Armia Krajowa Obywatelska
Encyclopedia
Armia Krajowa Obywatelska (AKO, Citizens' Home Army) was a Polish
military anticommunist organization, and a successor of the disbanded Polish anti-Nazi resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK). It was founded in February 1945 by Colonel Władysław Liniarski (nom de guerre "Mścisław"), who had previously been commandant of the Białystok District of the Home Army.
AK in the Białystok area was a powerful force. In early 1945 it had almost 30,000 soldiers, together with units that remained east of the Curzon Line
, around Grodno and Wolkowysk. The number of soldiers grew steadily in the first half of 1945, as numerous AK brigades from Districts of Wilno and Nowogrodek were coming to Białystok to continue fighting the Communists.
AKO was concentrated on military action, between February and September 1945 it fought several battles and skirmishes with Red Army
(62nd I.D.) and NKVD
troops as well as Polish Urząd Bezpieczeństwa units. In early summer of 1945 the Soviets and Polish Communists de facto controlled only the city of Białystok and a few major towns, like Grajewo
or Ostrołęka, the rest of the Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939) remained in the hands of AKO. Soldiers of AKO liquidated hundreds of Soviet agents - only in May 1945 they killed some 200 of them. They also attacked almost all towns in the area, apart from Białystok.
Armia Krajowa Obywatelska did not exist for a long time, as in late summer of 1945 its units were disbanded. The remaining structure was incorporated into Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
military anticommunist organization, and a successor of the disbanded Polish anti-Nazi resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK). It was founded in February 1945 by Colonel Władysław Liniarski (nom de guerre "Mścisław"), who had previously been commandant of the Białystok District of the Home Army.
AK in the Białystok area was a powerful force. In early 1945 it had almost 30,000 soldiers, together with units that remained east of the Curzon Line
Curzon Line
The Curzon Line was put forward by the Allied Supreme Council after World War I as a demarcation line between the Second Polish Republic and Bolshevik Russia and was supposed to serve as the basis for a future border. In the wake of World War I, which catalysed the Russian Revolution of 1917, the...
, around Grodno and Wolkowysk. The number of soldiers grew steadily in the first half of 1945, as numerous AK brigades from Districts of Wilno and Nowogrodek were coming to Białystok to continue fighting the Communists.
AKO was concentrated on military action, between February and September 1945 it fought several battles and skirmishes with Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
(62nd I.D.) and NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
troops as well as Polish Urząd Bezpieczeństwa units. In early summer of 1945 the Soviets and Polish Communists de facto controlled only the city of Białystok and a few major towns, like Grajewo
Grajewo
Grajewo , is a town in north-eastern Poland with 23,302 inhabitants .It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship ; previously, it was in Łomża Voivodeship...
or Ostrołęka, the rest of the Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939) remained in the hands of AKO. Soldiers of AKO liquidated hundreds of Soviet agents - only in May 1945 they killed some 200 of them. They also attacked almost all towns in the area, apart from Białystok.
Armia Krajowa Obywatelska did not exist for a long time, as in late summer of 1945 its units were disbanded. The remaining structure was incorporated into Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
Wolnosc i Niezawislosc
Zrzeszenie Wolność i Niezawisłość WiN was a Polish underground anti-communist organisation founded on September 2, 1945 and active to 1952....
.
Sources
- http://powstanie-warszawskie-1944.ac.pl/zw_ako.htm
- http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/zw_ako.htm
- http://www.przeciek.pl/info-616.htm