HOW WE make THE ANTIHITLERIAN MOVING OF RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE III CREAM
Dr Leszek Pietrzak
No opposition movement during planet War II could compete with the feats of Polish conspiracy people.
On May 26, 1944, 2 Sipo-Hitler safety police officers appeared in Halina Kłąb's apartment. From the beginning, it was evident that chaotic hatred spread to them. erstwhile they came in, they would say, "We have you k... you won't get distant with it anymore!" Screaming at her, they beat her in the face. Both Nazis already knew that they had caught individual very crucial who struck the 3rd Reich so many dangerous blows. erstwhile they bullied a young female like this, their guards searched the full apartment, 1 inch by 1 centimeter. A fewer hours later, a battered female was brought to the German women's investigation prison on Gdańsk Street. It was only now that German torturers began to abuse the victim notoriously kicking her and beating her around the body. So tormented for hours, at any point she informed the interrogators that the contacts and addresses they requested from her were in her apartment. erstwhile she was taken there to find them, she hoped to find it and swallow a potassium cyanide capsule. It would yet spare her all the suffering. But she didn't find the capsule. A fewer months later, she was sentenced to be shot and waited for her conviction to be executed. But it was already the beginning of 1945 and the Red Army was already approaching Łódź. Germans withdrawing from the city did not even have time to execute Polish prisoners. Yes Halina Kłąb – an intelligence agent in the AK Łódź territory survived the full Nazi hell.
But respective days after she was arrested in Sipo's hand, another crucial agent of the Łódź Intelligence Agency besides fell. It was Jan Lipsz ps. “Anatol”. erstwhile he was detained, Sipo officers presented him with evidence of his conspiratorial activity, which proved to be so dangerous to the 3rd Reich. Lipsz knew that there was no way to get out of this alive. erstwhile he was confronted during the first interrogation with a confidant who testified about his conspiracy activity, he smiled only and immediately rushed at the completely amazed officer Sipo's behavior. However, he managed to pull a weapon out of his holster and fire a shot at the attacker. He immediately fell on the level taking with him all the secrets the Germans wanted to extract from him. But that was precisely Lipsz's plan. He'd alternatively die than be tortured and betray his fellow organizations.
Both Halina Kłąb and Jan Lipsz were among the leading figures of the “N” actions – diversionally – propaganda action which ZWZ-AK launched in the spring of 1941. 1 of her most crucial training courses was Łódź.
Special city on the map of occupied Poland
The Łódź was a city that was peculiarly experienced during the German occupation. At the beginning of October 1939, Germany even planned to make the Łódź capital of the General Government (GG). However, these plans were opposed by Reichstaathalter Artur Greiser, who advocated that Łódź be found within the framework of the lands which will be straight incarnate into the 3rd Reich. Greiser argued, among others, that local "German" factors, which always had a strong position in Łódź, are in favour of specified a solution. And it happened the way Greiser wanted it. By Hitler's decree of November 9, 1939, Łódź was within the limits of the Warta Country (Warthegau) which was straight incorporated into the 3rd Reich. The town was initially located in the Kaliska district, but in early 1940 its office were moved to Łódź, thus creating a fresh Łódź district. As early as November 1939, the fast process of the city's insignificance began. The streets were renamed German, the name of the town was besides changed to Litzmannstadt, which name came from German general Carl von Litzmann, a hero of the war against the Russians from the time of planet War I. Very rapidly in Łódź, various German offices were established, which were powered by nearly 4 1000 German officials drawn from the depths of the Reich. another Germans besides came to Łódź, setting up their shops and businesses in the city. After any time the presence of Germans was visible in Łódź virtually everywhere. German films were played in cinemas, German soldiers sat in beer houses and cafes, and there were triumphant messages from Berlin everywhere. average Poles sat in their flats afraid to even go out on the street. Even after work, Polish workers returned home immediately. On the street it was besides impossible to talk Polish due to the fact that otherwise it threatened with serious problems at the police. But even sitting at home did not warrant safety for Poles. Arrests of the Polish population became everyday in Łódź. The first mass action aimed at Poles was in the town of Intelligenzaktion Litzmannstadt, which was a regional part of a nationwide action aimed at Polish intellectual elites. In its framework, in November and December 1939. The Germans murdered about 1,500 representatives of Łódź intelligence. Many of its inhabitants were besides displaced from the city. The first displacements took place in October 1939. erstwhile hundreds of its Polish