Adolf Pilch
Encyclopedia
Adolf Pilch was a Polish resistance fighter. He became part of the Polish special forces (cichociemni
) trained in the United Kingdom
, and was parachuted into occupied Poland on February 17, 1943. There, as a member of the Armia Krajowa
Polish resistance, he organized a cavalry partisan unit in the Nowogródek area, and broke through to the Kampinos forest
near Warsaw
, taking control of this area. At its height of operations his unit consisted of up to 1000 men. Between June 3, 1943 and January 17, 1945, his partisans fought in 235 battles.
s (podchorąży), and was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division. He was however not mobilized during the German invasion of Poland; he would escape the country through Hungary
and Yugoslavia
and join the recreated Polish Army in France
. In France he was assigned to the Polish 3rd Infantry Division in France. He fought in the Battle of France
, and then managed to join the Polish Army in the United Kingdom. He was assigned to Polish special forces, the cichociemni
unit, which was a Polish division of the Special Operations Executive
(SOE).
After training, he was parachuted to occupied Poland on the night of the 16 to 17 February 1943. Under nom-de-guerre Góra he was assigned to the Polish resistance Armia Krajowa
Białystok district, and soon afterwards, to the Nowogródek (Navahrudak) district. For the next few months he fought with the Polish partisans against the Nazi German forces and their auxiliary Belorussian collaborator units
in the vicinity of the Naliboki forest
. The unit under his command grew from a meager few dozens, to close to a 1,000 men by the end of that year.
After Soviet partisans
became hostile towards Polish units loyal to the Polish government in exile
, the Soviets dealt several blows to the Poles, arresting most of the local Polish commanders. In December 1943 Pilch reorganized the Polish partisans in the Nowogródek area. He made a controversial decision to accept a ceasefire with the Germans, and concentrated solely on engaging the Soviet partisans. The ceasefire with the Germans had been criticized by the high command or Armia Krajowa, which ordered Pilch to renounce it; he however chose to ignore those orders. In June 1944 his unit, numbering about 1,000 men, retreated West in face of the Soviet Operation Bagration. At that time, Pilch negotiated an agreement with the command of Armia Krajowa, which accepted him back into its ranks in return for the end of the ceasefire between Pilch forces and the Germans. He continued fighting in the ranks of AK against the Germans, primarily in the Kampinos forest
area, supporting the Warsaw Uprising
. On the night of September 2, 1944, his partisan group carried out a successful attack on formations of SS RONA stationed in the village of Truskaw. The SS battalions were defeated and scattered, 250 SS soldiers were killed, 100 wounded, while "Dolina"'s unit suffered only ten killed and ten wounded.
Eventually the advancing Soviet forces forced him to escape west again. In January 1945 he made his way again to United Kingdom, where he would settle permanently, unable to return to communist-controlled Poland. An activist in the Polish Underground Army's Ex-Servicemens' Association in United Kingdom, he was finally able to visit Poland after the fall of communism in 1990.
During his time as the member of the resistance, Pilch fought in more than 200 engagements, most of them victorious, and received the Polish military honor, the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
, in addition to several lesser medals (such as four Crosses of Valor).
He wrote memoires of his life as a partisan, Partyzanci trzech puszcz (1992).
He died on 26 January 2000. His funeral was held in Wandsworth
, London.
Cichociemni
Cichociemni were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Home Army of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland.-The name:...
) trained in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and was parachuted into occupied Poland on February 17, 1943. There, as a member of the Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
Polish resistance, he organized a cavalry partisan unit in the Nowogródek area, and broke through to the Kampinos forest
Kampinos Forest
Kampinos Forest is a large forest complex located to the west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a large part of the ancient valley of Vistula, between Vistula and Bzura rivers. Once a gigantic forest covering 670 km² of central Poland, it currently covers roughly 240 km².Most of the...
near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, taking control of this area. At its height of operations his unit consisted of up to 1000 men. Between June 3, 1943 and January 17, 1945, his partisans fought in 235 battles.
Biography
Adolf Pilch was born on 22 May 1914 in Wisła. He attended the school for Polish officer cadetOfficer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
s (podchorąży), and was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division. He was however not mobilized during the German invasion of Poland; he would escape the country through Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
and join the recreated Polish Army in France
Polish Army in France (1939-1940)
The Polish Army in France formed in France under the command of General Władysław Sikorski in late 1939, after the fall of Poland resulting from the Polish Defensive War...
