The form of oppression during the business was the compulsory supply of alleged quotas which were drawn from the agrarian population to the German Army. On resistant villages or those which did not have the chance to meet the excessive quotas, "criminal expeditions" were sent, which destroyed possessions, arrested and murdered the population.
The nightmare of pacification choked the area. People seldom stayed in their homes, were afraid of nightfall, and with even more fear they expected the dawn to appear with it, the helmets and the grumpy panthers of the Germans.
It was only with the advanced sun that people began to quibble more rapidly after bypassing, to go out into fields where they waited for the reapers to see over, frequently trampled and burned grain. Only then could you see how many men the war took. Black widows, taken over by age old men and adolescents, children almost, mowings, greasing, carried snobs.
In the area where Lieutenant Leon Stola's “Dąb” was operating, there was no town, village, or shrine that was not pacified. Germans grouped considerable forces in the area of Busk – Zdrój, Nowy Korczyn, Stopnica, Staszów and Sydlov. In addition to the Gestapo, local SS battalions and field gendarmes, the Wehrmacht units were stationed. Thus, they were able to pacify respective distant towns at the same time, as well as to concentrate considerable forces to comb the entire, sometimes rather significant, forest areas.
The strength and vitality of the “Dob” Branch in a situation of permanent danger depended primarily on its mobility. But it wasn't that easy. They were six months old in the woods. The last 2 months among continuous marches, without the anticipation of setting fire for respective consecutive days, without warm food, in wet clothing – exhausted the guerrillas to the last resort.
In the forest, older cook NN “Bunk” and his helper NN “Juhas” fed partisans a one-course, wonderful meal with good agrarian bread. After the meal, tired guerrillas fell asleep. remainder did not last long, only 3 days. While camping in the forest close the village of Nizina and sleeping in the beds of branches and grass, guerrillas almost continually prepared to fight. Yes, yes, the commander knew guerrilla troubles very well – the dream was a full magazine for the cabe. And then good shoes. With laces and tongues. And wrappers. For convenience and for everyone to know that we “we have come from a gradual land. To make a building for future Poland. From our distant families. We don't know if I'm going to go back under my roof" ... we know each another in the military, and 1 day we won't miss a panc or a button in the uniform. due to the fact that they know what they need. any have even earned impregnated capes, of course, in the Germans. And in that you see growth and confidence. Even the economy ran on its own. They had rolling stock in the form of 1 cart. They brought food and ammunition, sometimes they wiped someone's shoe, and he sat on it.
The lowlands are an old village lying between Staszów and Stacznica. The close forests facilitated the guerrillas' secret approach, and, if necessary, a fast rebound. There were always respective police officers and gendarmes at the agrarian police station. Lieutenant Leon Stola "Dąb" decided to attack Nizina in the day. He considered the expected effects of this action: the population after pacification must shake off from fear, should regain religion in the triumph over the enemy. This will prove that they are in the vicinity of forces that have retained the ability to fight. The attack in broad daylight should besides be a surprise to the enemy. And he was!
The Partisans attacked almost simultaneously the commune in Tuchępa, the police station and milk mills in Nizin. With the commune and the dairy, it was easy. papers were destroyed, money was seized, and 2 carts of butter were taken to the square, where they were distributed to peasants who accounted for their quota. The police station went easier than expected. The designated group interrupted communications and amazed police with a bold attack. They raised their hands, amazed and scared. Only an officer of Schutzpolizei, who someway found himself at the station, tried to scope for a gun, but this decision was the last 1 in his life. respective police officers were disarmed in the square where the peasants donated the quota, officials were rushed, quota letters were burned. It all happened so rapidly and efficiently that any people realized what was actually going on, only erstwhile “The Oak” jumped into the cart and started speaking:
- Take, people, the butter we've earned, go home with your cattle, the milk will be good for your children. Get free of your fear of the enemy. Don't break the pacification. These are the last moves of a mad dog to bite before they die. At the moment, the lowlands are in the hands of the guerrillas. They're free for the next fewer hours. But it is not besides long before all Poland is free.