residents were located in a transitional camp on Radogoszcz. Then there were successive waves of displacement that included subsequent districts of the city. Germans brought their countrymen from the USSR, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to the site of the displaced. fresh arrivals were obliged to inform the German authorities of any suspicious behaviour of their Polish neighbors. In fact, the incoming Germans were to carry out the task of a circumstantial controller of its Polish population. But the inhabitants of Łódź were besides exported to forced labour. Exports were more frequent in the following years of the war erstwhile the Germans began to drastically feel a deficiency of hands to work. The judaic population of Łódź (about 160 thousand) was in an even worse position than Poles, which was crowded in the ghetto created in February 1940. There was a terrible famine and epidemics were very common. Its inhabitants have been systematically murdered by the Germans since 1942, first in the extermination camp in Chełmno nad Ner and then in the gas chambers of Auschwitz – Birekenau. But in addition to the ghetto, the Germans located many transitional camps in Łódź, including 1 for children. Under specified conditions, the creation of any conspiracy structures seemed almost impossible at first glance. But despite this, in October 1939 their creation in the city was initiated. The recently appointed Commandant of the territory of Łódź SZP (ZWZ) Colonel Leopold Okulicki met with a group of officers of the 28th Kaniowski firearm Regiment to discuss ways of fighting in specified a hard area. This gathering became the real beginning of the tedious process of the Democratic conspiracy, which was sometimes paralyzed by arrests. After them, however, the task was resumed. After respective months of action under specified utmost conditions for conspiracy, however, their effects could be considered better than satisfactory. General Stefan Rowecki "Grot" then reported to London on the situation as follows: "Lodz – quantitative state: 249 platoons, 420 officers, 2489 sub-commissioners, 19655 private service active sworn in and 7,268 serialized, adequate to carry out tasks, deficiency of weapons, occupation safety much worse than in the GG." In this situation the power of things, the top had to take propaganda, information and intelligence activities, not sabotage – diversion. In short, Łódź conspirators alternatively of device guns and explosives were forced to trust more on cognition and information as the main tool of their fight against the occupier.
Action ‘N’ in the Łódź edition
In the spring of 1942, Jan Jeziorański (Jan Nowak – Jeziorański) came to the head of intelligence (Department II) of the Łódź territory of ZWZ-AK, Captain Sigismund Jankie “Walter” – a peculiar courier of the Main office to discuss details of the conduct in the territory of the action “N”. It was to consist of a collection of specially prepared writings and leaflets in German, which were to be addressed only to Germans. They were besides expected to give the impression that they were the work of the German resistance, which did everything to overthrow Hitler's power in the 3rd Reich. In this way, the command of the ZWZ-AK intended to influence the attitudes of the Germans, both soldiers of the Wehrmacht, Reichsdeutsch and employees of the German administration in occupied Poland. During that meeting, Jeziorański presented Janke with model releases, which were prepared in Centrala for the "N" action. Janke then concluded that it would be best if he created a peculiar cell that would be liable for conducting operations in the full Łódź district. shortly he began searching for the right people for specified action. He felt that possible candidates had to show first and foremost bravado and had a boyish desire to make a mockery of Germany. The candidate who met these criteria seemed to him immediately surviving in the very centre of Łódź Jan Lipsz – a master from Steinerta textile factory. In Janke's opinion, he was intelligent, bold, well readable, and besides had a actual gambling line. The consequence of this assessment was the immediate swearing-in of Lipsz, who had since been utilizing the pseudonym "Anatol" in the conspiracy. Since Lipsz came from a household with German roots, he enrolled in the Nationalistische Kraftfahrkorps (NSKK) – a paramilitary organization subordinate to the NSDAP. This allowed him to decision freely around the city in uniform, making it easier for him to infiltrate the full German community in Łódź. But Lipsh did not act alone. In the implementation of his conspiracy tasks, he was assisted by the profoundly consecrated National Legion (LN) created by him, consisting of respective twelve members, who were organizationally subordinate to the structures of the Łódź ZWZ-AK. The effects didn't take long. Very rapidly to the local military garrison, German hospitals, offices, cafe stations, and even private boxes of Łódź Germans began to scope specially prepared leaflets and newspapers. Among them were the monthly “Der Soldat”, “Der Frontkämpfer” and besides prepared in Łódź “Der Kladderadatsch” and “Der Hammer”. Even the Łódź volksdeutsche received their own magazine