Czortków Uprising
Encyclopedia
The Czortków Uprising was a failed attempt by anti-Soviet Poles, most of them teenagers from local high schools, to storm the local Red Army
barracks and a prison, in order to release Polish soldiers kept there. It occurred during the night of January 21–22, 1940, in the Soviet-occupied Podolia
n town of Czortków (now Chortkiv
, Ukraine
). It was the first Polish uprising during World War II
.
(see: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
), invaded
the eastern part of Poland
. The Soviets advanced quickly, as the bulk of the Polish Army was concentrated in the west, fighting the Germans. According to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was to be divided by the two allied powers. The Germans occupied the western part of the country, while the Soviets annexed eastern Poland (see: Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
), including the town of Czortków (population 20,000), seat of a powiat
, located in prewar Tarnopol Voivodeship
.
Soon after Czortków’s annexation into the Ukrainian SSR
, the new rulers began a campaign of repressions
. The Soviets arrested and imprisoned about 500,000 Poles during 1939-1941 officials, officers, and so-called "enemies of the people," like the clergy, executing about 65,000 Poles.
The Polish population of Czortków (in 1931 Poles made up 46.4% of the town's inhabitants) organized itself as early as in October 1939, when a conspirational organization, Stronnictwo Narodowe (National Alliance), was created. Its purpose was to fight the Soviet occupiers and carry out sabotage.
Soon afterwards, the founders of the organization, mostly students from local high schools, such as Tadeusz Bankowski, Henryk Kamiński and Heweliusz Malawski, and their teacher Józef Opacki, decided to organize a large-scale uprising.
against Finland
. The conspirators noticed this and saw their chance of success. They were planning to make a surprise attack on the barracks, capture the local prison (in which officers of the Polish Army were kept), post office, hospital and rail station. Together with the freed officers, the plotters wanted to seize a train, and go to nearby Romania
, via Zaleszczyki
. To delay the Soviet pursuit, they also planned to blow up the rail bridge on the Seret
.
The Polish conspirators decided to start the uprising on the night of January 21/22, 1940, the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1863 January Uprising
. In the evening of January 21, between 100 and 250 people gathered in Czortków’s Roman Catholic Dominican Church. Most of them were not armed, only a few had guns or knives, some even old-fashioned swords. They divided themselves into four groups the first was going to seize the main barracks, the second the prison, the third the center of the town, and the fourth the rail station. The plotters agreed that their battle cry
would be Z krzyzem (With the cross).
The attack on the Red Army barracks took place at 22:00, but the plotters, who underestimated the strength of the Soviets, failed to capture the complex. Alarmed by gunshots, the Soviet troops left the barracks and counterattacked. After a short firefight, in which three Soviet soldiers and 14 Poles died, and several were wounded, the plotters dispersed.
troops began mass arrests of participants in the uprising. Altogether, they incarcerated some 150 people. Twenty four of them, after brutal interrogation, during which the NKVD tortured the Poles (Jan Tomasz Gross writes that the plotters were beaten with wooden poles, handguns, bottles and metal bars, and kicked until their jaws and ribs were broken), were shot and 55 were sent to Siberia
. Almost all of those murdered or expelled were male teenagers of Polish nationality from Czortkow. Also, officers of the Polish Army, kept in Czortkow prison, were among those murdered in the Katyn massacre
.
Eighteen months later, on 2 July 1941, just before entry of the Wehrmacht
, the Soviets shot eight Dominican monks
from the Roman Catholic Church
. According to some witnesses, this was in revenge for Dominican help with the uprising.
Władysław Buczkowski, a witness to the uprising, wrote in his memoirs that even though he did not take part in the uprising, he was arrested on January 27 and, after torture, was sent to prison in Tarnopol
. Sentenced to 15 years, together with other Poles from Czortków, he was taken to Kharkiv
and later to Siberia. Buczkowski was among the few who survived, and in 1942, due to the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
, he managed to escape from the Soviet Union.
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...
barracks and a prison, in order to release Polish soldiers kept there. It occurred during the night of January 21–22, 1940, in the Soviet-occupied Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
n town of Czortków (now Chortkiv
Chortkiv
Chortkiv is a city in the Ternopil oblast in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chortkiv Raion . Population: 29,057...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). It was the first Polish uprising during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
On 17 September 1939, units of the Red Army, allied with the WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
(see: Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
), invaded
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
the eastern part of Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
. The Soviets advanced quickly, as the bulk of the Polish Army was concentrated in the west, fighting the Germans. According to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was to be divided by the two allied powers. The Germans occupied the western part of the country, while the Soviets annexed eastern Poland (see: Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
Immediately after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II, the Soviet Union invaded the eastern regions of the Second Polish Republic, which Poles referred to as the "Kresy," and annexed territories totaling 201,015 km² with a population of 13,299,000...
