Poles in the European resistance movement
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During the war, Polish citizens participated in the underground activities in many European countries. They originated from the the Polish immigration circles (France, Belgium, Netherlands, partially Greece and Germany) from among refugees after the 1939 campaign, from among fled prisoners of war, as well as from among forced labourers, or defectors from Wehrmacht (representatives of Polish minorities living in the Reich).
The strongest Polish resistance movement beyond the borders of the country existed in France. It was connected both with the Polish government in exile, as well as with the communist movement.
The government in London was in control of the underground Polish Army in France and of the Polish Organization for the Fight for Freedom - "Monika". The latter had both civilian and military character and encompassed first and foremost the southern France and in the northern: mostly the Nord and Pas-de Calais departments. Its most important task was to prepare a sabotage action planned for the moment of the allied sea landing in Normandy. "Monika" also possessed structures in Belgium and the Netherlands. There was also the organization Free Marksmen and French Partisans, within which Polish partisan troops existed.
In the spring of 1944 partisan formations of both currents of the resistance movement were incorporated into the French Internal Forces. In the second half of that year already around 36.000 Poles participated in the French resistance movement. Around 5.000 of them died during the war.
Approximately 1000 Poles were fighting in Yugoslavia, united in the Yugoslav Partisan Troops and in formations of the People's-Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. They also formed 3 Polish partisan units. One of them was commanded in 1943 by Captain Józef Maciąg.
In the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway the Poles operated in their own underground groups. In Copenhagen, a Polish-Danish group played a significant role. It was commanded by Ltn. Lucjan Masłocha. In Norway, a group of Poles established a secret organization named "Rodło". Its members sank an enemy freighter ship in the spring of 1945 and carried out numerous other operations. In the last days of the war, collaborating with recruited German soldiers, they locked the commanders in their quarters, which enabled the British to land on the shore without a fight.
Poles contributed significantly also to development of underground movements in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Hungary and Germany.
In the countries of the occupied Europe Poles took part not only in direct armed combat, but first and foremost in sabotage activities. Thanks to them the military potential of the enemy was eakened.
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for the Independence "Monika"
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(1900 - after 1991) During the First World War he served in the German Army. He joined the Polish Army in 1919. Took part in the 1939 campaign in Poland and in 1940 in France. He was interned in Switzerland, fled to France, from which he managed to get to Great Britain through Spain and Gibraltar. He was dropped over France, where he was in command of the Polish Organization for Fight for the Independence. At the same time he was the delegate of the Minister of National Defence in France. After the war he lived in France. In 1964 he received the rank of the General of Brigade. Was decorated with the Virtuti Militari of the 5th class. |
(1911 - 1943) Sportsman, he held several titles of the Belgian swimming champion. From 1940 he served in the British intelligence. In October 1941 he arrived to Greece, where he organized and commanded intelligence and sabotage against German and Italian forces. Among his other operations he sank, using magnetic bombs, the U-133 submarine, the "Hermes" destroyer and the transport ship "San Isidore". Was captured and executed by the Germans on 4 January 1943. He was decorated with the Virtuti Militari of the 5th class and with the Greek Golden Order of the Highest Courage. A film (drama) was produced in Poland about his activity during the Second World War and in Greece a monument was erected to conmemorate him. A swimming competition named after him is organized. |
Enigma
The "Enigma" ciphering machine, used by the Germans from the end of the 1920's was in their opinion a completely secure, impossible to break, way of transmitting secret information. This conviction followed from the fact, that even the early models of "Enigma" created as many as 4 032 925 581 343 838 699 520 000 000 possible cipher combinations. Later models increased this number in such a way that is was to be risen to the third power and multiplied by another 25-digit number. In spite of that, eventually (in the end of 1932) its principle of operation was reproduced. It was the merit of three Polish matematicians working in the cipher office of the Polish military intelligence: Marian Rejowski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski. In 1933 fifteen Polish equivalents of "Enigma" were manufactured. Up until the outbreak of the war, along with improvements introduced by the Germans, new versions were created together with devices used to break the codes. In July 1939 Polish intelligence invited a group of British and French cryptologists to Warsaw. The principle of the operation of "Enigma" was demonstrated to them and a copy of this device was handed over to each group. It enabled the British to continue to work on the successive version of the "Enigma" in a deciphering centre established by them in Bletchley. It is worth noting, that the methods worked out by the Polish cryptologists were used up to the end of 1943. Information gained through the use of "Enigma" was of vital significance for the Battle for Britain, in the fight in Africa and on the European continent. Thanks to deciphering of the cables of the Kriegsmarine command, it was possible to effectively eliminate German submarines operating in the Atlantic. "Enigma" handed over by the British to the Americans, in 1940, made it possible to break Japanese ciphres. Both the Japanese and the Germans didnt realise until the end of the war, that the cables transmitted with the use of "Enigma" were no secret for the allies. |