entitled “Die Zukunft”. The popularity of warehouses sold by Łódź conspirators was evidenced, among others, by the fact that German soldiers secretly sold them to each other, frequently paying up to 50 marks for a copy. The texts which were published in these newspapers informed readers that within the German Wehrmacht there was opposition against the NSDAP and the 3rd Reich chief. Not only are the superior officers involved, but the generality itself. The texts besides called into question the sense of war by the Germans, giving the reader very simple factual arguments to prove it. 1 of the issues of the magazine “Der Soldat” featured, among others, a text entitled “The 3rd Year of War”, which stated that “December 1939. Hitler promised that next year we would celebrate Christmas at home. He didn't keep his word! On 30 January 1941, the Chief promised us again that we would shortly win the war! Meanwhile, only 15 weeks stay until the end of the year, and where is the promised triumph over Russia and England? Again we have been disgracefully deceived." And there were further doubts in the text: “You front soldier and you remaining in reserve or at the stage, think well why do you request this war and do you even want it?” But it was not only about sowing doubt, but besides about an open encouragement to fight and the Nazi regime. Therefore, in the final passage of this text, it was explicitly appealed: “It is advanced time to end the organization scammers with the NSDAP, war combos, wise-ass staffmen and various pigs outside the front!”
In addition to the texts mentioned above, letters from the front were peculiarly important. Right under the quoted text, a comprehensive letter from the front of the Petty Officer Wermacht signed as H. Müller was placed in "Der Soldat". He addressed his colleagues with the words: “Brothers, knock yourself home, get out quietly like our heroes in the back and in the NSDAP, hide yourselves, adequate horror. Move. We want to go home.”
In fact, the content of leaflets and newspapers addressed to the Germans depended entirely on the intentions of their Polish creators. These were prominent Germanists and translators of the jury of the German language. A equally crucial task was to sale this literature among the Germans. In this regard, Lipsz and his men had almost unlimited invention. 1 of the hospitals in Łódź, among others, supplied “en” publications to German soldiers who were injured on the front. For this purpose, they utilized a magazine box in the infirmary waiting room. In this way, flyers and newspapers provided by the Łódź section “N” began to appear among the popular German magazines which were read by his German residents. However, it happened that Lipsz's conspirators visited the injured, leaving their newspapers in a peculiar reading area for soldiers. any of them enjoyed even a large deal of sensibilities, specified as the 1 that was titled highly simply: “What to do not return to the front?”. It's been a long time before the German hospital's board of directors realized this diversional occupation among the soldiers. Lipsz and his people besides wrote various types of letters especially to those Germans who had many sins on their conscience. Most frequently the “author” of specified a letter and its addressees were those who did not have common sympathy. And the letters were calculated to further strengthen the animosities between them. Very often, imaginary intimate themes were used. And, for example, the wives of many Łódź SS received letters from allegedly seduced by their husbands of women who, as they were communicating with them, became pregnant. This frequently caused home strife. It must have been a long time before the substance was yet straightened out. Lipsz, who knew German well and easy made contacts with Germany, was intimate with many of them, to then slander them in anonymous letters to the German authorities, indicating that the individual was mocking Hitler himself and Germany's final triumph in this war. The effects of the "N" action in Łódź were already noticed in early January 1942 by Gen. Stefan Rowecki himself, who wrote in a study to London, among others: "Łódź belongs to the best organized in the western area of N cells. It collects the paper, both in the annexed areas and in the districts that stay in the GG.” But the real masterpiece of Lipsz and his men was the creation in the 3rd Reich of the underground organization Rudolf Hess (second after Hitler's figure) which was to act secretly against the 3rd Reich chief. For this intent Hess's escape to Britain in May 1941 served him. This event has become an excuse to inform German readers that there is simply a secret opposition against Hitler in the NSDAP. small to prove it Lipsz created in Łódź a peculiar anti-German association based on the soldiers of Kraftfahrpark – a paramilitary organization to which he had previously enrolled. After any time it even occurred that the German members of the association, created by Leipzig, were selling “en” literature in which the activities of the “hess party” and its alleged large influences were exhibited. Only in December 1943 did the German authorities get a lead on Lipsz's association and arrested its German members.
