The Jarosław Dąbrowski 4th Battalion of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists was a unit of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists operating in Żoliborz from autumn 1939 to October 1944. In early 1942, it was integrated into the Home Army within the Żoliborz Subdistrict. The battalion took part in the Warsaw Uprising and became part of the 9th Light Artillery Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division within the Warsaw Corps of the Home Army.
History of the battalion The initiative to establish a military unit of the Polish Socialist Party in Żoliborz emerged in the second half of October 1939. The commander and organizer was , codenamed Stary. At the beginning of 1940, the nucleus of the unit included, besides Dąbrowski: Kazimierz Skrętkowski, codenamed Krótki, , Henryk Zmorzyński, Tadeusz Patynowski, codenamed Tadeusz, Wacław Rakowski, codenamed Dąb, and Kazimierz Rurka, codenamed Długi.
Initially, the unit was organized under the three-person cell system. A squad consisted of three riflemen plus a squad leader, a platoon had 12 riflemen and three squad leaders plus a platoon commander, and a company was made up of three platoons of 13 soldiers each, plus three commanders and a company commander. By mid-1940, the unit had about 60 soldiers. At that time, it adopted the name of the 4th Battalion of the Polish Socialist Party People's Guard, named after Jarosław Dąbrowski.
In 1942, during the incorporation of the unit into the Union of Armed Struggle, it transitioned to a five-person cell system. A section consisted of five soldiers plus a section leader, a squad had 18 soldiers, a platoon had 60, and a company had 180 soldiers. However, according to Stefan Wyleżyński's account, companies at that time did not exceed 100 soldiers.
The role of organizing commander was held by Second Lieutenant Roman Dąbrowski, codenamed Stary, who also served as head of the military department of the Polish Socialist Party's Żoliborz District. The military commander was Reserve Lieutenant Józef Mikulski, codenamed Antoni. Initially, the battalion chief and armament officer was Lieutenant Kazimierz Werner, codenamed Hel, and from January 1944, Second Lieutenant Zygmunt Grudniewski, codenamed Zając. There was also an intelligence unit, led by Corporal Cadet Officer Andrzej Czystowski, codenamed Czarny, and a distribution unit, led by Jan Wólczyński, codenamed Lis. The battalion's logistics were managed by Władysław Walendziuk, codenamed Rzeźnicki, while the security platoon was commanded by Adam Pietrzak, codenamed Adam.
As of October 1941, the battalion was organized as follows:
1st Company – Commander: Sergeant Tadeusz Patynowski, codenamed Tadeusz; Armament NCO: Stefan Kośla. 2nd Company – Commander: Second Lieutenant Jan Zaliwski, codenamed Jan; Company Chief: Witold Lichaczewski; Armament NCO: Stanisław Wasilewski, codenamed Oleś (from 1943). 3rd Company – Commander: Second Lieutenant Aleksander Loewenstein, codenamed Borowicz; Company Chief: Corporal Cadet Officer Andrzej Czystowski, codenamed Czarny; Armament NCO: Corporal Henryk Bagiński, codenamed Bez. 4th Company – Commander: Sergeant Marian Kukielewski; Company Chief: Henryk Zabłocki, codenamed Zygmunt; Armament NCO: Tadeusz Baranowski, codenamed Jeremi.
After the battalion was incorporated into the structures of the Home Army between January and February 1942, it became one of the main forces in Sector IV (Powązki), alongside the skeletal platoon and Kmicic Company. The companies were reorganized into Home Army platoons numbered 218, 219, 220, and 221. Despite the fact that the companies were effectively platoons, efforts were made to increase their numbers to actual company size. According to Stefan Wyleżyński, this was achieved for the 2nd Company, which was subsequently divided into Platoon 221/I (63 soldiers) and Platoon 221/II (45 soldiers). The first platoon (221/I) was commanded by Lieutenant Jan Zaliwski, while the second (221/II) was under Wyleżyński himself, Corporal Cadet Officer Stefan Wyleżyński, codenamed Lemiesz. Meanwhile, Henryk Kaczor noted that the increase in numbers actually affected the 3rd Company, which, in January 1944, became Platoon 219. However, due to arrests and organizational shortcomings, Platoon 219 disbanded. The 3rd Company grew large enough that two new platoons were formed from its ranks: 220/I and 220/II. Additionally, a new Platoon 219 (49 soldiers) was established from the former 3rd Company and designated as the 2nd Company.
In early January 1943, under orders from the commander of the Żoliborz Subdistrict, Lieutenant Colonel , codenamed Sadownik, the battalion command took possession of 50 Česká Zbrojovka pistols intended for the General Jewish Labour Bund forces in the Warsaw Ghetto. The operation was overseen by the battalion's armament officer, Lieutenant Kazimierz Werner, codenamed Hel. Along with the assigned weapons, the battalion contributed from its own supplies an additional 50 Filipinka grenades and 30 kg of TNT. The transport to the ghetto was carried out by a squad from the 2nd Company, with security provided by the Polish Socialist Party Militia from the Tram Depot at Muranowska Street. The weapons were handed over through the basements of (in the section before the Royal Arsenal).