My countrymen! We do not know whether this war will last six months or a year, but 1 thing we know for sure: Germany will lose this war! The large offensive is coming from the east. And in the west, Hitler gets hit. Hold on, people! Don't quit on the enemy. Do him any harm you can. Join the guerilla, aid us, detect the sphincter and German gunmen. This is for you and the National Army is fighting for you!...
It hasn't been a fewer hours since the start of the action, as the winning squad had gone to a camp in the woods...
They made another journey to Liegenschaft in Nizin. The division was commanded by Lieutenant Józef Mrożkiewicz “Brzozza”. The occupation wasn't easy. The farm was guarded by the German harvest conservation team. To deter partisans from requisitioning cattle and grain, this protection was frequently in the area, or was housed in the property of Nizina or Sichowa.
They left the camp after 10 p.m. By the pale, ghastly moonlight, strangely gloomy and majesticly looked the fields and meadows crossed by streams over which roseochate willows prevailed.
No voices were heard over a fewer miles... In the sky, you could see the shadows wobbling over the area... possibly they're ghosts, possibly ghosts, possibly ghosts of dead soldiers on the front, or murdered innocent people in execution rooms and German camps, just due to the fact that they were Poles?... There were frequently phosphorous light flames and blue misfires.
Above the fields and meadows formed a sea of deep moisture, in which nothing could be seen. There's a slight north wind. He rose, waved, and scattered fog. He kidnapped them and drove south.
The squad has arrived at the scene. Initially, things were going as planned. Antoni Zaporski “Zan”, broke the telephone calls, the guerrillas approached the fence, where they encountered a patrol of the harvest protection unit, who were terrorized to inform that there were no Germans in the farm – there were thirteen of them, but 2 days ago.
In the faint moon, the platoon commander Mieczysław Chmielewski "Zawój" entered the court yard with the guerrillas. The court building where the property commissioner lived was no longer lit up. Henry Dulaba “Bolek”, entered the porch and disappeared in a dark space. Zaporski “Zan” rapidly followed him. He lit the flashlight. He saw a low door. Duleba knocked on the door. No 1 answered. He knocked again. No luck. There was silence inside the house. He started pounding at the door. Finally, from the depths of the sound of a sleepy voice:
– Who's there? What do you want?
– Polish Army – open.
After a while the key in the castle was characteristically gnawed, they entered the apartment. Inside the room, at the table where the miniature lamp burned, there was a man. With dilated pupils, he looked into the eyes of “Bolka” and breathed heavily. After a while he fell on the chair. Dułęba, he realized it was fear of him.
– Stand up! We'll go to the farm office.
In the faint moon, he walked without resistance. powerfully frightened, he tried to justify that the Germans without his will changed his name from Jan Petko, to Hans Pethe, and that Treuhändler's position was taken by force.
The weapon hidden under the window window sill was only released under the threat of breaking his arm in the ulna, as Joseph Romański “Orsza” demonstrated, for now in a painless manner. He didn't want to point out where the keys to the armory were, but they came after an attempted threat. There was a tiny amount in the register, respective cash registers, livestock inventory and farmers' scurvy obligations for land estate. The money was seized and the papers were taken for destruction. At the same time, another prop patrol along with Hans Petho went to the barn and the pigsty, where a pig and a fine bull were requisitioned to feed the ward.
The prop action took place without hindrance. So that the MPs and police have no uncertainty that the props were carried out not by a band of robbers, but by a military division – the commander of the branch issued a receipt of the taken weapons and animals, signing: Lieutenant ‘Brzoza’ – National Army, Polish Army.
