THE ACTING BOATERS UNDER ARSENAL
Few events from the business period grew into specified a legend as the Arsenal Action, which received the codename “Mexico II”. It was conducted bravado in broad daylight, in Warsaw at the intersection of Bielańska and Długa streets. Scouts attacked a van carrying prisoners to Pawiak. "Rudy" was transferred to a waiting car close the action site. They destroyed 1 German truck and captured 2 cars, 1 of which they abandoned.
The action under Arsenal is considered 1 of the top feats of the Polish Underground State. She was of large intellectual importance. Prior to that, the armed underground was confined to single armed fighting and execution of sentences on peculiarly burdensome officers of the German apparatus of power. An unexpected and effective attack has encouraged the city, The Germans lost their sense of security.
The feat of the Grey Serials was described in the books: “The Stones to the Shade” by Alexander Kamiński and “The Action Under Arsenal” by Stanisław Broniewski. In 1977, a feature movie was created under the same title, directed by Jan Lomnicki. The action was besides shown in the latest painting from 2014, directed by Robert Gliński – “Rocks to the Sun”.
The Arsenal action was the first armed street action of specified a large scale carried out by the Polish opposition movement in the occupied capital of Poland.
It was carried out on March 26, 1943 by the Grey Serials Storm Group codenamed “Mexico II” in Warsaw under Arsenal at the confluence of Bielańska, Długa and Nalewek streets.
As a result, the scout Jan Bytnar “Rudi” and 20 another prisoners transported after questioning from the Gestapo office at Jan Chrystian's Avenue were released. Szucha 25 to prison in Pawiak, in years 1939–1944 the largest German prison in t.zw. General Governorate.
The operation was led by Stanisław Broniewski “Orsza”.
On the night of 18 to 19 March 1943, the Gestapo arrested the commander of Hufc “Prag” of the Warsaw Storm Groups Henryk Ostrowski, ps. “Heniek”. In his flat at 31 Osiecka Street, Germany found incriminating materials and notes containing most likely the address of Hufca commander “South” Jan Bytnar “Rudy”.
“Rudy” was arrested with his father Stanislaw on 23 March 1943 at 4.30 a.m. in the Bytnars' flat in Ale Niepodległości 159 and immediately subjected to a brutal interrogation in Pawiak and at the Gestapo office in Szucha.
The news of the arrest of “Rudy” rapidly reached his friends. On the same day, Tadeusz Zawadzki “Zośka” developed a plan and completed a group ready to carry out an attack on a prisoner carrying Bytnar in the late afternoon, after questioning from al. Szuch on Pawiak.
However, the action, which was later coded by ‘Mexico I’, was cancelled due to the fact that it was not possible to get the required approval of the command of the AK office to carry it out in time (despite the fact that the unit in full combat was already on site).
MEXICO II ACTION
According to the plan developed by “Zoska” on 23 March 1943, only somewhat improved in subsequent days, belonging to Warsaw The Gestapo Renault truck with registration numbers 72076 with a four-man escort was to be attacked from front with petrol bottles immediately after turning from Long Street to tincture street.
The arson of the chauffeur and the braking of the device were intended to let the attack of 2 convoys seated in the back of the car and then release the prisoners.
In the event that this plan failed, the car was to be fired on from 2 stens held by the branch at specified an angle, so as not to hurt the Poles transported there.
The eventual was to break the engine with grenades. The signal to start and end the action was to be the commander's whistle. After the prisoners were recovered, the participants were to retreat on ft on Long Street towards Old Town.
A very crucial change compared to the Mexican I action was that only a carriage was to be utilized for the transport of ‘Rudy’ and the injured.
A sanitary point was besides organized in the villa owned by Adam Mirowski at 46 Ursynowska Street in Mokotów.
28 members of the Warsaw Storm Groups (called Kedywa – from the pseudonym of their commander Ryszard Białous – peculiar Branch “Jerzy”), divided into groups (“Attack” and “Insurance”) and sections were appointed to participate in the action.
