Związek Walki Zbrojnej (
abbreviation
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
: ''ZWZ''; Union of Armed Struggle;
[Thus rendered in ]Norman Davies
Ivor Norman Richard Davies (born 8 June 1939) is a Welsh-Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Professor at ...
, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland'', vol. II, p. 464. also translated as ''Union for Armed Struggle'', ''Association of Armed Struggle'' or ''Association for Armed Struggle'') was an
underground army formed in
Poland following its
invasion in September 1939 by
Germany and the
Soviet Union that opened
World War II. It existed from 13 November 1939 until 14 February 1942, when it was renamed into
Home Army (''Armia Krajowa, AK'').
ZWZ was created from an earlier organization,
Service for Poland's Victory
Służba Zwycięstwu Polski (''Service for Poland's Victory'', or ''Polish Victory Service'', abbreviated SZP) was the first Polish resistance movement in World War II. It was created by the order of general Juliusz Rómmel on 27 September 1939, w ...
(''SZP''). In January 1940, it was divided into two parts:
*areas under German occupation — commanded by Colonel
Stefan Rowecki
Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym: ''Grot'', "Spearhead", hence the alternate name, Stefan Grot-Rowecki; 25 December 1895 – 2 August 1944) was a Polish general, journalist and the leader of the Armia Krajowa. He was murdered by the Gestapo in ...
, headquartered in
Warsaw;
*areas under Soviet occupation — commanded by General
Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to:
* Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician
* Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player
* Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel
* Michał Hell ...
, headquartered in
Lwów
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
.
Formally, the ZWZ was directed from
Paris, by General
Kazimierz Sosnkowski (nom de guerre Jozef Godziemba), who after Poland's defeat escaped to France via
Hungary. Due to practical problems, however, Sosnkowski's control of the organization was very limited. The instruction of General Sosnkowski, in which he ordered his subordinates to create regional branches of the ZWZ, was brought to Warsaw on 4 December 1939. According to Sosnkowski, the ZWZ was supposed to be a national military organization, without regard to political differences and social ranks. Furthermore, the idea of a national uprising at the moment of entry of regular Polish units was put forward by Sosnkowski and his staff.
After the
fall of France
The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...
, on 18 June 1940, General
Wladyslaw Sikorski named Colonel
Stefan Rowecki
Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym: ''Grot'', "Spearhead", hence the alternate name, Stefan Grot-Rowecki; 25 December 1895 – 2 August 1944) was a Polish general, journalist and the leader of the Armia Krajowa. He was murdered by the Gestapo in ...
his deputy, with the right to take urgent decisions without consent of the
Polish government-in-exile. Sikorski urged Rowecki to closely cooperate with leaders of political parties, gathered in the
Political Consultative Committee
Political Consultative Committee ( pl, Polityczny Komitet Porozumiewawczy, ''PKP'') was the beginning of the political arm of the Polish Secret State in occupied Poland during World War II. It was formed on 26 February 1940 by several Polish politi ...
. The headquarters of the ZWZ formally was under the authority of the Polish government in
London, but in reality, military powers were in hands of officers who remained in the occupied country, and had good knowledge of the reality of Nazi- and Soviet-controlled Poland.
After the arrest of General Michal Tokarzewski-Karaszewicz, who was captured by the
NKVD on the way from Warsaw to Lwow, the ZWZ in
Eastern Poland was left without a leader. Following the
Operation Barbarossa, the whole territory of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
found itself under German occupation.
See also
*
Union of Active Struggle (founded 1908)
Notes
References
*
Norman Davies
Ivor Norman Richard Davies (born 8 June 1939) is a Welsh-Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Professor at ...
, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland, in Two Volumes; Volume II: 1795 to the Present'', New York, Columbia University Press, 1982, .
External links
ZWIĄZEK WALKI ZBROJNEJ Encyklopedia Interia
ZWIĄZEK WALKI ZBROJNEJ Encyklopedia PWN
Encyklopedia WIEM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Of Armed Struggle
Military units and formations of Poland in World War II
Polish revolutionary organisations
1939 establishments in Poland
1942 disestablishments
Home Army