Grey Ranks
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"Grey Ranks" (
The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish Underground State. Some of its members (Grupy Szturmowe – Assault Groups) were among the Home Army's best-trained troops.[citation needed]
Though formally independent, the Grey Ranks worked closely with the
Overview
Part of a series on the |
Polish Underground State |
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Since its organization in 1916, scouts from the
Under the leadership of
The codename Szare Szeregi was adopted in 1940. It was first used by underground scouting in
Older Scouts carried out sabotage, armed resistance, and assassinations. The Girl Guides formed auxiliary units working as nurses, liaisons and munition carriers. Younger Scouts were involved in so-called
In 1940, the Soviet Union executed most of the Boy Scouts held at Ostashkov prison.[citation needed]
In 1945 the ZHP restored its former name and returned to public existence. However, the communist authorities of Poland pressured the organization to become a member of the
Principles
The Grey Ranks followed the prewar principles of the Polish Scouting Association: service to the people and country, and education and improvement of their skills. In addition to the prewar oath, the following line was added:[citation needed]
- "I pledge to you that I shall serve with the Grey Ranks, safeguard the secrets of the organization, obey orders, and not hesitate to sacrifice my life."
In addition to the Scouting moral code, the Grey Ranks also followed a basic three-step path of action. The program was nicknamed "Dziś - jutro - pojutrze" ("Today - tomorrow - the day after"):[citation needed]
- "Today" – struggle for Poland's independence
- "Tomorrow" – prepare for an all-national uprising and the liberation of Poland
- "The Day After" – prepare to rebuild Poland after the war
Structure
The Grey Ranks' structure was based on the prewar structure of the Polish Scouting Association, modified to suit the new circumstances of occupation and repression. The basic unit was the troop (drużyna), comprising some 20 boys or girls. Each troop was composed of several squads (zastępy), each zastęp comprising 7 persons. Several troops from a specified area (city district, village or town) formed a district (hufiec), which in turn formed part of a region (chorągiew — literally, a banner or standard). During World War II, the several units were referred to by their own code-names:
- "banner" (chorągiew) – ul ("beehive")
- "district" (hufiec) – rój ("swarm")
- "troop" (drużyna) – rodzina ("family")
- "squad" (zastęp) – pszczoły ("bees")
The
- Florian Marciniak (27 September 1939 – 6 May 1943)
- Stanisław Broniewski ("Orsza"; 12 May 1943 – 3 October 1944)
- Leon Marszałek (3 October 1944 – 18 January 1945)
At the apogee of the Grey Ranks' strength, Headquarters commanded 20 banners. To control the movement, the area of prewar Poland was divided into departments, each supervising several banners:[citation needed]
- Western Department (Wydział Zachodni, Z) – areas annexed by Nazi Germany:
- Pomeranian banner – ul "Lina" (beehive Line)
- Greater Polish – ul "Przemysław" (beehive Przemysław)
- Łódź – ul "Kominy" (beehive Chimneys)
- Zagłębie – ul "Barbara" (beehive Barbara)
- Silesian – ul "Huta" (beehive Steel mill)
An additional banner was formed in the
- Eastern Department (Wydział Wschodni, W) – eastern voivodeships of Poland
An additional banner was formed for scouts expelled from their homes to the General Government (ul Złoty – "Gold beehive").[citation needed][citation needed]
- Central Poland Department (Wydział Polski Centralnej, C)
- Warsaw – ul "Wisła" (beehive Vistula)
- Masovian – ul "Puszcza" (beehive Wilderness)
- Radom – ul "Rady" (beehive Councils)
- Lublin – ul "Zboże" (beehive Grain)
- Southern Poland Department (Wydział Polski Południowej, P)
- Kielce – ul "Skała" (beehive Rock)
- Częstochowa – ul "Warta" (beehive Warta)
- Dragon)
- Lwów– ul "Lew" (beehive Lion)
Coordination among the departments and beehives was directed by inspectors subordinate to the Headquarters: Eugeniusz Stasiecki, Edward Zurn and Kazimierz Grenda.[citation needed]
Ranks by age
As of 1 May 1944, the Grey Ranks numbered 8,359 members. Initially, only older scouts (Senior Scouts, Senior Guides, Rovers and Rangers), aged 17 and up, were admitted. Soon, however, younger children were admitted, and in 1942 a new structure was adopted, based largely on the prewar structure of the
Zawisza
Zawisza (plural Zawiszacy) was a group of the youngest
Troops organised for children between 12 and 14 years of age were code-named Zawisza, after
Combat Schools
The Combat Schools (Bojowe Szkoły) comprised youngsters aged 15 to 17. They took part in "small-sabotage" operations. These included propaganda operations directed at the Poles, German civilians and German military units. The best-known operations were:[citation needed]
- Operation Wawer-Palmiry – a major propaganda campaign which included painting patriotic and anti-German slogans on walls (see also Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Warsaw, claiming the astronomer for the German nation.
