2nd Legions Home Army Infantry Division

The 2nd Legions Home Army Infantry Division “Pogon” (Polish: 2 Dywizja Piechoty Legionow AK "Pogon", 2 DP Leg. AK) was a unit of the Polish Home Army (AK), created in 1944 in the Home Army District Radom - Kielce. Creation of the division was based on a September 1942 order of the AK headquarters, which stated that in the future Operation Tempest, the Home Army units were to be named after pre-September 1939 units of the Polish Army. Therefore, the Second Legions Home Army Infantry Division was based on and named after the 2nd Legions Infantry Division, which until the Invasion of Poland had its headquarters in Kielce.

Structure

The Division was commanded by Colonel Antoni Zolkiewski (nom de guerre “Lin”), while his chief of staff was Captain Michal Mandziara “Siwy”.

The Second Legions Home Army Infantry Division “Pogon” consisted of the following subunits:

  • 2nd Legions Infantry Regiment of the Home Army, under Major Antoni Wiktorowski “Kruk,
  • 3rd Legions Infantry Regiment of the Home Army, under Major Stanislaw Poreda “Swiatek”,
  • 4th Legions Infantry Regiment of the Home Army, under Major Jozef Wlodarczyk “Wyrwa”,
  • reconnaissance squadron, under rittmeister Karol Wickenhagen “Pobog”,
  • platoon of military police under Colonel Dionizy Medrzycki “Reder”,
  • divisional services.

Operation Tempest

In mid-August 1944, when the Division concentrated for the Operation Tempest, it had 3,075 soldiers, with 1,107 serving in the largest subunit, the 2nd Legions Infantry Regiment. On August 20, the Division, concentrated near Przysucha, set off towards Warsaw, to fight in the Warsaw Uprising. Since this turned out to be impossible, as the route northwards was blocked by strong German units, on August 23 the Division headed towards Checiny, planning to capture Kielce. On August 26, it fought the Wehrmacht in the village of Dziebaldow. In September 1944, it took part in a number of skirmishes and battles.

On October 8, 1944, following the order of headquarters of the Home Army District Radom - Kielce, the division was disbanded due to deteriorating general situation, shortage of food and autumn conditions. After this order, its subunits acted independently, fighting the Wehrmacht until late autumn 1944.

Murder of Jews

The "Wybraniecki" unit, commanded by Marian Sołtysiak ("Barabasz") which was part of the 4th Legions Infantry Regiment, murdered hiding Jews and their helpers on a number of occasions. In order to purge their own ranks of Jews in hiding, the unit examined the genitalia of members, executing on the basis of circumcision.[1]

Second Lieutenant Edward Skrobot ("Wierny"), who was deputy commander of "Wybraniecki" and the commander of the 2nd company of 4th regiment, stated that intelligence officer Czesław Łętowski ("Górnik") ordered him to liquidate Roman Olizarowski ("Pomsta"), who served in the unit and was of mixed Polish-Jewish heritage, as:

"[The sentence] was passed by the Leadership of the Civil Struggle in Kielce, and he also told me about the order of the High Command of the Home Army to liquidate all Jews regardless of whether [they were] AK members or they were hiding from the Germans"[1]

References
  1. https://www.academia.edu/8619787/Barabasz_and_the_Jews?email_work_card=title Holocaust Studies and Materials, “Barabasz” and the Jews: From the history of the “Wybraniecki” Home Army Partisan Detachment, Alina Skibińska and Joanna Tokarska-Bakir

Further reading
  • Piotr Sierant, "2 Pulk Piechoty Legionow Armii Krajowej", Warszawa 1996, Oficyna Wydawnicza Volumen Wydawnictwo BELLONA, str 122.
  • Boguslaw Szwedo, Kawalerowie Orderu Virtuti Militari Ziemi Sandomierskiej, Tom 1, Sandomierz 2001,
  • Swiatowy Zwiazek Zolnierzy AK pod red. Tadeusza Przyluckiego: Czas Burzy w 50. rocznice operacji „Burza”. Warszawa: Zaklad poligraficzny Akcydens, 1994. ISBN 83-90-1777-0-6.
  • Wojciech Borzobohaty: „Jodla”: okreg Radomsko-Kielecki ZWZ-AK 1939-1945. Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1988. ISBN 83-211-0901-2.
  • Jerzy Wladyslaw Wieckowski: Zolnierze Staszowa. Staszow: Staszowskie Towarzystwo Kulturalne, 1995. ISBN 83-904175-4-5.
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