Doctors and SANITARIUSCHES OF THE 27th VILLIAN DIVISION OF AK
The 27th Volyńska Infantry Division of the AK was the largest military formation of underground Poland in the country in the years of planet War II. She had 7,000 men under arms and remained under 1 command, moving and carrying out armed action with all her forces in the manner that regular military units did.
For a period of 1 month, she conducted front fights with Germany over 50 km in the Kowel - Włodzimierz - Luboml triangle, tying crucial German forces in the area. 3 times the circled interrupted the ringing of enemy troops and came out victorious from the "cats". She besides fought in Polesia and northern Lublin until the minute of insidious disarmament by the russian army and NKWD under Skrobów close Lubartów on 25.07.1944. On the full conflict trail, over 500 km, she lost over 1,000 dead and many missing unaccounted for.
The 27th WDP of the AK was created from the partisan troops and self-defense facilities operating in Volyn, saving the Polish population from bloody attacks of Ukrainian chauvinists, making a terrible "ethnic cleansing" at the ends of the south-eastern Republic of that time. In the second half of January 1944, at the command of the commander of Volyn District, Colonel "Lubonia" - Kazimierz Bąbiński was engaged in the implementation of the plan "Burza" on the back of the German army and the creation of 1 large military formation from the mentioned troops. The site of the concentration was the Zasmik and Kupyczów territory south of Kowla, where independent troops had rushed so far. This is how 27 WDP AK was created. By the second half of February that year there were already organized companies, battalions and regiments. A period later, the Division set out against the German forces.
Alongside various auxiliary services, specified as communication, quartermastership, pastoral service, company of bomb squads and others, the 27th AK Division besides had its own wellness service, which boastfully enrolled in its history.
The authoritative word "health service" in the then partisan and forest situation was not used. They were simply talking about doctors and paramedics (not "careers"), which could be addressed with any ailment, let alone wounds.
Doctors were previously infirmary workers, mainly in Kowl and Włodzimierz Vol., but for example Dr. "Grif" - Grzegorz Fedorowski came to Wołyń from Warsaw. All as members of the conspiracy, erstwhile the 27th Volhynia Division was formed, received an order from the authorities of the Underground Poland to join its ranks.
Similarly, paramedics: they worked in hospitals, had advanced professional qualifications, now in forest conditions served the Polish origin with all their heart proudly, that they were called upon by superiors in the guerrilla ranks. In conditions of constant fighting, constant danger, marches, bloody brawls, the paramedics may have fulfilled their Samaritan duties even more zealously than before in quiet urban hospitals.
Sisters with advanced qualifications were few, only a few, but shortly came to their aid young girls, who, at the call of the Division Command, rushed to the wards to take short training courses under the care of doctors, especially Dr. "Griff" and experienced older colleagues. In a fewer weeks, however, the modest auxiliaries of the auxiliary service were able to cope perfectly in both field hospitals, mediocre hospitals, makeshift hospitals, and during battles. At the time, it was essential to give aid to injured boys, to lift them out of the field of combat, to supply peace and appropriate conditions for those lying on a stretcher or on horse cars until they were on the operating tables and then under the professional care of doctors during recovery.
Division Command adopted the rule that each battalion would have its own doctor and 2-4 paramedics. The care of the field hospital: 1 in the Kowelská "Gromad" and the another in the Łucko-Włodzimierska "Osnów" (the cryptonyms of regiments), will be held by separate doctors with a adequate number of paramedics.
The chief divisional doctor was appointed Dr. Jan Matulewicz - "The Vulture". any battalions, in the absence of qualified doctors, had to settle for felchers. erstwhile needed, the battalion doctors helped each other, especially after major battles, erstwhile the number of wounded in any units was peculiarly high.
By mid-March 1944, the main "Gromady" infirmary was in Kurzyczów, a settlement inhabited by the Czech population, very friendly Poles. "Osnowa" had its own infirmary in Turówka and Sieliski close Włodzimierz. Then, as a consequence of fierce fighting and assaults of German armored troops, both hospitals were placed on wagons and followed moving from place to place by battalions, conducting constant bloody struggles with the enemy. The wounded began to arrive rapidly. Doctors and paramedics both shared and troila to meet the hard tasks of providing the injured with the essential care.
With these brief memories, I would like to pay tribute to the Volyn doctors of that time, and especially to the sisters for their superhuman moments of work, for their dedication, their complete devotion to the service of suffering soldiers.
