Bataliony Chłopskie
Introduction:
The Peasant battalions (BCh) were formed in August 1940 out of the Peasants’ Guard (Chłosta) and were the largest independent battalions within the AK (Nowak, 1986; Roszkowski, 2022) where the relationship was of an alliance rather than joining the AK on the orders of Sikorski on August 1942 (Kochanski, 2012; Williamson, 2012). It was not until early 1943 did the BCh become subordinate to the AK, however, this did not end local rivalries in some provinces where clashes took place (Kochanski, 2012).
The role of the BCh was to protect small holdings from German deportations and the colonisation of Volksdeutsche and later under the Soviet invasion, collectivisation. Approximately 50,000 troops were transferred into the AK from various provinces based on the Voivodeships. At its peak, some 135,000 people were part of the Peasant battalions (Bałuk,1995).
Operations:
The structure of the BCh was based on the Voivodeships with three types of militias: territorial militias for self-defence and sabotage, tactical units developed for the general uprising and a third group made up of untrained youths and elderly people acting as axillaries (Bałuk,1995). The Peasant battalions were initially led by Franciszek Maniński (Olsza, Kowal, Zenon Trawiński) before joining the AK in Warsaw in 1944 with the leadership passing to Kazimierz Banach (Kamil, Jan Rosnowicz) from 1942 until 1944.
The specialist units were trained and deployed to attack grain mills and stores held by the Germans and included sawmills, distilleries, dairies and pro-German community councils. About 70 units were active.
Graduating from cadet school Kozi Bór June 1943
Source: Bałuk (1995)
Their first action was the Battle of Wojda on 30th December 1942 (Bałuk, 1995) (See https://polandinexile.com/article/cichociemni-the-role-of-couriers/) which was followed by the Battle of Zaboreczno on 1st February 1943 which was part of the broader “Zamość Uprising” whose success halted further colonisation of the region under Operation WERWOLF (Aktion Wehrwolf). The district although subject to depolinisation (Kochanski, 2012) was relatively lawless with the following military actions contested the Nazi resettlement schemes (Davies, 2003). The Zamość Uprising included the Battle at Róża on 2nd February 1943 and later the Battle of Ciepielowo on 30th September 1943 (Bałuk, 1995). In between were numerous small, yet significant local skirmishes that kept valuable troops from the Eastern front. The prisons at Krasnystaw and Pińczów were attacked with the blowing up of a munitions train at Gołąb. Actions included an attack on a quarry at Gostków using Jewish and Polish slave workers where the Polish gendarmes (Navy Blue Officers) turned a ‘blind eye’ to the attack and prevented the death of Józef Ołownia (Domański, 2018). Skirmishes at Długi Kąt where local Poles were murdered, Stara Huta and Hrubieszów also formed part of the Zamość Uprising led to German anti-partisan operations (Operation STURMWIND II) in Lipsko and Janów that culminated in the Battle of Osuchy (Bitwa pod Osuchami) in the Solska Forest during 25th to 26th June 1944 (Bałuk, 1995, Kochanski, 2012; Williamson, 2012). The partisans were made up of the BCh, AK and People’s Army suffered heavy casualties. A unit of the People’s Army (AL) broke through the German lines near Górecko Kościelne suffering heavy casualties while Soviet backed partisans tried to break out on the 22nd to 23rd June near Hamernia but changed location to the villages of Borowiec and Huta Różaniecka. The AK and BCh were pinned down in an area bordered by the Tanew and Sopot rivers and eventually escaped near Biłgoraj. Both sides had 1,300 killed and similar numbers of wounded.
The toll on the partisans was high. The following table covers the toll:
| Unit | Makeup | Toll |
| The ‘Rys’ AL partisan group | Mainly Poles | Broke out in groups of 3-4 troops and survived |
| Peasant Battalion | Mainly Poles | 500 mostly killed in action |
| The ‘Warsaw Brigade’ of the PPR | Poles and Jews | Heavy casualties |
| ‘Wanda Wasilewska’ AL group | Poles and Jews from Lublin and Krasnik | 200 troops with most killed in action |
| ‘Henry Dąbrowski’ unit | 300 Russian and Jews with a few Poles from the Puławy region | N/K |
| The ‘Kort’ unit | Consisted mainly of Russians | N/K |
Source: Williamson (2012) p. 133.
