The Żmija Group (Polish: ''Zgrupowanie Żmija'') (''Viper Group'') - a group of military units of the Sub-district II of Żoliborz (of Armia Krajowa) of

Armia Krajowa The Home Army (, ; 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) established in the ...

Żoliborz Żoliborz () is one of the northern dzielnica, districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the Warszawa-Śródmieście, City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

during the

German occupation of Poland German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. The units took part in the fights of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

of 1944.

Creation

The group was created in 1940 when the 3rd Scout Military Unit was transformed into the 225th platoon, based in the area of

Marymont Marymont (from French ''Mont de Marie'' - Mary's Hill) is one of the northern neighbourhoods of Warsaw, Poland, administratively a part of the boroughs of Żoliborz (Marymont-Potok) and Bielany (Marymont-Kaskada and Marymont-Ruda). Named after ...

. In the course of its training, prior to the

, many military actions were conducted, among them at the wall of the

Warsaw Ghetto The Warsaw Ghetto (, officially , ; ) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the Nazi Germany, German authorities within the new General Government territory of Occupat ...

and in

Bielany Bielany () is a district in Warsaw located in the north-western part of the city. Initially a part of Żoliborz, Bielany has been an independent district since 1994. Bielany borders Żoliborz to the south-east, and Bemowo to the south-west. Its ...

Organisation

*Commander - captain of horse Adam Rzeszotarski pseudonym "Żmija"; *224th platoon - commanded by lieutenant (name unknown) Mańczak pseudonym "Rafa", *225th platoon - commanded by sergeant Piotr Urabaniak pseudonym "Siwy", *254th platoon - commanded by officer cadet Zbigniew Ptak pseudonym "Zbigniew", *257th platoon - commanded by captain of horse Henryk Mostowski pseudonym "Gryf", *244th platoon - commanded by lieutenant Andrzej Nowak pseudonym "Andrzej".

Course of combat in the Warsaw Uprising 1944

Since 1 August units of the group fought in

, but they failed to reach the holding area of their attack. Fights were waged in the Zdobycz Robotnicza Housing Estate, in the

Kampinos forest Kampinos Forest () is a large forest complex located in Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a part of the ancient valley of the Vistula basin, between the Vistula and the Bzura rivers. The forest began to form 14-11,000 yea ...

on Zaborówek and in Truskawka as part of forest-based units. Also, they took part in attacks on the Warsaw Gdańsk Station, in defence of Marymont, the "Forts" and workshops of Opel. In the course of the fights 60% of soldiers of the group fell. Among others,

Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski (''Wacek'') (10 June 1926 – 23 December 2024) was a soldier of the Polish Home Army (AK), a participant in the Warsaw Uprising, and after the war, a publicist and author. Background Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski was bor ...

and Olgierd Budrewicz fought in the group.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zmija Group Units and formations of the Home Army Military units and formations of the Warsaw Uprising

Creation

Organisation

Course of combat in the Warsaw Uprising 1944

See also

References