From Łódź to the 3rd Reich
An even higher level of the "N" action was sending the "ene" press from the 3rd Reich. It required not only a good cognition of German language and German customs, but besides the chance to travel freely on routes between the 3rd Reich and the lands which were incorporated into it. 1 agent who undertook specified a task was young Halina Kłąb. Thin, slim blue-eyed blonde, The cleavage was rather easy to relate to all Germans. At the request of the head of the Łódź intelligence department, the AK signed a volkslist and enrolled in Bund Deutscher Mädel – a female equivalent of Hitlerjugend. Thanks to this legend as well as large acting abilities She was perfectly able to play her conspiratorial role, always gaining the assurance of the Germans. She besides obtained them from SS-man Ben Vigra, a then influential figure in the Country of Warta, thanks to which she gained the chance to travel to the 3rd Reich and access to many crucial information intelligence for the AK-ovian. Among others, during her travels to Hamburg in May 1943, she gained highly valuable cognition about the city's strategical defence points, which later helped Allied aviation to bomb the city. Equally valuable was the information Halina Kłąb gained from the Berlin Central Archives of Military Medicine. After any time she traveled after the 3rd Reich. In Łódź, she picked up a package with "Redolf Hess Party" and copies of "Der Hammer and another German newspapers and drove with them to Vienna. There, she rented a area with an aged woman who became the base of her secret business. She found the recipients of her writings in telephone books, obituary published in the press and in the release “Who Is Who” (Wer is Wer?). With akin missions, Kłob travelled many times to Berlin, Bremen, Munich, Leipzig and to Rhineland, always with a credible legend to justify her stay in those cities. Fearing “sinks” She never utilized a hotel while sleeping on trains. In fact, she risked her young life all day. About how it looked in practice could prove the situation in which she found herself during 1 of her missions to Vienna, whose way led through Wrocław. 2 officers of the German Schutzpolizei, who were controlling the baggage of a man, stopped her at the Wroclaw station. The cleavage was to be checked immediately after it, and in its luggage it had just “enowska” literature. If she were then inspected, she'd be lost. But thanks to her acting talents, she got out of this oppression. She asked German police for a minute to find the key to her suitcase. At the same moment, a voice spoke from the megaphone informing of the departure of the train to Vienna. The knob then ripped the suitcase out of the policeman screaming loudly that her train was leaving. And again, her innate reflexes saved her life. This was 1 of those situations where the destiny of Halina Kłob truly hung “in Italian”. But thanks to her missions, dozens of “enowski” flyers, calls and pamphlets were put into the hands of many citizens of the 3rd Reich. It was only after 2 years of intensive investigation that the Gestapo determined that these materials came not from Germany but from the occupied Poland. In fact, Halina Kłob, appearing throughout the action N as “Jacek II” worked with large enthusiasm, as if she wanted to break the evidence in the “enowska” literature. The head of the Łódź intelligence agency Major Janke even at any point began to fear that this zeal of the young conspirator would not lead to disaster, for in his opinion the excess of tasks could lead to excessive routine, which always causes mistakes and failures. And possibly that's the reason why in May 1944 the minute yet came erstwhile it fell into the hands of the Germans who already knew that they had captured a very dangerous enemy.
The consequences of the information war with the German occupier
The N run was won by a conflict of Polish conspiracy with German occupier. This was proved by the popularity of the “enowska” press among the Germans, which was unique in Łódź. In 1 of his reports to London, General Stefan Rowecki “Grot” wrote, among others, that “a strong reaction to the N. (...) publications was found among local Germans. There were no incidents of soldiers giving up the paper N its superiors, indicating that it reaches their conviction and is further distributed by them." The head of the intelligence of the Łódź territory of the AK Major Janke recorded the results of the N action as follows: it is amazing how crucial the effects of a mediocre part of paper can be if the recipient of the magazine is well assessed and if it contains a well selected content.’
But AK's boat besides had to pay dearly for the effects of shares N. In the spring of 1944, almost the full Łódź squad took over the Germans. As already mentioned, Sipo arrested Halina Kłob and Jan Lipsz. The Lipsz intelligence organization was besides decimated. Many members of his National Legion went to German prisons and camps. Many were shot, too.
Dr Leszek Pietrzak