), including the town of Czortków (population 20,000), seat of a powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
, located in prewar Tarnopol Voivodeship
Tarnopol Voivodeship
Tarnopol Voivodeship was an administrative region of interwar Poland with an area of 16,500 km², 17 counties, and capital in Tarnopol...
.
Soon after Czortków’s annexation into the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, the new rulers began a campaign of repressions
Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939-1946)
In the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasion of Poland, which took place in September 1939, the territory of Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union . Both powers were hostile to Poland's sovereignty, the Polish culture and the Polish people, aiming at their destruction...
. The Soviets arrested and imprisoned about 500,000 Poles during 1939-1941 officials, officers, and so-called "enemies of the people," like the clergy, executing about 65,000 Poles.
The Polish population of Czortków (in 1931 Poles made up 46.4% of the town's inhabitants) organized itself as early as in October 1939, when a conspirational organization, Stronnictwo Narodowe (National Alliance), was created. Its purpose was to fight the Soviet occupiers and carry out sabotage.
Soon afterwards, the founders of the organization, mostly students from local high schools, such as Tadeusz Bankowski, Henryk Kamiński and Heweliusz Malawski, and their teacher Józef Opacki, decided to organize a large-scale uprising.
The night attack
In December 1939, a large part of the Red Army troops from the garrison of Czortków left the town, to be sent north to fight in the Winter WarWinter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
against Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The conspirators noticed this and saw their chance of success. They were planning to make a surprise attack on the barracks, capture the local prison (in which officers of the Polish Army were kept), post office, hospital and rail station. Together with the freed officers, the plotters wanted to seize a train, and go to nearby Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, via Zaleszczyki
Zalischyky
Zalischyky is a small city located on the Dniester River in the southern part of the Ternopil Oblast , in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zalishchytskyi Raion ....
. To delay the Soviet pursuit, they also planned to blow up the rail bridge on the Seret
Siret River
The Siret or Sireth is a river that rises from the Carpathians in the Northern Bukovina region of Ukraine, and flows southward into Romania for 470 km before it joins the Danube...
.
The Polish conspirators decided to start the uprising on the night of January 21/22, 1940, the anniversary of the outbreak of the 1863 January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
. In the evening of January 21, between 100 and 250 people gathered in Czortków’s Roman Catholic Dominican Church. Most of them were not armed, only a few had guns or knives, some even old-fashioned swords. They divided themselves into four groups the first was going to seize the main barracks, the second the prison, the third the center of the town, and the fourth the rail station. The plotters agreed that their battle cry
Battle cry
A battle cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same military unit.Battle cries are not necessarily articulate, although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religious sentiment....
would be Z krzyzem (With the cross).
The attack on the Red Army barracks took place at 22:00, but the plotters, who underestimated the strength of the Soviets, failed to capture the complex. Alarmed by gunshots, the Soviet troops left the barracks and counterattacked. After a short firefight, in which three Soviet soldiers and 14 Poles died, and several were wounded, the plotters dispersed.
Aftermath
On the next day, 22 January, NKVDNKVD
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 began mass arrests of participants in the uprising. Altogether, they incarcerated some 150 people. Twenty four of them, after brutal interrogation, during which the NKVD tortured the Poles (Jan Tomasz Gross writes that the plotters were beaten with wooden poles, handguns, bottles and metal bars, and kicked until their jaws and ribs were broken), were shot and 55 were sent to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Almost all of those murdered or expelled were male teenagers of Polish nationality from Czortkow. Also, officers of the Polish Army, kept in Czortkow prison, were among those murdered in the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
.
Eighteen months later, on 2 July 1941, just before entry of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, the Soviets shot eight Dominican monks
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. According to some witnesses, this was in revenge for Dominican help with the uprising.
Władysław Buczkowski, a witness to the uprising, wrote in his memoirs that even though he did not take part in the uprising, he was arrested on January 27 and, after torture, was sent to prison in Tarnopol
Ternopil
Ternopil , is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical region of Galicia...
. Sentenced to 15 years, together with other Poles from Czortków, he was taken to Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
and later to Siberia. Buczkowski was among the few who survived, and in 1942, due to the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
The Sikorski–Mayski Agreement was a treaty between the Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on 30 July 1941. Its name was coined after the two most notable signatories: Polish Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski and Soviet Ambassador to the United Kingdom Ivan Mayski.- Details :After signing...
, he managed to escape from the Soviet Union.