The scene was not random. A peculiar layout of the streets in this area of Warsaw caused that the car coming from the side of Teatralna Street had to beat 2 corners on a very short long (incoming from Bielańska Street in Długa Street, then, about 10 meters further, turning from Długa Street into Nalewki Street), importantly reducing speed.
As a direct attack on a well-armed German convoy, passing rapidly through the city centre, could have caused losses among the civilian population, it was attempted to choice a place with the lowest possible traffic of passersby.
The area of Arsenal, bordering on 2 sides with the ghetto isolated by the Germans, with the communication strategy interrupted in November 1940 (a cut-off from the “Aryan” part of the city of the crucial Nalewka street, which was lost by 1 of the gates of the judaic territory closed behind Arsenal), met this condition.
A large distance from the seat of the Gestapo in Al. Szucha besides gave adequate time for telephone notification of the departure of the car with prisoners.
Due to the individual engagement of “Zośki”, on March 23, the chief of the Grey Pranks of Florian Marciniak “Nowak” decided that the command of the “Rudy” rebound action would be taken by the commander of the Warsaw Chorągwa Stanisław Broniewski “Orsza”.
The action under the codename “Mexico II” was carried out on Friday 26 March 1943 between 5:30 and 5:45 p.m.
Information that “Rudy” was among the prisoners transported in the morning for questioning from Pawiak to Szucha gave Helena Danielewicz “Lola” early afternoon.
This put the squad on advanced alert. Jan Kiwerski "Lipiński" issued a study about the plan of the attack, which was submitted to him by “Nowak” during the gathering at the Deaf Institute.
The encrypted message that “Rudy” was besides in return transport from Al. Szucha to Pawiak (“I am sending the goods, absolutely must be received”) passed by telephone from the hall of the seat of the Gestapo Zygmunt Kaczyński “Weals”.
Kaczyński worked as an E. Wedel and his frequent visits with sweets to Szucha Germans enabled him to observe and get information for the Polish resistance. He could comparatively freely decision around the building, and on that day he saw him carrying on a stretcher to a car with a hooded “Rudy”.
The message was received from “Joey” waiting by the telephone at the restaurant in Długa Street, Andrzej Wolski “Jur” and delivered it immediately to the commanding action of Stanisław Broniewski “Orszy”.
About 10 minutes later, on other sides of Bielańska Street Witold Bartnicki “Kadłubek” and Konrad Okolski “Kuba” gave successively arranged signals about the approaching of the prisoner and “Orsza” with the sound of the whistle started the action.
However, further events did not follow the plan. Headed from Bielańska street with a Gestapo truck, alerted by shots fired by “Zoska” to an intervening grenade policeman, alternatively of turning north into tincture, where on the sidewalk on the side of Simons’s Belt they waited – creating further lines of attack – members of the sections “Sten I”, “Sten II” and “Granata”, went further down the Long Street.
The bottle of petrol, thrown by Tadeusz Chojko, broke the windshield and the prisoner started to burn.
Sitting next to the injured driver, 2 Gestapo jumped out of the chauffeur's car, trying to put out the burning uniforms on them, and the car turned slow towards Pass street and the ghetto walls.
This enabled the 2 rear-facing Germans to fire effectively. In a situation of prolonged fire exchange about the success of the action, he decided an attack led by “Zoska” who, along with his colleagues, ran to the car, disposing of his crew.
However, at the time of the change of position by members of the “Atak” group lying on the ground, a wounded navy police officer severely injured the roadway of Nalewki Street towards the burning truck of Tadeusz Krzyżewicz “Buzdygan”.
As a consequence of the attack, 21 people were released (in a study of 29 March 1943 Florian Marciniak “Nowak” reported the number of 25 released in this “Rudy” and “Henka”.
Some of the freed prisoners began fleeing on Long Street towards the Old Town, others seeking shelter in Arsenal, where they were given instructions on the direction of further escape by workers located in the City Archives building.
