BITHUANIA IN STOCK, 1 OF THE top BITHUANS IN THE ANTI-COMMUNISTIC AREA
The top Action of the "Oral" Division
MJR MARIAN BERNACIAK "ORLIC"
The largest action of the “Orlik” branch and 1 of the largest battles of the anti-communist Polish underground took place in Las Stocki on 24 May 1945. On that day, the UB and NKWD operating group seeking “bandits” received information that partisans were seen in Stocki Forest. The combined communist groups of NKVD, UB and militia counted about 200 soldiers, and were commanded by Captain Henryk Deresiewicz (the leader of the WUBP in Lublin), Jan Leptuch (the commander of the UB in Puławy), the russian officer of the NKVD and the commander of the Morgut militia. After a conference held in Wierzchoniów, where there was a large amount of moonshine, the operating group left for Stocki Forest. Soldiers and officers loaded on armored cars, transporters and trucks. any of the liquor-heated soldiers went to meet the guerrillas on foot. In the midst of the rain, a column of vehicles labored in the mud toward the lost in the wet fog of the village. It was 2:00.
Meanwhile, in Stocki Forest, the guerrillas rested after an intense march, dried wet uniforms and shoes, cleaned weapons and prepared a meal. A day earlier, a group of about 70 people from the area of Baranów and Kośmin led by Lieutenant Czesław Szlendak “Maxa” brought their troops to the village with about 120 guerrillas. As you can see, the forces of the guerrillas had about 190 well-armed soldiers. Poles occupied almost all the buildings of the village, the office with “Orlik” was in the mediate of the village in the part called District, while respective houses located the southernmost occupied the people “Maxa”. Their commander himself with Bernaciak's approval went with respective boys to a friend of the host surviving in the east part of the village called Kopanina. The area in the Las Stocki village area was crossed by narrow pits and ravines covered with forest. From the west side along the village is simply a ravine called Zadolem, and from the east side of Glibienny Down.
When military vehicles approached the village from the south, 1 of the cars got stuck on a muddy road. This was where the guerrillas were commanded by Mieczysław Polak “Leonidas”. Soldiers disguised as women working in the field failed to notify the group of the approaching enemy. Only erstwhile 1 of the cars was immobilized, these patrols fired on him, forcing him to flee.
Even before the first shots were fired, the vehicles stopped and the communist operations group divided up. 1 part went down to the western Zadole gorge, heading north. respective soldiers entered the east Gorge of Glibienny Down and marched towards the center of Stocki Forest. The main part of the group was following the tanket road towards the confederate ends of the District, where the guerrillas from “Max” had settled. Unfortunately, in the absence of the commander, the soldiers have not displayed any worth. In addition, 2 posts located west of the village were liquidated by the Soviet-communist group going to Zadol, and the Polish group was completely surprised.
When she started shooting at the first houses, the moving tanker, half-dressed guerrillas responded with chaotic fire. But erstwhile the missiles caught fire to the houses, most of this group just escaped.
At this point, Lieutenant Max joined his men, but he was injured rapidly and was evacuated with a shot through the lung by the Scrobots. In a short first skirmish, 4 guerrillas from the group from Baranów and Kośmin died. The tanker and the soldiers behind it were overtaken by an armored transporter with the Soviets. Encadevists jumped out of the vehicle and entered 1 of the homes. Then the russian vehicle got into the cross and effective fire of guerrillas and was forced to withdraw. Russians in the home were removed with grenades thrown through windows. This transporter was fired on by Jerzy Ślaski “Niuchuja” and the crew was thrown by grenades by Kazimierz Łukasik “Samopal” and Zdzisław Jarosz “Black”. besides under the quarters of the Scrooge, 1 of the armored cars was disabled erstwhile the podchod. Jerzy Michalak “Swidza” threw an anti-tank grenade.
