directory

what is the home army?

  • the home army (armia krajowa, abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in german-occupied poland during world war 2. the home army was formed in february 1942 from the earlier związek walki zbrojnej (armed resistance) established in the aftermath of the german and soviet invasions in september 1939. over the next two years, the home army absorbed most of the other polish partisans and underground forces.
  • its allegiance was to the polish government-in-exile in london, and it constituted the armed wing of what came to be known as the polish underground state. estimates of the home army's 1944 strength range between 200,000 and 600,000. the latter number made the home army not only poland's largest underground resistance movement but, along with soviet and yugoslav partisans, one of europe's largest ww2 underground movements.

what did the home army do?

  • it engaged in sabotage, intelligence gathering, assassination of nazi officials, and large-scale armed uprisings, notably the 1944 warsaw uprising, to liberate poland from german occupation.

what happened to the home army postwar?

  • the soviets viewed the AK as an "impediment" to introducing a communist-friendly regime due to the soldiers' strong attachment to national independence and freedom.
  • many AK members refused to disarm and continued to fight against the new "soviet occupation," becoming known as the cursed soldiers.
  • by the end of the war, around 60,000 home army soldiers were arrested, 50,000 of whom were deported to soviet gulags and prisons.

who are the most notable home army members? (wip)

  • maciej aleksy dawidowski ♡ – second lieutenant, scoutmaster, most famous for "akcja kopernik" died after getting shot during operation arsenal
    tadeusz komorowski – succeeded rowecki and led the AK during its most famous operation, the warsaw uprising.
    stefan rowecki – first commander-in-chief of the AK
    krzysztof kamil baczyński – most famous for his poems, died in the warsaw uprising on the 4th of august '44
    leopold okulicki – final commander of the AK
    august emil fieldorf – specialized in assasinations of high ranking nazi officials
    andrzej romocki
    witold pilecki – known for volunteering to be imprisoned in auschwitz in 1940 to gather intelligence and organize a resistance movement within the camp.
    tadeusz zawadzki – tactical commander, led operation arsenal
    jan karski - resistance courier who famously smuggled himself into the warsaw ghetto and a transit camp to gather eyewitness evidence of the holocaust
    jan bytnar – arrested by the gestapo, gravely tortured after refusing to betray his comrades
    august agbola o'browne – the only black warsaw uprising participant
    elżbieta zawacka – the only woman among the cichociemni (elite paratroopers)
    danuta siedzikówna – a teenage medical orderly who became a symbol of the cursed soldiers. she was executed by communist authorities at age 17 for her refusal to betray her comrades.
    jan rodowicz – executed by communist officials
  • hundreds more sorry i'll add more later

hehe i finally put this url to use

Edit

Pub: 04 Jul 2025 10:24 UTC

Edit: 18 Mar 2026 16:44 UTC