Through the ruins located other the building demolished in 1939 at ul. They managed to get to Tłomackie Street for a long time and to disperse in different directions to the streets of Leszno, Rymarska and Bielańska.
During the exchange of shots, the prisoner’s aunt “Zośki” Helena Siemieńska was killed and Maria Schiffers, wounded in the leg, who was able to be placed in a stopped car and taken from the scene of the action, was arrested by the Germans and later shot.
Unable to decision on its own forces “Rudi” and injured Tadeusz Krzyżewicz were transferred to the evacuation car, which from the intersection of Długa and Bielańska on a reverse run came close the main entrance to Arsenal and the burning prison ambulance, and was then transported to the sanitary point on 46 Ursynowska Street.
For safety reasons, Jan Bytnar was transferred by his friends on a blanket to Gustav Wuttke's flat at 15 Kazimierzowska Street that evening.
At the time of the retreat, on Long Street towards Krasiński Square, the last of the retreating groups was fired on by the Germans from the Warsaw office of Arbeitsamt (Labour Office) located in the palace under the 4 Winds 38/40.
Severely wounded in the belly Maciej Alexy Dawidowski "Alek" managed to open the retreat way with a sharp grant, however, loading the weapon at the gate of the tenement home at 27 Długa Street Hubert Lenk "Hubert" was stopped by the owner of the close restaurant volksdeustch Edmund Sommer and later handed over to the police.
The injured “Alka” was placed in an impounded German car, passing at the time on Long Street, but at Krasiński Square the car caught up with an armored Wehrmacht truck.
For the second time that day, the grenade thrown by Davidowski under the feet of 2 German soldiers jumping out of the car enabled safe continuation of the retreat to the Old Town, and further − to Żoliborz.
The German gendarmerie and the police with dogs reached Arsenal about 20 minutes after the action ended.
The full German losses were 4 killed and 9 wounded.
"Rudy" died on 30 March 1943 at Wolski infirmary at 26 Płocka Street due to injuries caused by Gestapo during interrogations.
On the same day at the Children's infirmary Jesus at Nowogrodzka Street from wounds sustained during the action, “Alek” died.
Share participants
Eventually, 29 people participated in the Mexican II action:
Orsza” Stanisław Broniewski – action commander
Attack Group
“Zośka” Tadeusz Zawadzki – Group leader
‘Aoda’ Jan Rodowicz – Commander of the ‘Buteleki’ section
“Bolec” Tadeusz Chojko
“Heniek” Henryk Kupis
“Stasiek” Stanisław Pomykalski
‘Maciek’ Sławomir Bittner – Section Commander ‘Sten I’ and stena support
‘Colcant’ Eugenius Koecher
“Sem” Wiesław Krajewski
“Słoń” Jerzy Gavin – Section commander “Sten II” and stena support
“Buzdigan” Tadeusz Krzyżewicz – died as a consequence of the wounds suffered on 2 April 1943 at the infirmary for the Transfiguration of the Lord.
“Cielak” Tadeusz Szajnoch
“Alek” Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski – the commander of the “Granata” section, died as a consequence of the wounds of 30 March 1943 at the Children's Jesus Hospital
"Hubert" Hubert Lenk – captured during the action, murdered by the Gestapo on May 7, 1943 during the hearing
“Mirski” Jerzy Zapadko
The northernmost section of „Granata” was at the same time the insurance of the place of the shares from the side of Nalewki Street.