Only 2 days of “Dąb” allowed the guerrillas to rest. Already on the 3rd morning, they were lurking with “Brzozza” on the road from Stopnica to Staszów. German cars, bikers, utilized to come by. A place was chosen to ambush between the Rifles and the Nizins around the corner, where a forest-run road entered a not-deep ravine. The action was commanded by Lieutenant “Brzeza”. The Partisans deployed on both sides of the road. The signal to start the action was to be a short series with the Erkaem Antka Zaporski "Zana". The detectors placed forward watched the road from both directions.
Some sinister silence reigned around. Anxiety filled the guerrillas from the inside, they listened, but no alien sound reached their ears. As “forest people” they knew almost all murmur of wind, the sound of branches, the flutter of bird wings, or the tick of a passing vehicle. They learned to separate these sounds so as not to miss this one. The 1 who could endanger their lives at any time.
The time was wonderful. The hot, July sun was approaching the zenith and poured gold rays around the world. The trees colored with cherries and cherries were flashing in the home orchards. The villages and siblings, surrounded by golden grain sheets, waited for the harvest. Far distant on the horizon, a foggy line of villages...
In the midst of this silence there were distant sounds from distant peasant buildings: the sound of cranes and well chains, the rustling and the sound of horse-coppers, the sounds of a hammer and anvils, in which the blacksmith in the forge unwittingly combined the sounds of a hammer and anvils in the sound of an orchestra, rustle and wind gusts, the beating of church bells to the confederate “Angel of the Lord” and the sound of human conversations. In this disheartening sound, there was a mysterious rhythm. There was a discreet melody masterfully captured and processed by the music. By the time she was completely quiet, somewhere in the distance she was able to turn into a melody of a song close to her heart and an echo playing to the band's dance.
They were waiting for the right opportunity. erstwhile only a fewer trucks loaded with troops ran over, but specified a force couldn't afford. Reason must have prevailed over the burning hatred.
It was only just this afternoon that a reconnaissance study reported that a German rolling stock was approaching from the firearm side, consisting of respective horse-racing platforms. Apart from the riders, the convoy was protected by about 20 soldiers. The Germans were going for May. Horses are slow. Soldiers smoked cigarettes, spoke loudly, shouted at each other, and 1 of them sang yodeling, respective utilizing the sunny weather, undressed to the waist.
The "Beach" allowed them to close distance and gave the mark to the erkamist. Short, as if for a shot, and then a long series of Erkamu was customs. respective Germans from the first platform jumped off the car onto the road. She played a guerrilla weapon on the another side. There's a hell of a road. However, the Germans survived the first surprise. A large group of convoys fell behind in ditches and began to fire regularly. “Browd” realized that he was dealing with an experienced, shelled opponent; they were most likely front soldiers who came to the area of Busk – Zdrój for recreation. After a short exchange of shots, fearing German meals, from close Stopnica or Staszów, he gave a signal to withdraw. The intent of the ambush was reached, any guerrillas forced the Germans to surrender, And a fewer device guns have enriched the inactive mediocre army...
Chapter XXVII
The operation of Lieutenant “Wichra” in the area of Stopnica
In early June, fresh news broke, this time from a distance. Radio London said, and he was listened to here without any peculiar embarrassment, that after giant preparations the Allies landed in France, yet creating a long-awaited second front.
The period of demolition of Germany began – now it was only a mystery, who would scope Kielce first, Americans or Russians. The second were closer, but the Germans besides threw all their forces east to strengthen the desperate defense.
Old guerrilla troops grew stronger as mushrooms formed fresh after the rain. However, it began to thicken around with German troops. First they dragged – even by side roads, through the Stepnica, Busko, Chmielnik – rolling stock carts landed to the edges with rollers, robbed with good. They were surrounded by many horsemen. It was the business administration, the treuhänder and commissioners from behind Bug that evacuated from the East. More and more German troops were settling in private habitats.
It's hot in July. The Russians have already entered Polish lands in a wide front. Fights began for Vilnius; somewhere around the Świętokrzyskie Mountains a large squad of Berliners landed on parachutes, as they were called, who performed here as “Brigad Grunwald”. From everywhere, there were sounds of fighting.
