Operation Kutschera
Encyclopedia
Operation Kutschera was the code name for the successful assassination
of Franz Kutschera
, SS
and Reich
's Police Chief in Warsaw
, executed on 1 February 1944 by the Polish Resistance fighters
of Home Army
's Anti-Gestapo
unit Agat
. This action was a part of bigger Operation Heads.
and Generalmajor of Polizei
Franz Kutschera
became SS and Police Leader
of the Warsaw District on 25 September 1943. During his earlier posting in Mogilev
District of the Soviet Union
he proved himself as ruthless officer, prone to brutal and unscrupulous methods.
Immediately on his arrival in Warsaw he stepped up terror
measures directed against civilian
population. The number of public execution
s and łapanka round-ups were increased, and lists of hostage
s to be shot in case of any attack on a German soldier were published daily. These actions, based on decree
by Hans Frank
, were intended to crush the will of resistance among Polish citizens. Due to Kutschera's policy since Autumn 1943, stepping outside one's home was a venture into the unknown. Thus, the underground leadership included Kutschera in its "Operation Heads" list, describing him only as "SS and Police Leader" (Kutschera knew the methods of the Polish intelligence and therefore kept his name and whereabouts confidential). His disclosure was a matter of lucky coincidence.
Chief of the Agat company's intelligence "Rayski" (Aleksander Kunicki) was working on Walter Stamm, IV Department Gestapo
director in Warsaw Sicherheitsdienst
and Gestapo Command Office as well as Dr Ludwig Hahn, the Office's boss himself, often visiting the police quarter of Warsaw. One day he noticed an Opel Admiral
limousine
entering drive of a palace at Aleje Ujazdowskie 23, seat of the Warsaw District SS and Police Leader. Out of this car an SS-man emerged and his black coat opened a little, showing general
's collar insignia. From then on his arrivals were closely followed and soon his name and address were revealed.
commander Emil August Fieldorf
"Nil" and in several days a Special Courts
liquidation order was sent back. "Pług" (Adam Borys), Batalion Parasol
commander chose 1st Platoon for this action. Platoon commander "Lot" (Bronisław Pietraszewicz) assumed personal leading and after completing all intelligence from "Rayski" planned the assassination in close cooperation with "Pług".
The first attempt was prepared for 28 January 1944. "Lot" people took their positions and waited in vain, as Kutschera did not show up. On break up, after all arms were given over, Jan Kordulski "Żbik" was heavily wounded by German patrol. That caused addition of Zbigniew Gęsicki "Juno" and Stanisław Huskowski "Ali" to the team.
The next attempt took place on 1 February 1944, 8.50 AM. The execution team included:
Lot and Kruszynka then ran up to the limousine and opened fire from close range. At the same time a covering squad took their places and getaway vehicles moved into place. An intensive firefight ensued, as German guards from neighbouring institutions (Gestapo, Schutzpolizei
, garrison
club) reacted. Miś jumped out of his car, together with Kruszynka and finished off the wounded Kutschera and then searched him for documents.
At the critical moment Ali, couldn't open the briefcase with the hand grenades. Since it was his only weapon (other weapons did not arrive in time), he couldn't support Cichy, Lot and Olbrzym. They were all wounded soon thereafter, as the open street was under constant fire.
Due to his injury, Lot could not call for withdrawal loud enough and the shootout was unnecessarily prolonged in the very dangerous centre of the German office quarter. Finally, all assassins managed to get into cars and drive away.
A frantic search for a hospital willing to defy the Germans and operate on the heavily wounded Cichy and Lot began, since the originally planned medvac scheme failed. It took several hours and five attempts before a hospital finally admitted them. As a result of the delay, both men died within a couple of days. Meanwhile, Sokół and Juno - against their orders - tried to return the car into the garage and were intercepted at Kierbedź bridge. After a short, hopeless exchange of fire, they jumped into the Vistula
river where they were either shot or drowned.
. Kutschera's body was then transported to Berlin
on a special train. The Germans demanded 100 million zloty as a retribution from the city of Warsaw. The next day, February 2, 1944, 100 civilian hostages were shot in one of the last public executions in the city before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising
.
. Every year the operation is commemorated by Polish Scouts.
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
of Franz Kutschera
Franz Kutschera
Franz Kutschera was an SS General and Gauleiter of Carinthia...
, SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
and Reich
Reich
Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...
's Police Chief in 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...
, executed on 1 February 1944 by the Polish Resistance fighters
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...
of Home Army
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...
's Anti-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...
unit Agat
Batalion Parasol
Battalion Parasol was a Scouting battalion of the Armia Krajowa, the primary Polish resistance movement in World War II. It consisted mainly of members of the Szare Szeregi, distinguishing itself in many underground operations, and in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 .-...