- Operation N – the distribution of propaganda newspapers and leaflets among German soldiers stationed in Poland.
- Operation WISS (Wywiad – Informacja Szarych Szeregów, Grey Ranks Intelligence)—an operation on behalf of Home Army intelligence, in which Combat Schools groups carried out surveillance of German military units and their movements. The information that was gathered was passed on to the Allies. The operation provided the Allies with complete lists of German units, their insignia and approximate complements, including units down to battalion size.
Other famous operations included marking street lamps as "Nur für Deutsche" ("Only for Germans"), implying that those who hanged people would themselves be hanged (from street lamps). Other operations occurred after the Germans began destroying monuments to Polish national heroes and historical personalities. These included a monument to Jan Kiliński, leader of an 18th-century Warsaw uprising against the Russians during the Kościuszko Uprising. The Germans dismantled the monument and placed it in the cellars of the former National Museum, for delivery to a German steel mill. The scouts were notified of where the monument was hidden and overnight marked the walls of the former museum, "People of Warsaw! I am here. Kiliński".[citation needed]
As part of their secret training, the Combat Schools boys and girls prepared for service with the Home Army as members of commanders' troops, communication units, and reconnaissance units. During the
]Assault groups
The Assault Groups (Grupy Szturmowe), comprising youngsters aged 17 and up, were directly subordinate to the
The assault groups took part in "major sabotage", including armed struggle against the occupiers. The assault groups formed the backbone of the Home Army's special troops. They liberated prisoners from German prisons and transports, blew up railroad bridges, carried out executions ordered by special courts, and fought pitched battles against German forces.
The assault groups in Warsaw were organised into several battalions, including the famous "Baszta", "
Assault-group operations
Notable assault-group operations included:[citation needed]
- Operation Arsenal (March 26, 1943), the liberation of the gravely wounded Jan Bytnar and 24 other prisoners from a Gestapo convoy
- Operation Schultz (May 6, 1943), the assassination of SS-Obersturmführer Herbert Schultz
- Operation Lange (May 22, 1943), the assassination of SS-Rottenführer Ewald Lange
- Operation Belt (August 1943 – February 1944), the destruction of thirteen German border outposts
- Franz Bürkl
- SS and Police Leader Franz Kutschera
- Storming and liberation of concentration campin Warsaw (August 5, 1944)
See also
References
- ^ Suchcitz, Andrzej. "The Grey Ranks (1939-1945)". polishresistance-ak.org. London Branch of the Polish Home Army Ex-Servicemen Association.
External links
- Szare Szeregi
- Details of Szare Szeregi most daring underground operations
- Szare szeregi - Batalion "Baszta"
- Batalion Parasol
- Batalion Zośka
- The Heros of II World War
- Historia Gimnazjum i Liceum im. Mikołaja Reja jednej z siedzib Szarych Szeregów i żołnierzy AK
- Series of pictures of the Szare Szeregi monument in Kashuby, Ontario, Canada