In the absence of news about the discharges, the commander of the AK group, Lt. Paweł Raszyk “Wicher”, decided to engage in offensive actions – “harassment” of the Stopnica area and the vicinity of respective groups of Germans. It was arranged for a change of trips and ambushes, while at the same time recognizing German movements in the field. In turn, the platoons of 25 – 30 soldiers went out into the field for two, 3 days, for themselves. Only in June 1944 there were more than 10 of them.
The German Gendarmerie, which was “careful” for the safety of the Germans in the area of the Stopnica, drew the attention of the “Wichra” guerrillas with an expanding frequency of diversion. Killing and wounding and disarming in ambushes of respective civilian and uniformed Germans, food props in German estates and food warehouses caused German police intelligence to admit the diversion activities of the “Wichra” group.
In addition, the group has carried out a number of actions in defence of the susceptible population, against underground “partisans” of robberies and rapes. In these actions, 2 seizures were liquidated, and thieves and those utilizing the occupier were punished with flogging.
It should be stressed that the Municipality of Stopnica received the 3rd Class Grunwald Cross for its relentless attitude and conflict against the Nazi occupier in 1985. This honour of the city and the municipality is simply a pride of its inhabitants, due to the fact that the contribution of soldierry and patriotism to these unequal struggles has been appreciated. Many of them gave their lives in the conflict for independence. In the integration of the community in the fight against the Nazi occupier he had mostly the then Commander of the Stopnica Convict – “Storczyk” Lieutenant Walter Władysław Brzeżek “Góral”, “Orlicz” and serving as Commander of the Convict and commander of the guerrilla group in this area Lieutenant Paweł Raszyk “Wicher”.
In mid-July 1944, the night march with Skrobaczów group “Wichra” went southwest of Solec to a fresh accommodation location in buildings on the edge of the forest close the village of Zagajów.
In the evening the clouds spread, and the moon appeared in the sky, and how a immense lantern lit their way. It was a large relief to them, but besides a large danger... It was easier to decision forward due to the fact that they saw the area well, but they could be more easy seen.
At the pale, ghastly moonlight, a strangely gloomy and majestic area looked. There was silence all around. From time to time, it was interrupted by the cmoking and slupot of falling layers of mud or bubbling out of wet meadows of fumes...
The marchers lost number of time. Their thoughts were dying in their brains. Muscles were numbing and doing their jobs automatically.
The moon's gotten worse. The thick fogs have risen. And the rising sun shot up with a fountain of purple rays. It has goldenized a wide spectrum of red scarlet. It rose quietly... solemnly... It lit up diamonds in dewdrops. It went victorious, carrying life and joy... Only here was unnecessary and there was no joy, for neither bird nor animal nor man waited for them. In this land of death and day-to-day fears, only the moonlight... dead, cold, pale...
They're here. The position of the solid group included about 80 soldiers – 3 platoons (9 teams) plus 1 training platoon of 30 guerrillas and a 16-member squad of “Orlicians” headed here from Busk, enlarged the group to 130 people.
When they reached the designated forest, within the villages of Chinese, Vilnius, Rzegocin – it was dawning, it was the hr of the deepest dream. Paweł Raszyk “Wicher” stated that the sky on the side of the large Bear had expired. There was no murmuring of motorcycles, and erstwhile they stopped the horse cars at the edge of the grove and distanced themselves from them to search for a place for the campground, he found himself in the mediate of a immense silence, in a cloudy immobilized pre-moon aura.
He breathed this silence a fewer times, felt it soaking, as it cooled down and began to feel numb and tired. After a while, he discovered that the night darkness is already a small thinned out, the whitewashed fogs spread low in the field, and the horizon in the east shrouds with a burning fade. The darkness seemed to materialize into trees that cut off clearly from the grayish gloom.
