Stefan Okrzeja 3rd Battalion of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists was a battalion of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists; it existed from May 1940 to August 1944. As part of the unification process with the Home Army, it was incorporated in 1942 into the Wola Subdistrict.
Starting on 1 August, the battalion took part in battles in Wola, defending a barricade on Wolska Street and the tram depot on . During the fighting from 1 to 5 August, it suffered heavy losses, with nearly 60% of its soldiers killed or succumbing to their wounds. Some of the battalion's platoons were incorporated into the 3rd Wola Company of the and participated in battles in Muranów and the Old Town, while others joined the in southern Śródmieście. Some of its soldiers also formed the Wola Company within the 6th Battalion of the Workers' Militia of the Polish Socialist Party, which carried out support tasks in the Old Town and later, until 3 October 1944, in Śródmieście.
History of the battalion The 3rd Battalion of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists was formed from the , which participated in the defense of the city in September 1939. In May 1940, employees of the Lilpop, Rau i Loewenstein factories, members of the party militia of the Socialist Action – Stefan Bieniasz, , and Jan Kozłowski – began forming the first groups. The unit was initially organized as the cadre of the 3rd Wola Battalion of the People's Guard for Freedom, Equality, and Independence. It initially consisted of three cadre companies and by 1943, six. In 1940, the unit was made up of three command teams organizing the companies. By early 1941, the battalion had grown to three cadre companies of 40–60 soldiers each. By 1942, the battalion consisted of 170 soldiers. The commander and organizer of the unit was Stefan Bieniasz, codenamed Jagniątko, who served as head of the Military Department of the Polish Socialist Party in the Wola district. After his arrest in April 1944, the leadership of the department and the position of the battalion commander was taken over by Sergeant Edward Adamski, codenames Czarny, Major. The training commander from 1942 was Captain , codenamed Waga. At the turn of 1942 and 1943, the battalion was named after Stefan Okrzeja.
Until 1941, the battalion consisted of employees from the Wola district:
1st Company (commander – Sergeant Edward Adamski, codenamed Czarny) – future platoon 321, mainly consisting of workers from the Lilpop, Rau i Loewenstein factory, the former Gerlach factory, and railwaymen from the Wola locomotive depot. 2nd Company (commander – Senior Fireman , codenamed Hart) – future platoon 323, mostly consisting of employees from the Construction and Road Department of the Warsaw Tramway Company. This company organized a sabotage group in cooperation with the Kedyw platoon from Wola. 3rd Company (commander – Corporal Wiktor Łuniewski, codenamed Radomiak) – future platoon 337, consisting of residents of the Workers' Housing Society in Koło and union activists.
In 1941, youth groups from the dismantled Orlęta conspiratorial groups of the Shooting Union, including Jerzy Mieszkowski, codenamed Myszka and Edward Olszewski, codenamed Synek, were incorporated into the unit (platoon 323). Due to a shortage of officers, five soldiers who had passed their high school exams were sent to a cadet course organized by the Warsaw People's Guard group. In December 1941, the following soldiers graduated from the cadet school: Roman Kossakiewicz, codenamed Kosa, Bogdan Ołtarzewski, codenamed Lis, Jerzy Mieszkowski, codenamed Myszka, Tadeusz Chrobociński, codenamed Dąbek, and Janusz Kwieciński, codenamed Gryf. As a result, the formation of additional companies began.
Between 1942 and 1943, around 180 new soldiers (mostly youth) joined the battalion, enabling the creation of three additional companies:
4th Company, commander – Second Lieutenant Edward Śmieszek, codenamed Sęp; 5th Company, commander – Senior Sergeant Marian Brzozowski, codenamed Dąb; 6th Company, commander – Senior Sergeant Tadeusz Rogowski, codenamed Szewc.
Between 1942 and 1943, two additional groups (section commanders: Jerzy Kamiński, codenamed Tur, and Czabalski, codenamed Cubczyk) were trained in cadet courses.
Soldiers of the battalion participated in the underground factories of weapons and ammunition of the Home Army. On 6 April 1944, the German forces uncovered the Kinga ammonite factory at 103 Solec Street. During the ensuing battle, several soldiers of the 3rd Battalion fell, including Mieczysław Zawadzki, codenamed Lotnik – the commander of the crew, Stanisław Zygnierski, codenamed Stanek – deputy commander of the crew, Edward Bolechowski, codenamed Eddy, Zdzisław Dziudzi, codenamed Zdzich, and Aleksander Załęski, codenamed Kindzior. According to other sources, during this battle, the commander and organizer of the battalion, Stefan Bieniasz, codenamed Grzeg (executed in mid-May 1944), was arrested. However, his name does not appear in the accounts of this tragedy.
