Jedrusie
Encyclopedia
Jędrusie was a Polish underground group during World War II
, created in 1941.
, when a group of Polish Boy Scouts
and gymnasium
students joined the Polish resistance. Initially a small sub-group of Szare Szeregi
, since 1940 it was named Odwet (Vengeance). In 1941 the unit was reformed by and named after Lt. Władysław Jasiński, whose nom de guerre was Jędruś, after his 4 year old son Andrzej (Jędruś is a Polish diminutive of that name). Jasiński, a reserve lieutenant of the Polish Army, was also their school teacher and the leader of their scouting troop.
The Jędrusie were active in Kraków
, Sandomierz
, Tarnobrzeg
, Opatów
, Rzeszów
, Mielec
and other areas of Central Poland and carried over a variety of tasks related to sabotage and diversion. Initially engaged mostly in training, reconnaissance, intelligence and distribution of underground press, since 1941 the group also started to organize armed resistance. The reason for that was the dire need to hide a number of members from the Germans and hide them in the countryside to avoid their arrest and execution. Among the notable actions of the early period were attacks on German-confiscated factories and farms. Jasiński was killed in action on January 9, 1943, and his place was taken by J. Wiącek Sowa. Jędrusie also organized material help for the families of resistance fighters
, prisoners of war and concentration camp
inmates, collected food for the prisoners held in POW camps
, served as a criminal police in the areas of its operation and organized underground education, with secret schools preparing for a secret matura
and underground NCO
schools for military training.
On March 12, 1943, the Jędrusie assaulted the German Gestapo
prison in Opatów and liberated more than 55 people held there. On March 29 of the same year a similar action was carried out in Mielec
, where the unit collaborated with a local Armia Krajowa
unit in liberating 180 people from a local prison. Since then the unit was unified with the Home Army and entered its ranks as the 4th company of the 2nd Home Army Infantry Regiment of the Land of Sandomierz.
After the start of the Operation Tempest
in 1944, the unit fought together with the rest of the regiment against the German forces defending the bridgehead near Baranów
and Sandomierz against the Red Army
. It also liberated a number of towns in the area. At that time the unit numbered some 250 fully equipped soldiers in the first line. Apart from the Polish boys, it included also a number of Jews hiding from the Germans, as well as French and Russian POW camp escapees and even a number of deserters from the Wehrmacht
.
and the communist authorities of Poland. Most of the fallen soldiers were exhumed in the 1950s and interred together with the first commander of the unit.
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
, created in 1941.
History
Its origins go back to October 1939 in TarnobrzegTarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...
, when a group of Polish Boy Scouts
Zwiazek Harcerstwa Polskiego
Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized by the World Organization of the Scout Movement and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. It was founded in 1918 and currently is the largest Scouting organization in Poland...
and gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
students joined the Polish resistance. Initially a small sub-group of Szare Szeregi
Szare Szeregi
"Gray Ranks" was a codename for the underground Polish Scouting Association during World War II.The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish...
, since 1940 it was named Odwet (Vengeance). In 1941 the unit was reformed by and named after Lt. Władysław Jasiński, whose nom de guerre was Jędruś, after his 4 year old son Andrzej (Jędruś is a Polish diminutive of that name). Jasiński, a reserve lieutenant of the Polish Army, was also their school teacher and the leader of their scouting troop.
The Jędrusie were active in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Sandomierz
Sandomierz
Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
, Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...
, Opatów
Opatów
Opatów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Opatów County. Its population is 7,833 .Tourist attractions include a 12th century Collegiate Church of St...
, Rzeszów
Rzeszów
Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...
, Mielec
Mielec
Mielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...
and other areas of Central Poland and carried over a variety of tasks related to sabotage and diversion. Initially engaged mostly in training, reconnaissance, intelligence and distribution of underground press, since 1941 the group also started to organize armed resistance. The reason for that was the dire need to hide a number of members from the Germans and hide them in the countryside to avoid their arrest and execution. Among the notable actions of the early period were attacks on German-confiscated factories and farms. Jasiński was killed in action on January 9, 1943, and his place was taken by J. Wiącek Sowa. Jędrusie also organized material help for the families of resistance fighters
Resistance during World War II
Resistance movements during World War II occurred in every occupied country by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation, disinformation and propaganda to hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns...
, prisoners of war and concentration camp
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
inmates, collected food for the prisoners held in POW camps
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
, served as a criminal police in the areas of its operation and organized underground education, with secret schools preparing for a secret matura
Matura
Matura or a similar term is the common name for the high-school leaving exam or "maturity exam" in various countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia,...
and underground NCO
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
schools for military training.
On March 12, 1943, the Jędrusie assaulted the German Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
prison in Opatów and liberated more than 55 people held there. On March 29 of the same year a similar action was carried out in Mielec
Mielec
Mielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...
, where the unit collaborated with a local 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...
unit in liberating 180 people from a local prison. Since then the unit was unified with the Home Army and entered its ranks as the 4th company of the 2nd Home Army Infantry Regiment of the Land of Sandomierz.
After the start of the Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
in 1944, the unit fought together with the rest of the regiment against the German forces defending the bridgehead near Baranów
Baranów
Baranow may refer to:* Baranow, Edmonton, a neighbourhood in Edmonton, Canada* Baranów Sandomierski, a town and castle in Subcarpathian Voivodeship * Baranów, Greater Poland Voivodeship...
and Sandomierz against the 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...
. It also liberated a number of towns in the area. At that time the unit numbered some 250 fully equipped soldiers in the first line. Apart from the Polish boys, it included also a number of Jews hiding from the Germans, as well as French and Russian POW camp escapees and even a number of deserters from 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:...
.
After WWII
After the war many of the former Jędrusie members were persecuted by the 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....
and the communist authorities of Poland. Most of the fallen soldiers were exhumed in the 1950s and interred together with the first commander of the unit.