. This action was a part of bigger Operation Heads.
Background
SS-BrigadeführerBrigadeführer
SS-Brigadeführer was an SS rank that was used in Nazi Germany between the years of 1932 and 1945. Brigadeführer was also an SA rank....
and Generalmajor of Polizei
Polizei
Polizei is the German word for police. It might refer to:-National agencies:*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Germany*Bundespolizei - Federal Police of Austria*Bundeskriminalamt - Federal Criminal Office of Germany, comparable to the FBI...
Franz Kutschera
Franz Kutschera
Franz Kutschera was an SS General and Gauleiter of Carinthia...
became SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader
SS and Police Leader was a title for senior Nazi officials that commanded large units of the SS, of Gestapo and of the regular German police during and prior to World War II.Three levels of subordination were established for bearers of this title:...
of the Warsaw District on 25 September 1943. During his earlier posting in Mogilev
Mogilev
Mogilev is a city in eastern Belarus, about 76 km from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and 105 km from the border with Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It has more than 367,788 inhabitants...
District of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
he proved himself as ruthless officer, prone to brutal and unscrupulous methods.
Immediately on his arrival in Warsaw he stepped up terror
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
measures directed against civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
population. The number of public execution
Public Execution
Public Execution is a Mouse and the Traps retrospective album that has been released in both LP and CD formats. The LP has an unusually large number of tracks , while the CD includes 4 bonus tracks and catalogues almost all of the released music by Mouse and the Traps and their associated bands: ...
s and łapanka round-ups were increased, and lists of hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s to be shot in case of any attack on a German soldier were published daily. These actions, based on decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
by Hans Frank
Hans Frank
Hans Michael Frank was a German lawyer who worked for the Nazi party during the 1920s and 1930s and later became a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany...
, were intended to crush the will of resistance among Polish citizens. Due to Kutschera's policy since Autumn 1943, stepping outside one's home was a venture into the unknown. Thus, the underground leadership included Kutschera in its "Operation Heads" list, describing him only as "SS and Police Leader" (Kutschera knew the methods of the Polish intelligence and therefore kept his name and whereabouts confidential). His disclosure was a matter of lucky coincidence.
Chief of the Agat company's intelligence "Rayski" (Aleksander Kunicki) was working on Walter Stamm, IV Department 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...
director in Warsaw Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
and Gestapo Command Office as well as Dr Ludwig Hahn, the Office's boss himself, often visiting the police quarter of Warsaw. One day he noticed an Opel Admiral
Opel Admiral
The Opel Admiral was a luxury car made by the German car manufacturer Opel from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1964 to 1977.-Admiral :...
limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
entering drive of a palace at Aleje Ujazdowskie 23, seat of the Warsaw District SS and Police Leader. Out of this car an SS-man emerged and his black coat opened a little, showing general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
's collar insignia. From then on his arrivals were closely followed and soon his name and address were revealed.
Preparations
"Rayski"'s report reached KedywKedyw
Kedyw , was an underground movement - Armia Krajowa organization during World War II, which specialized in active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed action against Nazi German forces and collaborators.-Operations:...
commander Emil August Fieldorf
Emil August Fieldorf
Emil August Fieldorf was a Polish Brigadier General. He was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army or AK, after the failure of the Warsaw Uprising...
"Nil" and in several days a Special Courts
Special Courts
Special Courts were the underground courts organized by the Polish Government in Exile during World War II in occupied Poland. The courts determined punishments for the citizens of Poland who were subject to the Polish law before the war.-History:After the Polish Defense War of 1939...
liquidation order was sent back. "Pług" (Adam Borys), Batalion Parasol
Batalion Parasol
Battalion Parasol was a Scouting battalion of the Armia Krajowa, the primary Polish resistance movement in World War II. It consisted mainly of members of the Szare Szeregi, distinguishing itself in many underground operations, and in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 .-...
commander chose 1st Platoon for this action. Platoon commander "Lot" (Bronisław Pietraszewicz) assumed personal leading and after completing all intelligence from "Rayski" planned the assassination in close cooperation with "Pług".
The first attempt was prepared for 28 January 1944. "Lot" people took their positions and waited in vain, as Kutschera did not show up. On break up, after all arms were given over, Jan Kordulski "Żbik" was heavily wounded by German patrol. That caused addition of Zbigniew Gęsicki "Juno" and Stanisław Huskowski "Ali" to the team.
The next attempt took place on 1 February 1944, 8.50 AM. The execution team included:
- "Lot" (Bronisław Pietraszewicz) – commander and 1st executioner, (armament: MP 40 submachine gun, Vis gunVis (weapon)Vis is a 9 mm caliber, single-action, semi-automatic pistol...
