Operation Arsenal

1943 escape of Jan Bytnar from Nazi German imprisonment

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Operation Arsenal

Part of World War II

Długa Street where the Operation Arsenal took place

Date	March 26, 1943
Location	Warsaw, General Government (German-occupied Poland)
Result	Liberation of Jan Bytnar, successful escape

Belligerents

Gray Ranks

Nazi Germany

Commanders and leaders

Stanisław Broniewski

Tadeusz Zawadzki

Unknown, probably none

Strength

28 men

~15-20 men

Casualties and losses

2 dead
1 captured (subsequently executed)
140 Polish and Jewish hostages killed in reprisal

4 killed
9 wounded

Polish Underground State
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History of Poland 1939–1945
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Political organizations Major parties Polish Socialist Party People's Party National Party Labour Party Minor parties Camp of National Unity Democratic Party Jewish Labour Bund Hashomer Hatzair Betar (Zionist youth) Opposition National Radical Camp Polish Workers' Party
Military organizations Home Army (AK) Service for Poland's Victory (SZP) Armed Resistance (ZWZ) Gray Ranks National Security Corps (PKB) Mostly integrated with Armed Resistance and Home Army Gwardia Ludowa WRN Peasant Battalions Partially integrated with Armed Resistance and Home Army National Military Organization National Armed Forces Camp of Fighting Poland Pomeranian Griffin Confederation of the Nation Non-integrated but recognizing authority of Armed Resistance and Home Army Jewish Combat Organization Jewish Military Union Opposition Armia Ludowa
Related topics Cultural activities Education History of Poland during 1939–1945
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The Operation Arsenal (Polish: Akcja pod Arsenałem), code name: "Meksyk II", was the first major operation by the Gray Ranks, Polish Underground formation during the Nazi German occupation of Poland.^[1] It took place on March 26, 1943 in Warsaw. Its name was coined after the Warsaw Arsenal, in front of which the action took place. The plan was to free the troop leader Jan Bytnar "Rudy", who was arrested together with his father by the Gestapo. The operation was executed by 28 scouts led by Warsaw Standard Commander Stanisław Broniewski "Orsza". The initiator and the commander of the "Attack Group" was Tadeusz Zawadzki "Zośka".^[2]

The successfully conducted operation led to the release of Jan Bytnar and 24 other prisoners, including another Storm Group troop leader, Henryk Ostrowski "Henryk", and 6 women, in an attack on the prison van that was taking the inmates from Pawiak Prison to Gestapo Headquarters at Szucha Avenue. Bytnar himself died four days later on account of injuries sustained due to German torture. Both of his interrogators, identified as Hubert Schulz and Ewald Lange, were assassinated by Szare Szeregi within two months.^[3]

The Operation was presented in a 1978 Polish film Akcja pod Arsenałem^[4] and in a 2014 Polish film Stones for the Rampart based on Aleksander Kamiński's novel of the same name.^[5]

Details

	Sections	Commander	Members
	Commander of the operation: Commander of the "Attack Group": Commander of the "Cover Group":	"Orsza" Stanisław Broniewski "Zośka" Tadeusz Zawadzki "Giewont" Władysław Cieplak
Attack Group
	"Bottles"	"Anoda" Jan Rodowicz	"Bolec" Tadeusz Chojko "Heniek" Henryk Kupis "Stasiek" Stanisław Pomykalski
	"STEN I"	"Maciek" Sławomir Maciej Bittner	"Kołczan" Eugeniusz Koecher "Sem" Wiesław Krajewski
	"STEN II"	"Słoń" Jerzy Gawin	"Buzdygan" Tadeusz Krzyżewicz (died, due to wounds) "Cielak" Tadeusz Szajnoch
	"Grenades"	"Alek" Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski (died, due to wounds)	"Hubert" Hubert Lenk "Mirski" Jerzy Zapadko
Cover Group
	"Signalisation"	"Kuba" Konrad Okolski	"Kadłubek" Witold Bartnicki "Jur" Andrzej Wolski
	"Old Town"	"Katoda" Józef Saski	"Kopeć" Stanisław Jastrzębski "Rawicz" Żelisław Olech
	"Ghetto"	"Tytus" Tytus Trzciński	"Felek" Feliks Pendelski "Ziutek" Józef Pleszczyński "Pająk" Jerzy Tabor
	"Cars"	"Jeremi" Jerzy Zborowski "Jurek TK" Jerzy Pepłowski

References

^ "Najbardziej spektakularna operacja Szarych Szeregów w czasie okupacji. Rocznica Akcji pod Arsenałem". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
^ "Akcja pod arsenałem". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
^ "Akcja pod Arsenałem: odbić "Rudego" z rąk Gestapo". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
^ "Akcja pod Arsenałem". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
^ "Kamienie na szaniec". Retrieved 20 April 2020.