile a Ministerial Committee for Homeland Affairs was set up. Authority in Poland was thus split between military and civil. The position of Chief Government Delegate was established to be In charge of political and administrative affairs in Poland, who was to deal with political matters in consultation with the party representatives in the Political Coordinating Committee. At the end of 1940 the President of Poland (located in London) appointed Cyryl Ratajski, a member of the Labor Party, as Chief Government Delegate. Immediately the task of preparing a working organization, the so called "Delegatura."
During the years 1939-1941, the main efforts of the ZWZ were directed towards organizational work preparing for later military action. During this period a large number of the independent military groups, that had sprung up after September 1939, were incorporated into ZWZ. At the same time ZWZ was fighting the occupants on three fronts: propaganda, reconnaissance and sabotage. Informational and propaganda activity consists of printing secret bulletins, periodicals and news-sheets which were widely distributed among the population. In addition to the publications of ZWZ and the Delegatura, political parties and various ad-hoc groups were also distributing secret literature. ZWZ was carrying out intelligence activities in occupied Poland as well as in Germany itself. It obtains and sends to London a series of important information, the most important being about the preparations for a German attack against the Soviet Union. ZWZ warned that this attack would come in June 1941; in fact it started June 22. Sabotage activities were directed primarily against economic targets that contributed to the German war effort, industry and transportation. The development of ZWZ was not equally successful in all areas of Poland. In central Poland, which had been made into a separate administrative entity called the "General-Gouvernment" with its capital in Cracow, organization moved along rapidly and work was carried out successfully as planned. The western part of Poland had been incorporated directly into the German Reich, work was much more difficult, better results being obtained in the area of Łódż and Silesia than elsewhere. In eastern Poland the strong Soviet political-police controlled occupation created difficulties that were almost impossible to overcome. In south-eastern Poland, around Lvov, organizational attempts were frequently infiltrated by Soviet spies. In north-eastern Poland, around Vilno and Bialystok efforts were more successful. After the German offensive, these areas fell under strict military and SS control. In early 1942, in the north-east Soviet guerilla units spent as much time fighting Polish units as they did the German enemy. In the south-east, Ukrainian nationalism developed with a strong anti-Polish bias, abetted by the Germans. Consequently, the area of the "General-Gouvernment" was the most fruitful base for conspiratorial activity and planning for a general uprising towards the end of the war.
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1942 - 1943: HOME ARMY (AK) IN UNDERGROUND WAR
After Gen. Sosnkowski resigned from the government-in-exile in July 1941 (protesting the Polish-Soviet Military Convention), The Supreme Commander Gen. Sikorski placed ZWZ under his direct control. He issued an order 0n February 14,1942 changing the ZWZ into the "Armia Krajowa - AK" (Home Army), with Gen. Rowecki as Commander. During 1942-43 the unifying campaign had made great progress. The "Narodowa Organizacja Wojskowa" of the National Party and the "Peasant Battalions" of the Peasant Party both subordinated themselves to the command of the Home Army. Now the total number of sworn in members of the AK exceeded 300,000.
With the unqualified support of the civilian population, AK was able to develop increased activities. Secret meetings in small groups allowed stepped up training in accordance with the plans for a future uprising. Secret schools trained officer cadets and non-coms. The development of secret factories of weapons, ammunition and other materials proceeded fast. Radio methods were improved and provided for daily communications between the Home Army Commander and the Chief Delegate and their counterparts in England. The Supreme Commander was able to arrange for air supply from the West to Poland of weapons, and trained specialists for various functions in AK. The Intelligence Service of AK was able to monitor the German army and air force on the Eastern Front, and extended its activities to industry and ports in the Reich. An important success was providing information about the German rocket research in Peenemunde which lead to the successful air-raid of 17-18 August 1943. The diversionary propaganda action among Germans, that had started in 1941, was increased. Its aim was to create confusion and pessimism among the troops and officials of the administration. With London's approval, plans for the future general uprising were prepared. At the same time rules were established for the use of women in the Home Army and in the security forces during the uprising. Gen. Rowecki's ideas about active defense against the occupant included sabotage of all its activities that damaged the economy and the lives of the Polish population. A higher degree of active defense included armed diversions. These caused material damage and at the same time maintained an atmosphere among the population of actively fighting the enemy. Armed actions were carried out by plan - increased or decreased depending upon the general war situation. Towards the end of the war they would lead to the universal uprising.
When the German army was engaged in heavy fighting inside Russia in April 1942, the Supreme Commander issued an order to switch from sabotage to armed diversions. These were directed particularly at the transports to the front. They consisted of destruction of railroad and telephone installations, blowing up bridges, attacking troop trains, warehouses and airfields. They also included actions to free prisoners by attacking prisons and transports, attacks against administration and police personnel, armed actions to defend threatened AK's own installations as well as to receive allied air drops of material and personnel. During this period several hundred such actions took place, mainly in central Poland and the area of Warsaw.