Order of battle – 1 August 1944 Before the uprising, the battalion was part of the I Group of Sector IV of the Żoliborz Subdistrict. The commander of the district was Captain , codenames Szkodnik, Żyrafa:
Command of the I Group (IV Battalion): Commander – Second Lieutenant Roman Dąbrowski, codenamed Stary Deputy – Reserve Second Lieutenant, M.A. Józef Mikulski, codenamed Antoni Ster 1st Company of Walery Wróblewski: Commander – Reserve Second Lieutenant Tadeusz Juliusz Zaliwski, codenamed Jan Deputy – Corporal Cadet Officer Kujawski, codenamed Kujawa Platoon 218 – Sergeant Tadeusz Patynowski, codenamed Tadeusz Platoon 221 – Corporal Marian Kukiełko-Kukielewski, codenamed Lewski 2nd Company of the Paris Commune: Commander – Reserve Second Lieutenant Aleksander Loewenstein, codenamed Borowicz Deputy – Corporal Cadet Officer Leon Krzysztoń, codenamed Bogdan Platoon 219/I – Reserve Second Lieutenant Zygmunt Grudniewski, codenamed Zając Platoon 219/II – Corporal Cadet Officer Stefan Jerzy Wyleżyński, codenamed Lemiesz Platoon 220 – Corporal Cadet Officer Witold Zbrożyna, codenamed Kacper Military Women's Service Platoon of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists: Commander – Joanna Hertz-Lowenstein, codenamed Joanna
As of 31 July, the battalion had 330 soldiers, including: 13 officers, 20 cadet officers, 49 non-commissioned officers, 173 rank-and-file soldiers, and 75 women from the 4th Military Women's Service Platoon of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists. This represented 36% of Sector IV's strength. According to Stanisław Podlewski, the battalion was equipped with: 1 heavy machine gun, 2 light machine guns, 32 rifles, about 30 pistols, and several hundred grenades. Other reports suggest that the weapons were enough for 65 soldiers, which accounted for 23% of the battalion's strength. In addition to the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists Battalion, the 4th Company of the Polish Socialist Party Militia operated in Żoliborz under the command of Teodor Zieliński, codenamed Teodor (with deputies: Witold Lichaczewski, codenamed Witek, and Henryk Ciszewski). The Militia Company had 3 pistols before the uprising.
Warsaw Uprising The task of the group, along with the Kmicic Company (platoons 240, 241, 242) from the II Group, was to carry out the main assault on Fort Bema from the side of Lasek na Kole forest, under the cover of a steam locomotive from the Warszawa Gdańska railway station. If the steam locomotive was unavailable, the sappers from platoons 219 and 220 were to neutralize the crews of the bunkers with the help of explosives and blow up the gate to the fort. After eliminating the soldiers and obtaining weapons, the fort was to be abandoned, and then actions along Mickiewicz and Marymoncka streets were to be initiated to support the district's units.
The planned concentration point for the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists units was to be in private houses and stables in the Miasteczko-Powązki area, opposite the Powązki Military Cemetery. However, on 28 July, the Germans placed a military hospital in the private houses across from the cemetery and brought in the wounded. This prevented the concentration of units in that area. Therefore, it was decided to move the concentration point to the boiler room of the VI Colony of the Warsaw Housing Estate at Suzin Street. From there, the first wave of units was to move through the Powder Factory and garden plots to the railway siding track connecting Warszawa Gdańska railway station with Palmiry. They were then to pass through the buildings of the Kościuszko colony and head to Miasteczko-Powązki.
Outbreak of the uprising
The battalion command received the order for the uprising on 1 August at 10:00 AM, and by 12:30 PM, the concentration of units was completed. Meanwhile, at 2:00 PM, a skirmish occurred on Krasiński Street between a group of soldiers from the Żniwiarz Group and a German patrol during the transfer of weapons. This led to a German raid an hour later. Through the windows of the boiler room, the Germans noticed the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists soldiers. An attempt to throw a grenade into the boiler room was stopped by a covering group under the command of Corporal Cadet Aleksander Ostrowski, codenamed Feliks. A fight broke out with the German units. After the action initiated by the covering group, Lieutenant Loewenstein, codenamed Borwicz, issued an order to leave the boiler room. As the insurgents were leaving the building, they were shot at from the corner of the Fourth Colony, and while running from Suzin Street to Sierpecka Street, they came under fire from a machine gun. At that moment, the first soldier of the unit, Corporal Cadet Lech Krzysztoń, codenamed Bogdan (deputy commander of the company), was killed, and Corporal Aleksander Ostrowski, codenamed Feliks, was wounded. They continued to withdraw to the old gunpowder factory plots but were shot at again. Then, Second Lieutenant Grudniewski, codenamed Zając, ordered the division into two groups. The covering group under the command of Second Lieutenant Aleksander Loewenstein, codenamed Borowicz, was to stay behind as protection, while the rest of the unit, with the battalion commander, was to retreat toward the Health Center on Słowacki Street.
At the corner of Słowacki and Potocka streets, the battalion soldiers encountered a German infantry unit supported by two tanks, while a German line infantry was approaching from the direction of Wilson Square. In an effort to avoid a confrontation with the superior enemy forces, the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists soldiers turned onto Gdańska Street, where they came under fire from the building of the Gas School. The enemy fire caused significant casualties. The following soldiers were killed: Private Mieczysław Joffe, codenamed Maślak, Second Lieutenant , codenamed Włodek (according to S. Wyleżyński, Kaczanowski fell right near the exit of the boiler room), Corporal Cadet Ryszard Wojda, codenamed Biały, Private Karol Golecki, codenamed Papkin, Private Jan Rosieński, Senior Private Tadeusz Baranowski, codenamed Jeremi. Second Lieutenant Zygmunt Grudziński, codenamed Zając, was severely wounded.