Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw (114 page)

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Authors: Norman Davies

Tags: #Non-Fiction, #War, #History

BOOK: Rising '44: The Battle for Warsaw
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From 20 September 1944
The Warsaw Corps, AK, OC Brig.Gen. ‘Monter’

– 8 Infantry Division (
oliborz/Jolibord District)

13 Infantry Regt., ‘Kampinos’ Group

21 Infantry Regt., ‘Dzieci Warszawy’ (‘Children of Warsaw’), ‘
aglowiec’ (‘Sailing Ship’) Grouping.

32 Infantry Regt., ‘
bik’ (‘Wildcat’), ‘
ubr’ (‘Bison’), and ‘
yrafa’ (‘Giraffe’)

– 10 ‘Rataj’ Infantry Division (Mokotów/Mokotov District)

28 Infantry Regt.

30 Infantry Regt.

31 Infantry Regt.

– 28 ‘Okrzeja’ Infantry Division (City Centre)

15 Infantry Regt.

36 Infantry Regt. (Academic Legion)

– 1 Batt. ‘Krybar’

– 2 Batt. ‘Dowgierd’

– 3 Batt. ‘
mudzin’

72 Infantry Regt.

– 1 Batt. ‘Golski’

– 2 Batt.

– 3 Batt.

German Anti-insurgent Formations in Warsaw as at 20 August 1944 (excluding the German Ninth Army)

Unit

Strength (Officers/Men)

A – Battle Group ‘Rohr’

Defence Section ‘D’
1st Regt. of Kaminski Brigade
627th Pioneer Battalion
500th Panzer Pioneer Battalion (part)
80th Flak Regiment (part)
3rd Battalion SS ‘Viking’ Flak Regiment

90/6161

B – Battle Group ‘Reinefarth’

I Attack Group ‘Dirlewanger’
SS Regiment ‘Dirlewanger’
2nd & 4th Battalion Police Task Force ‘Walter’
1st & 2nd Battalion 111th Regiment (Azeri)
4th Heavy Machine Gun Platoon 111th Regiment (Azeri)
80th Flak Regiment (part)
Flamethrower Battalion ‘Kroner’ (part)

29/1939

II Attack Group ‘Reck’
1 antitank platoon
3 panzer-grenadier companies
1 cavalry platoon
1 pioneer platoon (Azeri)
1st & 6th Battalion Police Task Force ‘Walter’
1 SS-Heavy Machine-Gun Platoon ‘Röntgen’
Police Company ‘Warsaw’
Flamethrower Battalion ‘Kroner’ (part)

21/1559

III Attack Group ‘Schmidt’
608th Security Regiment
Grenadier Battalion ‘Benthin’
Police Battalion ‘Burkhardt’
2 platoons of 4th Battalion 111th Regiment (Azeri)
Flamethrower Battalion ‘Kroner’ (part)
Armoured Train 75

38/1514

IVa Reserves
200th Replacement Assault Gun Detachment
302nd Tank Detachment
Storm Pioneer Regiment ‘Herzog’
500th Panzer Pioneer Battalion (remainder)
218th Storm Panzer Company
638th Heavy Artillery Battery
3rd Company of 21st Police Battalion ‘Sarnow’
Flamethrower Battalion ‘Kroner’ (remainder)

51/1999

IVb 21st Police Battalion ‘Sarnow’ (remainder)
3rd Battalion Police Task Force ‘Walter’
1st Platoon SS-Company ‘Röntgen’
4th Cossack Detachment of 57th Security Regiment
572nd Cossack Battalion
69th Cossack Battalion

60/3524

V 501st Panzer Pioneer Battalion
579th Cossack Detachment
580th Russian Cavalry Detachment

Total

289/16,696

(Source – Hanns von Krannhals,
Der Warschauer Aufstand
(Frankfurt/Main, 1964), pp. 381–3)

Battles for the Magnushev Bridgehead:
9 August–12 September 1944

Warsaw Airlift: September 1944

24 August 1944: At the height of the Warsaw Rising, the Communist-controlled Lublin Committee decrees the abolition of the Home Army

DECREE OF THE POLISH COMMITTEE OF NATIONAL LIBERATION
24 August 1944
concerning the disbandment of secret military organizations in liberated territories
1

In accordance with the decision of the National Home Council regarding the provisional procedures for the publication of decrees with the force of law, the Committee of National Liberation proposes and the Praesidium of the National Home Council confirms the following:

Article 1.
The great task of liberating the Homeland from Nazi occupation, and of ensuring a lasting peace for our nation, requires the rapid organization, expansion, and unification of a reborn Polish Army, in order that a complete victory may be obtained in alliance with the fraternal Red Army and the armies of Great Britain and the USA . . . All existing secret military and paramilitary organizations have lost their
raison d’être
in the liberated territories. The present duty of every soldier – every officer, NCO or private – is to offer his strength, knowledge, and talent to the ranks of the reborn Polish Army.
Accordingly, all secret military organizations in liberated territories are hereby disbanded.

Article 2.
All property of existing secret organizations, including weapons, should be transferred to the authorities of the Polish Army.

Article 3.
All members of secret military organizations, if not subject to conscription . . . may join the Polish Army as volunteers.

Article 4.
Service in secret military organizations will be counted as service in the Polish Army.

Article 5.
All existing ranks and honours obtained prior to the day of liberation are to be recognized . . .

Article 6.
All deviations from the articles of this decree will be subject to the penal provisions of the Military Code.

Article 7.
The execution of this decree is hereby placed in the hands of the Director of the Office of National Defence in consultation with the Director of the Office of Public Security (UB).

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