In 1942 the Home Army also started guerilla operations. The first one commenced during the night of December 31, 1942 in the area of Zamosc, where the Germans had started a brutal removal of the Polish population in order to replace them with German farmers. The operation of the partisans in the forests near Zamosc and Krasnobrod lasted until mid-February 1943. The Germans used police and army battalions, tanks and warplanes. At the end of February the Germans dropped their colonization plans. Other large scale partisan operations developed in the forests between Radom and Kielce in central Poland, as well as in the area between vilno and Nowogrodek in the north-east. During 1942-43 the unifying campaign had made great progress. The "Narodowa Organizacja Wojskowa" of the National Party and the "Peasant Battalions" of the Peasant Party both subordinated themselves to the command of the Home Army. Now the total number of sworn in members of the AK exceeded 300,000.
With the unqualified support of the civilian population, AK was able to develop increased activities. Secret meetings in small groups allowed stepped up training in accordance with the plans for a future uprising. Secret schools trained officer cadets and non-comes. The development of secret factories of weapons, ammunition and other materials proceeded fast. Radio methods were improved and provided for daily communications between the Home Army Commander and the Chief Delegate and their counterparts in England. The Supreme Commander was able to arrange for air supply from the West to Poland of weapons, and trained specialists for various functions in AK. The Intelligence Service of AK was able to monitor the German army and air force on the Eastern Front, and extended its activities to industry and ports in the Reich. An important success was providing information about the German rocket research in Peenemunde which lead to the successful air-raid of 17-18 August 1943. The diversionary propaganda action among Germans, that had started in 1941, was increased. Its aim was to create confusion and pessimism among the troops and officials of the administration. With London's approval, plans for the future general uprising were prepared. At the same time the rules were established for the use of women in the Home Army and in the security forces during the uprising. Gen. Rowecki's ideas about active defense against the occupant include sabotage of all its activities that damaged the economy and the lives of the Polish population. A higher degree of active defense included armed diversions. These cause material damage and at the same time maintain an atmosphere among the population of actively fighting the enemy. Armed actions were carried out by plan - increased or decreased depending upon the general war situation. Towards the end of the war they would lead to the universal uprising.
When the German army was engaged in heavy fighting inside Russia in April 1942, the Supreme Commander issued an order to switch from sabotage to armed diversions. These were directed particularly at the transports to the front. They consisted of destruction of railroad and telephone installations, blowing up bridges, attacking troop trains, warehouses and airfields. They also included actions to free prisoners by attacking prisons and transports, attacks against administration and police personnel, armed actions to defend threatened AK's own installations as well as to receive allied air drops of material and personnel. During this period several hundred such actions took place, mainly in central Poland and the area of Warsaw.
In 1942 the Home Army also started guerilla operations. The first one commenced during the night of December 31, 1942 in the area of Zamosc, where the Germans had started a brutal removal of the Polish population in order to replace them with German farmers. The operation of the partisans in the forests near Zamosc and Krasnobrod lasted until mid-February 1943. The Germans used police and army battalions, tanks and warplanes. At the end of February the Germans dropped their colonization plans. Other large scale partisan operations developed in the forests between Radom and Kielce in central Poland, as well as in the area between vilno and Nowogrodek in the north-east.
June 30, 1943, the Home Army suffered a great loss. Gen. Stefan Rowecki was arrested. His deputy, Gen. "Bor" Komorowski took over as Commander of AK, Col. Tadeusz Pełczynski continued on as Chief-of-Staff. After Cyril Ratajski resigned in 1942, Jan Piekałkiewicz (Peasant Party) took over as Chief Government Delegate. He was arrested by the Germans in February 1943 and later died in prison. He was replaced by Jan Stanisław Jankowski (Labor Party). The organization of the Delegatura was enlarged by creating a network of underground civil administration down to county level. The cooperation of the political parties continued in the Political Coordinating Committee, upon which the Delegate depended. It was extended and early in 1944 it was replaced by the Council of National Unity.
Communist elements had been silent during the period of German-Soviet Alliance. They resumed anti-Polish and anti-German activities again after Germany attacked the Soviet Union. A pro-Soviet organization was created under the name Polish Workers Party - "Polska Partia Robotnicza (PPR)", with a military organization called People's Guard, later changed to Peoples Army "Armia Ludowa (AL)".
In 1943 it became clear that Germany was incapable of overcoming the enormous area of the Soviet Union and defeating the Soviet armed forces. The Soviets switched to the offensive on all fronts. It was to be expected that the Germans would retreat under the pressure of the Soviet armies advancing westward across the territory of the Polish republic. It was necessary to decide how the country should behave. Regarding the Germans it was clear - Poland was at war with them and would continue the fight to the end. Russia was also at war with Germany, but entering the territory of Poland would become a danger to Poland's independence. With each victory Russia increased its influence on the decisions of the Allies. Instead of an independent republic they wanted a Polish subservient state organized by them. Poland's situation became tragic.
