104th Company of Syndicalists
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

104 Company of Syndicalists ( pl, 104 Kompania Syndykalistów) was a military unit created by the
Union of Polish Syndicalists {{Unreferenced, date=May 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Union of Polish Syndicalists ( pl, Związek Syndykalistów Polskich, ZSP) was a Polish civilian-military conspiratorial organization, active between April 1941 and mid-1945 in Nazi occupied Polan ...
(''Związek Syndykalistów Polskich''), which participated in the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...
.


Formation and structure

The 104th company was formed within the
Home Army The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) esta ...
in 1943, on the basis of the combat unit of the Polish Syndicalists Union. Initially, the unit functioned as the 1028th platoon of the 1st District, the center of the Home Army. After being reformed into a company, it became part of the 1st Grouping of the 1st Region. Before the uprising, it was separated from the grouping and constituted the reserve of the commander of the 1st Region in the following composition: *Commander - 2nd Lt. Kazimierz Puczyński "Wroński"; *Deputy - sec. director Witold Potz "Koperski"; *Chief of Staff - Stefan Zakrzewski "Zagórski"; It consisted of three assault platoons, a reserve platoon, and two labor platoons. The assault platoons were commanded by the following officers: * 1st platoon - commandant Ignacy Choynowski (''Rogoza''), who died August 3, 1944. After that, he was replaced by Karol Choynowski (''Karol''), who was severely wounded on August 11, 1944, and was replaced by an unknown officer (nom de guerre ''Nord''), who died around August 20. Finally, last commandant of the platoon was Stanislaw Narczyński (''Mały''), * 2nd platoon - commandant Feliks Murawa (''Smaga'') (seriously sick after August 20, 1944), replaced by Mieczyslaw Teisseyre (''Tesc''), who was severely wounded on August 27, 1944. Platoon’s last commandant was Stanisław Komornicki (''Nałęcz''), * 3rd platoon - commandant Jozef Dolegowski (''Leśniewski'') (died August 28, 1944) and replaced by Wacław Borowski (''Ryś''). On July 30, the company received 12 Sidolówek grenades from the District command. The company headquarters was located in the Szlenkier curtain factory at ul. Świętojerska 10. On the first day of the Uprising, before 17.00 on
August 1 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Octavian (later known as Augustus) enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Republic. *AD 69 – Batavian rebellion: The Batavians in Germania Inferior (Netherlands) revolt under ...
, sixty soldiers arrived - including fifteen women - arrived at the HQ. The armament was: 5 pistols, 200 rounds of ammunition, two revolvers and 12 grenades.


Participation in the Warsaw Uprising


First days

At first, the Company had around 50 soldiers, but it quickly grew in size, with numerous volunteers joining. On the first day of the Uprising, it took part in two failed attacks on a school located at Barokowa street, in which a German hospital was located. Also, it attacked the ''Polish Securities Printing House'' building, capturing it on the night of August 1/2. On the third day of the Uprising, it had some 360 soldiers, who, however, lacked weapons. The situation improved when the Poles captured
Krasiński Palace The Krasiński Palace ( pl, Pałac Krasińskich), also known as the Palace of the Commonwealth, is a reconstructed Baroque palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Krasiński Square (''Plac Krasińskich''). Initially erected between 1677 and 1683 for the po ...
and seized German guns and grenades as well as 42 German POWs. The Company was not only engaged in fighting. It had its own field bakery, which made bread, distributed to civilian population, as well as a field hospital, led by doctor Adam Krakowski. Furthermore, it had its own press service, consisting of members of the Union of Polish Syndicalists. It published two magazines - ''Iskra'' and ''Syndykalista''. After heavy fights in the first weeks of August 1944, the Company became the best-equipped Polish unit in the area of the Old Town. It participated in capture of the ''PASTA'' skyscraper and in skirmishes around Warsaw’s Royal Castle. Then, under pressure from the Germans, it organized defence of the Old Town, including St. John’s Cathedral. In the second half of August, the Company created its headquarters in the so-called ''Professors’ House'', at 12 Brzozowa Street, where it stayed until general retreat from the district. During several skirmishes back then, the Company used red-black flags of
Anarcho-syndicalists Anarcho-syndicalism is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that views revolutionary industrial unionism or syndicalism as a method for workers in capitalist society to gain control of an economy and thus control influence in ...
, which was at odds with the Home Army’s
Military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
, which demanded replacement of the flag with the Polish one and change the name of the Company into 104 Company of the Home Army. It has been estimated that losses (KIA, MIA and WIA) of the unit reached more than 50% of its personnel.


Final days

In late August 1944 the company, numbering only around 100 soldiers, evacuated through the sewage canals to the Warszawa-Śródmieście (Warsaw city center). There, it became part of the ''Boncza'' Battalion, and took part in fighting in the district of Powiśle, during which the Company was further depleted. The Assault Platoon, with 26 men managed to get to
Czerniaków Czerniaków is a neighbourhood of the city of Warsaw, located within the borough of Mokotów, between the escarpment of the Vistula river and the river itself. Called ''Czerniakowo'' since the Middle Ages, it was then merely a small village loca ...
, where it became engaged in heavy fighting. In early September, parts of the company carried out rearguard actions during the evacuation of Warsaw’s Old Town. On September 15, 1944, three soldiers of the company managed to get across to the eastern bank of the
Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
. Later on more men got across, where they were conscripted into the
First Polish Army First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
.


References


Further reading

* * * * *


External links


Photo of the building in which the Company was stationed
{{DEFAULTSORT:104th Company Of Syndicalists Military units and formations of the Warsaw Uprising Syndicalism Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Syndicalist trade unions