Insurance group
‘Giewont’ Władysław Cieplak – Group commander
“Kuba” Konrad Okolski – commander of the “Signalization” section (insurance of Bielańska Street from the side of Teatralna Square)
‘Kadłubek’ Witold Bartnicki
“Jur” Andrzej Wolski
“Katoda” Józef Saski – the commander of the “Old Town” section (Insurance of Długa Street – from the east)
“Kopeć” Stanisław Jastrzębski
“Ravich” by Zelisław Olech
“Kapsiut” Kazimierz Łodziński – according to the plan he was to replace Felix Pendelski
"Felka", which nevertheless managed to scope Arsenal at the last minute. “Kapsiut” insured the site from Krasiński Square[12]
“Tytus” Jerzy Trzciński – Head of the “Getto” section (Insurance of Długa Street – from the west)
‘Felek’ Felix Pendelski
“Ziutek” Józef Szczepański
“The Spider” Jerzy Tabor
“Jeremi” Jerzy Zborowski – car driver,
“Jurek TK” Jerzy Pepłowski – car insurance
The average age of participants under Arsenal was around 21 years.
The planet War II survived 11 participants. In July 2011, the last of them died – Kazimierz Łódźński “Kapsiut”
REACTIONS AND RETURN OF GERMANY
In retaliation for the action under Arsenal on 27 March 1943 in the courtyard of Pawiak 140 prisoners – Poles and Jews were shot.
In the flat at 74 Marszałkowska Street, the Gestapo arrested parents and 3 sisters of 1 of the participants, Jerzy Trzciński “Tytus”.
On the same night, 3 people were besides detained at the Zdanowiczi State flat at 21 Grottgera Street, where the “Alka” squad met.
Probably these 2 addresses were recorded by the Germans “Hubert”.
In early April 1943, The Germans arrested respective employees of the Municipal Archives, including the prisoners who indicated the escape way of Lucjan Łucejko (who were sentenced to death in Pawiak) and Adam Englert (who went to Auschwitz-Birkenau camp after interrogation and then to Buchenwald, survived the war.
There is simply a multimedia presentation showing the way of prisoners from Pawiak to the seat of the Gestapo at 25 Szucha Street in the Mausoleum of Combat and Martyrdom in Warsaw.
In March 1943, the way of the trucks with prisoners from Szuch to Pawiak was permanent and ran along the streets: al. Szucha – pl. At Rozdroż – al. Ujazdowskie – ul. Nowy Śróży – ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście – ul. Król – ul. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudski – ul. Wierzbowa – pl. Teatralny – ul. Bielańska – ul. Długa – ul. Nalewki – ghetto gate – ul. Nalewki – ul. Nowolipki – ul. Zamenhofa – ul. Dzielna – Pawiak.
After the operation under Arsenal, Germany introduced changes in the transport of prisoners – another kind of car began to be used, its protection increased and the rule of differentiation of convoy routes was implemented.
RELATIONS AND REMEMBER
The operation was described in the books "Kamienie na szaniec" (1943) by Alexander Kamiński and "Action under Arsenal" (1957, 1983) by Stanisław Broniewski and staged in the movie "Action under Arsenal" directed by Jan Łomnicki (1977).
A memorial plaque was unveiled on the front wall of Arsenal in March 1968. In March 2003, on the 60th anniversary of the Arsenal campaign, a plaque was placed on the memorial boulder from veterans from the “Zośka” and “Parasol” battalions.
The “Arsenal” and “Mexico” Scout Rallys are organized annually in Warsaw to commemorate the actions under Arsenal and its participants.
On 31 August 2006, the Warsaw Council at the request of the planet Association of Soldiers of the AK and the Association of Grey Serials adopted a resolution to change the name of the station of the Warsaw Metro City Hall to the Arsenal City Hall.
The end of planet War II was 11 participants. Jan Rodowicz “Anoda” and the another Boy Scout were murdered by the police after the war, in People's Poland. Group leader Tadeusz Zawadzki died on 20 August 1943 during the break-up of the border defender station in Sieczyy. 2 German “Rudi” torturers were later executed by the Grey Lines.
Aleksander Szumański “Lvivian Meetings”
Documents, sources, quotations:
http://www.sciaga.pl/text/50532-51-action_pod_arsenalem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akcja_pod_Arsena%C5%82em
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