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1944 - 1945; "TEMPEST" - WARSAW UPRISING - DISSOLUTION OF AK
Towards the end of 1943, the government-in-exile in London and the underground government at home make a decision. As the Germans retreat under Soviet pressure, the Home Army will increase its armed fight against them. AK Units fighting against the German army behind the front lines and representatives of the underground civilian government were ordered to reveal themselves to the advancing Soviet Army and present themselves as representative of the Polish Republic and act as hosts in their own country. The code name "Tempest" (in Polish "Burza") was given to this entire action. In addition the preparations for a universal Uprising in the event of a rapid breakdown of Germany were to continue at an increased pace.
"Tempest" lasted throughout 1944, its activities increasing or decreasing in phase with activities on the Eastern Front. It started in south-eastern Poland, in the Wołyn district, where it lasted from January to June 1944. In Bielorus action started June 23 1944, took in the areas of Vilno and Nowogrodek, then spreading to the regions of Białystok, Lublin and eastern Malopolska. At the end of July "Tempest" units crossed the rivers San and Vistula to the areas of Rzeszów and Sandomierz, Radom and close to Warsaw. Later they extended to the region of Cracow and the mountains to the south ("Podhale"). During action "Tempest", AK units of battalion or even regimental size fought dozens of battles with German units. The action of AK in Warsaw has passed to history as the Warsaw Uprising and constitutes a separate chapter.
The Soviets behaved in a hostile manner towards the Home Army units. After capturing an area they imprisoned the officers and men and transported them to camps deep in Russia. The Soviets decided to destroy AK and the civilian administration just because they represented the desire of the Polish people for independence. At the end of July 1944 the developments on the Eastern Front indicated an early entrance of Soviet troops into Warsaw. The Commander AK and Chief Delegate, in consultation with the Council of National Unity, determined that the capital city of Poland should be freed from the Germans by the action of Polish soldiers. The government-in-exile in London was advised about the readiness to start the battle.
August 1, at 5 p.m., units of AK under District Commander Col. Anthony Chrusciel "Monter" attacked the Germans simultaneously in the whole city. The enemy suffered considerable losses. Almost the entire city was occupied except for fortified areas defended by strong enemy detachments. Attacks continued for three days, after which the Germans started a strong counter-offensive supported by tanks, heavy artillery and planes. Immediately after fighting started in Warsaw, the Soviets halted their offensive and idly watched the insurgents' battle and the destruction of the city. After two months of struggle, when AK held less than 4 sq.km. in the city center, covered with the ruins of buildings sheltering 1/4 million civilian population, without food, water or ammunition, with no hope of outside intervention, the decision was taken to surrender. The act of surrender was signed October 2, 1944 and fighting halted. 20,000 AK soldiers and officers went to prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. The civilian population, which had fought heroically alongside the soldiers, regardless of age or sex, was evacuated from the city (most of the younger people were taken to work in German factories and farms - translator's note). Before leaving to prison camp, Gen. Bor-Komorowski transferred to Gen. Leopold Okulicki command over the Home Army remaining in the part central Poland still under German occupation. These units continued fighting until January 1945.
After the Soviet armies occupied the remainder of western Poland, based on a decision of the President of Poland (in London), Gen. Okulicki issued an order closing down the Home Army on January 19, 1945. On March 26, 1945, the Chief Delegate Jan Stanisław Jankowski, chairman of the Council of National Unity Kazimierz Puzak and Gen. Okulicki were invited to a meeting with Soviet authorities and were arrested. Transported to Moscow, they were tried with a group of 16 other leaders of the Polish Underground and imprisoned. After the arrests, the director of Internal Affairs in the Delegatura, Stefan Korbonski (Labor Party representative) took over the function of Chief Delegate. On July 1, 1945 the Council of National Unity decided to close the Delegatura and disband itself. By this act the activities of the Polish Underground State came to an end.
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written by Tadeusz Pełczynski, translated by B. C. Biega
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTES For a complete history of the Polish Underground State from 1939 to 1945, please refer to the book by Stefan Korbonski - "The Polish Underground State 1939-1945" - Columbia University Press, 1978 - ISBN 0-914710-32-X Now out of print - limited availability from Amazon.com - please click on the Amazon icon on the biega.com Home page For a good detailed, but not very long, history of the Warsaw Uprising, please go toT. Kondracki's article at the London Branch of the Polish Home Army Ex-Servicemen Association. For a detailed history of the Warsaw Uprising, including a general discussion of Polish Resistance read "Rising '44 - The Battle for Warsaw" by Norman Davies, Viking Penguin, 2004 - ISBN 0-670-03824-0. You may order at a discounted price, please click on the Amazon icon on the biega.com Home page For some impressions of life in Nazi occupied Poland, the Uprising and prison camp, click here.