The details of the battalion's involvement in sabotage actions within the district remain unknown. It is only stated that Platoon 323's commander, Senior Fireman Jan Ostrowski, codenamed Hart, cooperating with his platoon with the Home Army Diversion DB-16 Unit, organized an assassination attempt on Alfred Dehnel, the German head of the Wola Tram Depot. The assassination on Dehnel on 11 May 1943 is mentioned in the findings of Tomasz Strzembosz, who refers to an unknown group that carried out the attack. This is likely due to a lack of information on the activities of the DB-16 Unit. According to the findings of researcher Henryk Witkowski, it is known only that: "From overheard comments and opinions about this unit, one can assume that those in it were strongly connected with the local community with left-wing political views".
Order of battle, 1 August 1944
On the eve of the Warsaw Uprising, the 3rd Battalion of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists formed a grouping of the Wola Subdistrict. The area commander was Captain , codenamed Stefan. According to initial reports, the battalion consisted of six platoons, numbering about 400 soldiers. According to Andrzej Czystowski, the battalion had 420 soldiers and 95 weapons, including four heavy machine guns.
3rd Battalion command: Commander – Captain Karol Kryński, codenamed Waga Deputy – Lieutenant Julian Sawicki, codenamed Rafał Chief of Staff – Platoon Leader Jan Kozłowski, codenamed Iwan Political Chief – Staff Sergeant Edward Adamski, codenamed Czarny Battalion platoons Platoon 317 – Commander: Second Lieutenant Eugeniusz Śmieszek, codenamed Sęp (according to other sources, Second Lieutenant Jan Gutt, codenamed Wosiek) Platoon 321A – Commander: Second Lieutenant of Signals Ernest Jaśkowiak, codenamed Czarny Platoon 323 – Commander: Master Firefighter Jan Ostrowski, codenamed Hart Platoon 335 – Commander: Staff Sergeant Marian Brzozowski, codenamed Dąb Platoon 336 – Commander: Staff Sergeant Tadeusz Rogowski, codenamed Szewc Platoon 337 – Commander: Sergeant Wiktor Łuniewski, codenamed Radomiak
The battalion was also supported by the 3rd Company of the Workers' Militia of the Polish Socialist Party, numbering about 250 people, and a platoon of the Women's Military Service of the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists, commanded by Janina Iwanowska, codenamed Maria. According to Adam Przygoński, the commander of the Militia Company of the Polish Socialist Party was Lieutenant , codenamed Kadra. The battalion comprised three officers, 18 cadets, and about 90 non-commissioned officers.
On 28 July 1944, after the declaration of readiness in the Home Army units, the transfer of weapons to the designated concentration point began – from 48 and 136 Wolska Street to assembly points in houses on and streets, as well as at the corner of and Wolska streets. The operation was organized by Captain Karol Kryński, codenamed Waga, Master Firefighter Jan Ostrowski, codenamed Hart, and Staff Sergeant Władysław Czerwiński, codenamed Stefan. During the transport of weapons on Wolska Street, near Karolkowa Street, an additional Hungarian supply cart was seized, carrying three heavy machine guns, rifles, and ammunition. The captured equipment was stored in the courtyard at 33 .
Warsaw Uprising
Defense of Wola
On 1 August, the designated assembly point was the Church of the Redemptorist Fathers at 49 Karolkowa Street. Around 400 soldiers and militiamen gathered, armed with 26 rifles, 52 pistols, and one heavy machine gun, along with 120 bottles of gasoline. In his research, Ryszard Maciąg estimates the number of battalion soldiers at between 400 and 420, including 200 in the first wave. According to , about 200 soldiers assembled at the meeting point. Testimonies collected by indicate that men were also sent to retrieve a heavy machine gun from Płocka Street, which led to reports that the battalion had four heavy machine guns. Lesław Bartelski states that these consisted of three wz. 30 heavy machine guns and one MG 08.
The units of the Wola Subdistrict did not receive weapons from the district command, which prevented them from undertaking significant actions. Current findings suggest that the battalion was likely the only armed unit among the 22 platoons of the Wola Subdistrict. According to plans, it was supposed to capture key locations on Skierniewicka Street, the Warszawa Zachodnia station, and Fort Wola.
At 5:00 PM, the battalion took control of the Woka marmalade factory at the corner of Górczewska and Leszno streets, while the Workers' Militia of the Polish Socialist Party unit seized the tram depot without resistance. Other accounts suggest that the depot was not taken until nightfall by the Workers' Militia of the Polish Socialist Party and a unit of the People's Army under Second Lieutenant , codenamed Stach.
At dusk, construction began on a barricade at the corner of Leszno and streets, as well as on Wolska Street. Non-commissioned officers of the Workers' Militia, Henryk Słabuszewski and Józef Tulikowski, moved tram cars filled with sand and scrap metal to reinforce the barricade and secured the depot. The Workers' Militia took up positions in the tram depot and on the southern side of Wolska Street, while the Military Units of the Uprising Emergency of Socialists battalion held the section of Młynarska Street between Wolska and Górczewska streets. According to Military Units of the Uprising Emergency soldiers, the People's Army unit was subordinated to the battalion, though historian Antoni Przygoński questioned these accounts.