Peasant unit ‘Piotr Pawlina’ operated in the Stopnica area 1943
Source: Bałuk (1995)
Postscript:
On 1st January 1944, the National People’s Council issued a decree to set up the People’s Army under Gen. Michel Żymierski that saw the Peasant Battalions, People’s Militia of the Polish Socialist Worker’s Party and some units of the People’s Guard merge (Bałuk, 1995). The Sovietisation of Poland’s partisan movement had begun with the political leadership was now controlled by the Polish Workers Party Central Committee.
In May 1944, the national People’s Council sent delegates to the Soviet Union with Col. Marian Spychalski representing the military (Bałuk, 1995). The purpose of the meeting was to align the People’s Army with that of the Red Army’s strategic planning for the capturing of Berlin and the downfall of Nazism. After the ‘liberation’ of the eastern provinces, the People’s Army became more engaged with the German army in the occupied provinces that led to rivalries with the AK and threatened operations led by the Cichociemni. The People’s Army continued to harass the retreating Germans and sabotaging transport networks, however, these were more localised actions whereas the AK’s Operations’ WACHLARZ, WENIEC, JULA and EVA had a greater strategic impact. At its height, the BCh fielded around 160,000 fighters who were poorly armed and equiped. As the Red Army pressed westwards towards Germany, an increasing pressure on the partisans to be incorporated into Berling’s forces increased (Kochanski, 2012; Williamson, 2012). Operation BURZA (STORM or TEMPEST) was the prelude to the Warsaw Rising 44 (See https://polandinexile.com/article/the-warsaw-rising/) demonstrated the AK’s stratagic and military operations to be superior in planning and execution than the People’s Army during the same period. The setting up of a Provisional Government of National Unity led to the ousting of the AK and although Mikołajczk was one of the deputy prime ministers, the Soviets had more sinister intentions. Kazimierz Banach who fought in the Warsaw Rising 1944 was expelled from the Peasants party by Mikołajczk for being a communist agent.
Many former resistance fighters fell for the Soviet ruse of the first amnesty on 21st August 1945 granted to all resistance fighters (Walker, 2008; Williamson, 2012). Many came out of hiding and gave up their weapons while senior officers were excluded from the process and went into hiding only to re-emerge with opposition parties like WiN and NIE (Walker, 2008). The struggle for independence would continue for many decades.
Selected References:
Bałuk, S. (1995) “Poles on the Fronts of World War II”, ARS Print Production, Poland.
Davies, N. (2003) “Rising ’44: The Battle for Warsaw”, Macmillan, UK.
Domański, T. (2018) “Polish ‘Navy Blue’ Police in the Kielce County in 1939-1945” in Martyna Grądzka-Rejak and Adam Sitarek (Eds) “The Holocaust and Polish-Jewish Relations: Selected issues”, IPN, Poland pp.63-93.
Kochanski,H. (2012) “The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War”, Allen Lane, UK.
Nowak, C.M. (1986) “The Polish Resistance Movement in Second World War”, Bridgewater Review, Vo.4, No. 1, pp.4-7.
Walker, J. (2008) “Poland Alone: Britain, SOE and the Collapse of the Polish Resistance, 1944”, History Press, UK.
Williamson, D.G. (2012)”The Polish Underground 1939-1947”, Pen & Sword Military, UK.
Additional References:
Durlej, S (Eds) “Bataliony Chłopskie na Kielecczyźnie 1940-1945”, Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego, Poland.
Gmitruk, J and Mazurek, J. (1999) “Bataliony Chłopskie w strukturach Polskiego Państwa Podziemnego”, Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego, Poland.
Używany, S. (1964) “Bataliony Chłopskie: Opracowanie zbiorowe”, Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, Poland.
Wojtas, K.P.A. (1986) “Bataliony Chłopskie”, Indiana University Press, USA. (First printed 1986 by Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, Poland.
Wójtowicz, M. (1997) “Bataliony Chłopskie w obwodzie Krasnostawskim 1939-1945”, N/K, Poland.
Zimmerman, J.D. (2015) “The Polish Underground and the Jews under Nazi Rule, 1941–1945”, Cambridge University (on-line), pp.91-418.
Selected Websites:
https://www.gov.pl/web/libya/the-home-army-is-more-than-a-resistance-movement
Selected YouTube Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6bBp-ZuXiQ – The Forgotten Army – Peasants Battalions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8GZc8NDOE – Bataliony Chłopskie – 85. rocznica sformowania [DEBATA]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3DDHRgYuPE – Ośka – partyzancka legenda BCh [cały film]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmRUC0iLWRQ – The Zamość Uprising and the Peasant Battalions. The fight against the extermination and displacement.