. In France he was assigned to the Polish 3rd Infantry Division in France. He fought in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, and then managed to join the Polish Army in the United Kingdom. He was assigned to Polish special forces, the cichociemni
Cichociemni
Cichociemni were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Home Army of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland.-The name:...
unit, which was a Polish division of the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE).
After training, he was parachuted to occupied Poland on the night of the 16 to 17 February 1943. Under nom-de-guerre Góra he was assigned to the Polish resistance Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
Białystok district, and soon afterwards, to the Nowogródek (Navahrudak) district. For the next few months he fought with the Polish partisans against the Nazi German forces and their auxiliary Belorussian collaborator units
Belarusian Auxiliary Police
Belarusian Auxiliary Police, later renamed Ordnungsdienst , was established in July 1941. It was staffed by local inhabitants and had similar functions to those of the Ordnungspolizei - OrPo - German Police. The OD activities were supervised by defense police departments, local commandant's...
in the vicinity of the Naliboki forest
Naliboki forest
Naliboki Forest, the Naliboki Pushcha , is a large forest complex in the northwestern Belarus, on the right bank of the Neman River, on the Belarusian Ridge.Naliboki Pushcha is famous for its nature and rich, although tragic, history...
. The unit under his command grew from a meager few dozens, to close to a 1,000 men by the end of that year.
After Soviet partisans
Soviet partisans in Poland
Poland was annexed and partitioned by Germany and the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the invasion of Poland in 1939. In the pre-war Polish territories annexed by the Soviets the first Soviet partisan groups were formed in 1941, soon after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet...
became hostile towards Polish units loyal to the Polish government in exile
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
, the Soviets dealt several blows to the Poles, arresting most of the local Polish commanders. In December 1943 Pilch reorganized the Polish partisans in the Nowogródek area. He made a controversial decision to accept a ceasefire with the Germans, and concentrated solely on engaging the Soviet partisans. The ceasefire with the Germans had been criticized by the high command or Armia Krajowa, which ordered Pilch to renounce it; he however chose to ignore those orders. In June 1944 his unit, numbering about 1,000 men, retreated West in face of the Soviet Operation Bagration. At that time, Pilch negotiated an agreement with the command of Armia Krajowa, which accepted him back into its ranks in return for the end of the ceasefire between Pilch forces and the Germans. He continued fighting in the ranks of AK against the Germans, primarily in the Kampinos forest
Kampinos Forest
Kampinos Forest is a large forest complex located to the west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a large part of the ancient valley of Vistula, between Vistula and Bzura rivers. Once a gigantic forest covering 670 km² of central Poland, it currently covers roughly 240 km².Most of the...
area, supporting the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
. On the night of September 2, 1944, his partisan group carried out a successful attack on formations of SS RONA stationed in the village of Truskaw. The SS battalions were defeated and scattered, 250 SS soldiers were killed, 100 wounded, while "Dolina"'s unit suffered only ten killed and ten wounded.
Eventually the advancing Soviet forces forced him to escape west again. In January 1945 he made his way again to United Kingdom, where he would settle permanently, unable to return to communist-controlled Poland. An activist in the Polish Underground Army's Ex-Servicemens' Association in United Kingdom, he was finally able to visit Poland after the fall of communism in 1990.
During his time as the member of the resistance, Pilch fought in more than 200 engagements, most of them victorious, and received the Polish military honor, the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
, in addition to several lesser medals (such as four Crosses of Valor).
He wrote memoires of his life as a partisan, Partyzanci trzech puszcz (1992).
He died on 26 January 2000. His funeral was held in Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, London.
External links
Pułkownik Adolf Pilch (Archived 2009-10-24) Grażyna Dziedzińska, Ppłk Adolf Pilch ps. "Góra", "Dolina" Grupa Kampinos \ Działania bojoweFurther reading
- Ryszard Bielański, "Góra-Dolina" Adolf Pilch, Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM, 2008, ISBN 978-83-7399-255-9
- Adolf Pilch, Partyzanci trzech puszcz, Warszawa Ed. Spotkania, 1992,
- Marian Podgóreczny, Doliniacy, Gdańsk: Dziennikarska Spółdzielnia Pracy "Dziennik Bałtycki", 1991