, FilipinkaFilipinkaFilipinka was an unofficial, yet common name for the ET wz. 40 hand grenade produced for the Armia Krajowa during World War II in occupied Poland....
hand grenade). - "Ali" (Stanisław Huskowski) – second-in-command and security screen, (STEN, grenades).
- "Kruszynka" (Zdzisław Poradzki) – 2nd executioner, (STEN, grenades).
- "Miś" (Michał Issajewicz) – Adler Trumpf-JuniorAdler (automobile)Adler was a German automobile and motorcycle manufacturer from 1900 until 1957. Adler is German for eagle.-History:The Adler factory produced bicycles, typewriters, and motorcycles in addition to cars...
car driver and 3rd executioner, (Parabellum pistolPistolWhen distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
and grenades). - "Cichy" (Marian Senger) – cover, STEN, Parabellum, grenades.
- "Olbrzym" (Henryk Humięcki) – cover, STEN, Parabellum, grenades.
- "Juno" (Zbigniew Gęsicki) – cover, STEN, Vis, grenades.
- "Bruno" (Bronisław Hellwig) – Opel KapitänOpel KapitänThe Kapitän was the last new Opel model to appear before the outbreak of the Second World War, developed during 1938 and launched in the spring of 1939 at the Geneva motor show. The first Kapitän was available in many different body styles, the most popular one being the 4-door saloon. 2-door...
driver, 2 Parabellums, grenades. - "Sokół" (Kazimierz Sott) – Mercedes 170 VMercedes-Benz W136The Mercedes-Benz W136 was Mercedes-Benz's line of four-cylinder automobiles from the mid-1930s into the 1950s. It became the foundation on which the company rebuilt after World War II because the tooling had survived Allied bombing....
driver, 2 Parabellum, grenades. - "Kama" (Maria Stypułkowska-Chojecka) – signals.
- "Dewajtis" (Elżbieta Dziębowska) – signals.
- "Hanka" (Anna Szarzyńska-Rewska) – signals.
The assassination
At 9:09 AM Kama signalled that Kutschera was leaving his house at Aleja Róż 2. In spite of the fact that Kutschera had barely 150 metres to cover from his home to SS headquarters, he always used his car. When he was close to the gate of SS HQ, he was blocked by a car driven by Miś.Lot and Kruszynka then ran up to the limousine and opened fire from close range. At the same time a covering squad took their places and getaway vehicles moved into place. An intensive firefight ensued, as German guards from neighbouring institutions (Gestapo, Schutzpolizei
Schutzpolizei
The Schutzpolizei , or Schupo for short, is a branch of the Landespolizei, the state level police of the German states. Schutzpolizei literally means security or protection police but is best translated as Uniformed Police....
, garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
club) reacted. Miś jumped out of his car, together with Kruszynka and finished off the wounded Kutschera and then searched him for documents.
At the critical moment Ali, couldn't open the briefcase with the hand grenades. Since it was his only weapon (other weapons did not arrive in time), he couldn't support Cichy, Lot and Olbrzym. They were all wounded soon thereafter, as the open street was under constant fire.
Due to his injury, Lot could not call for withdrawal loud enough and the shootout was unnecessarily prolonged in the very dangerous centre of the German office quarter. Finally, all assassins managed to get into cars and drive away.
A frantic search for a hospital willing to defy the Germans and operate on the heavily wounded Cichy and Lot began, since the originally planned medvac scheme failed. It took several hours and five attempts before a hospital finally admitted them. As a result of the delay, both men died within a couple of days. Meanwhile, Sokół and Juno - against their orders - tried to return the car into the garage and were intercepted at Kierbedź bridge. After a short, hopeless exchange of fire, they jumped into the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
river where they were either shot or drowned.
Aftermath
The funeral ceremony was held by the Germans in Brühl palaceBrühl Palace, Warsaw
The Brühl Palace , otherwise known as Sandomierski Palace standing at Piłsudski Square. It was a large palace and one of the most beautiful rococo buildings in pre-World War II Warsaw.-History:...
. Kutschera's body was then transported to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on a special train. The Germans demanded 100 million zloty as a retribution from the city of Warsaw. The next day, February 2, 1944, 100 civilian hostages were shot in one of the last public executions in the city before the outbreak of 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...
.
In popular culture
The assassination of Kutschera was the subject of the 1959 movie Zamach by Jerzy PassendorferJerzy Passendorfer
Jerzy Passendorfer was a Polish film director, specialising in films about the German occupation of Poland in World War II, and member of parliament....
. Every year the operation is commemorated by Polish Scouts.