I was lying there with my hand shattered on 1 of the wagons, and since my legs were healthy, I could occasionally visit injured colleagues in neighboring cars, sometimes aid someone, service them, and above all observe the divisional work of wellness services. It was sometimes hard to believe that young classmates from a fresh school bench, after very short training, could be able to cultivate the injured and so persistently, almost without sleep, without a minute of real rest, to be at the station constantly, busy about the lying, moaning, sore.
The wagons were about 300 standing in the forest under the open sky, and it was April. The days were serene, but it besides snowed, rained, at night of frost. The wounded were freezing, calling for help, covering up, correcting the pillow, changing the bandages. The girls kept moving from the end to the end of the infirmary camp and without murmuring, without a shadow of a complaint or unwillingness fulfilled their services with an angelic patience, care and grin on their face. They comforted the suffering, performed all request without murmuring, always cheerful, full of sincere kindness. All of this required large fortitude, intellectual and physical resilience, Samaritan heart, and extraordinary goodness.
When I erstwhile asked 1 of my fellow filigree builders if it wasn't besides hard for her to work, I heard a short answer: "And those who lie and groan in pain, are easier? Better?" This was the attitude of these brave Volyn nurses, who understood the service of the wounded and sick not only as a sacred duty, but besides the specified work of Poland, arrogant of the fact that she was accepted into the Division and granted trust, since she was entrusted with the care of the suffering.
Despite the danger, the proximity of the front, despite constantly flying over the forest of artillery missiles, sometimes tearing apart in the vicinity, despite hunger, coldness, the girls continued in their facilities like actual linear soldiers.
When April 20, 1944. The division was surrounded by German forces, and after 24 hours it managed to teardrop itself out of the "cot", then suffered crucial losses of getting through to Poles, there were even more hard days for the full army. In each village, German facilities, constant bloody skirmishes and changes in the parking place. The infirmary on wagons remained in the woods, occupied by Hungarians afterwards. The wounded required transport on a stretcher. He would go to the belt, and he would go to the neck in the field swamps. Plus, with the hunger that's going on. Our paramedics and doctors have shown a greater amount of intellectual strength and physical resilience than expected.
Often, after all-night break through the gushy swamps in the morning, platoons and companies exhausted to their last hotel were in forest thickets and fell into a stone dream. At times, the girls rushed to the injured, carried by their colleagues to clothe the sore places, change the wet bandages, feed the remains of dry bread. Only then, having performed the nursing duty, would they lay on dryer places for deserved rest. And it happened that only this free minute came, that the army was being alarmed, and that they were immersed in wet fields again. There have besides been times erstwhile a short sleep interrupted girls calling for injured, needing help. Under these conditions, the service of our paramedics was an example of actual heroism, hard to imagine today. And these are unquestionable facts.
I erstwhile witnessed the following case. Our patrol came across a twelve wounded russian soldiers, lying in a swamp of hunger and without medical attention. They were transported to our hospital. This morning I noticed any unusual movement at the edge of the camp. I decided to go over there. I was close erstwhile I smelled a terrible odor coming from there. Our girls were cutting open uniforms sticky from mud, seaweed, and oil mixed with blood clots, incredibly stinking. They would throw up parts of their uniforms, wash their wounds, bandage, wrap their soldiers in blankets, and lay them on straw-filled wagons. The wounded looked at their saviors with mute worship. I couldn't realize how young girls could last in this air for about 2 hours. erstwhile the dressings were finished, the stinking clothes were buried, and I went to 1 of the cars and asked why they got to this condition? "It was our squad that carried us into the boloth and the feed of k'chort!" - he answered asked. Polish paramedics have grown in our eyes.
It happened respective times that the sick, badly wounded could not be transported further. It threatened to kill them. A soldier was then left in an inhabited hospital, and 1 of the paramedics volunteered to stay with him as a babysitter, The sacrifice of specified a girl cannot be expressed in words. Everywhere Germany has no reason for Poles. They defined them with 1 word "banditen" and liquidated them without thought. Ukrainian flags were spinning. They were even worse than the Germans. There's no shortage of robberies. The commanders handed the Poleszuki dollars, sometimes the tsarical 5-rubs in gold for retention and feeding. But for specified a price, it was hard to get a part of bread or a potato. Left paramedics performed miracles of valour and rescued their subjects. But any of them went "to the white bears" erstwhile the Soviets took over. They considered them "spiked," "foreign intelligence agents," and without trial they sentenced heroic girls to deportations.
Today, the 27th Volhynia Division of the AK are giving their well-deserved girls commemorative plaques, they mention them in various publications, but this means small compared to the magnitude of sacrifices erstwhile made by young Volhynia Polka. Our society knows small about them. We like to emphasize the "deeds" of non-Poles.
"Lvivian Meetings" Aleksander Szumański
Category: Publications