“The wind” moved, close found a clearing covered with spruce. As he surfaced from among the junipers again, he saw the rising sun; the red sphere was standing out of the horizon. There was a grey shadow all over the earth. But in the west the sky almost to the zenith was covered with a somewhat pinky scales, while in the east the red of the sharply scratched sun swelled.
The chosen clearing, among the old mixed forest was good for shelter. The forest occupied more than 200 hectares of land, the map had a form akin to the ellipse, so it was not easy to occupy. On the south side, only 3 kilometers of groves separated it from Badrzychów forests.
But if they were surrounded here, they could defend themselves for a long time. The wind was counting on Germany not having the strength to environment the forest immediately. They most likely besides received extraordinary news about the number and armament of guerrillas. That should keep them longer. But erstwhile they consider the situation, there will be a manhunt. It was almost certain it would happen.
The “Wicher” strengthened the alarming network, organized a relay of links between villages and the shortest way to the forest.
The full squad as a company was divided into 3 platoons, each platoon consisted of 3 teams. There were no enlisted officers; the teams were commanded by soldiers who had a front behind them in the September campaign.
The first day in the forest passed on organizing platoons, exercises, repairing weapons. They put mausers on their knees, carefully gnawed with locks, secured, only the “Wider” was without a rifle; but erstwhile the coat opened up on his stomach, you could see the flask of the weapon stuck behind the belt.
In the evening it was raining, warm July. After the rain, the forest one more time shined blue skies, breathed clean air, moss and trees steamed with moisture, with pine needles a light wind shook thick drops. The odor of the needle filled the air, became cool toward the evening, the birds chirping and flapping wings in the crowns of trees.
On Sunday, July 16, before the evening, preparations were made for the fresh accommodation. Lieutenant “Wicher”, on an observational point, caught a abrupt silence that sounded as pure as it had just just died out the echo of the detonation. Silence permeated everything.
Suddenly this silence began to pulsate gently. It lasted a while before the work of the engines was crystallized in the consciousness of the Wind. He looked up at the sky. But the murmur was on the ground; as the tide was coming, it was approaching from the east side. There was seemingly a road close the village. It was covered with buildings, and on the left and right the sight was stuck in the green folds of the area. However, it could be heard; a wide-stretched column, at a distance of respective 100 metres, now passed the village; the bikes uniformly failed. But no emotion had access to it. It was only due to the alertness of the senses, specified as the tracking animal, the weight of the hanging hand on the waist, the weapon pressed with the flask to the ribs and light despite fatigue the tension of the muscles ready to compress to jump. The growling of the machines stopped, the engine roared, the sound drifted distant and lost its way.
Then, behind the roofs of the village and the pomegranate forest wall, a German gendarmere company of about 60 – 70 people approached with a tyrallier trying to attack and environment the “Wichra” group. The surprise was full.
The open area did not let the full company of “Wichra” to develop, nor to invade, nor to defend itself. There was no time or possibility.
The Germans hidden behind the trees and forest plating attacked with continuous fire and threw grenades at the guerrillas.
In the present situation, Lieutenant ‘Wicher’ ordered Lieutenant ‘Flork’, the commander of the defender platoon reinforced by the ‘Orliks’ team, to take fire positions on the edge of the buildings of a close village and pond grave. Shield operations were conducted with 1 platoon and 4 device guns. There was a violent, dense shooting from both sides. The grenades thrown out by the gendarmes and our soldiers multiplied the echo, which gave the impression of a large battle. The fight lasted about 1 hour. The another 2 platoons along with rolling stock – 10 wagons, retreated towards Solec – Zdrój. On the edge of a close forest about 1 kilometer away, Lieutenant “Wicher” organized a defense, where the ward's shield group withdrew. Germany did not take any further action on that day due to the fact that it was approaching dusk.
During this fight, Corporal Józef Kuc “Jaskółka” of the “Orliks” squad was killed and 4 wounded soldiers were evacuated from the battlefield.