After the first clashes, about 60-70 guerrillas appeared in the mediate of the village before “Orlik”. A brief gathering was held. The command wondered whether to retreat or to engage. It was decided to fight and the “Orlik” gave the order to decision on to counterattack and effort to flank the communists. At the same time, it was decided that the reconnaissance mark of the guerrilla teams would be white flowers of the bzu stuck behind the otok caps. This was to prevent the accidental shooting of each other, as the guerrillas and soldiers of the communist army were uniformed as well or very similarly. It was besides noted that the communists had to rotation up 1 left sleeve of the sweatshirt to identify their people, and the hats were wrapped with a white band-aid belt.
At the command of Marian Bernaciak, 1 of the groups under the command of Jerzy Michalak “Świdy” attacked an east russian group in the Glibienne Doł area, where there were respective Russians. In the mediate of the village, under the cross on the road towards Kopianka, there was a group of defences of the Polish centre with Zygmunt Kęski “Świąt” and Jerzy Ślaski “Nieczą” at the head. shortly the defenders stopped the Russian opposition from firing an full troop landing in 1 of the transporters. The right Polish wing commanded by Lt. Józef Mierzwiński “The Faithful” went along the Zadole gorge. any of the soldiers were on the advanced edge of the jar, and any went down. This was most likely the most dramatic fight, erstwhile as a consequence of the guerrilla attack communist troops were pushed into a deep confederate section of the gorge. At the beginning of the ward where Marian Bernaciak was located, he stumbled upon 8 soldiers with a left sleeve rolled up, leading a larger group of troops. To be sure, Wacław Kuchnio “Relax” asked for the password, and erstwhile he heard in the answer “Leningrad”, the guerrillas opened fire and set the intruders in series. It was then that most likely the commander of the full communist operating group, Captain Henryk Deresiewicz and Lieutenant Alexander Ligaza, died.
Deprived of command in the Zadola area, communist soldiers did not know what to do, any tried to escape, any hid in a deep ravine. The disoriented even shot each other. Encaviours and UB officers who took refuge in a deep yoke were constantly being shelled from above by partisans and flung with grenades, and hand-to-hand fighting took place in the battle. The escape prevented the advanced slopes of the ravine, additionally bet by the guerrillas "Orlik".
With the onset of darkness and the burning of the buildings of Stocki Forest, the fight besides ended. erstwhile it seemed that the full group in confederate Zadola would surrender, the fighting guerrillas were informed that a column of cars with a communist rescue from Puławy was approaching Stocki Forest.
The commandant “Orlik” immediately ordered a retreat and about 22 o'clock in an orderly march order the guerrillas left the village unconcerned completely by the communists.
The wounded were left on the way to the friendly hosts, and the larger part of the army crossed behind the Vistula River, to the chaotic and uninhabited (because the mined) area of the erstwhile Magnuszewski's cape. Only at night did the communist rescue of over 600 NKVD and CWB soldiers and UB officers with tanks arrive at the site of the conflict of Stocki Forest, but it was besides late to prosecute Poles.
The fight in Stocki Forest was bloody and the losses were high. 11 or 12 guerrillas were killed among the people of Orlik and so many were injured. At least 3 villagers, including a small girl, were besides killed. The opposing organization officially confessed to 40 dead soldiers and officers. These losses confirm the accounts of the villagers, who after the conflict numbered about 40 killed communists and the same wounded on their part. Another calculation is given in his book “Cursed Soldiers” by Jerzy Ślaski, who calculates the losses in the killed communist troops for 72 people.
DEATH OF ORLIPS - 24 JUNE 1946
After the conflict of Stocki Forest, for 2 more months the “Orlik” division acted as a compact unit, attacking and disarming militia stations, as was the case in Kazimierz and Żelechow. By the end of July, about 120 prisoners were besides released from rail transport at the Bąkowiec station.
Later, Marian Bernaciak changed his tactics and divided his squad into smaller platoons and teams, which were settled in the villages. Despite specified a condition, clashes and skirmishes with the government units of Lublin Poland continued, e.g. in October 1 of the platoons occupied the Gołąb railway station, and in this period the transport of prisoners at the station in Dęblin was unsuccessfully attacked.
In the fall of 1945, Marian Bernaciak “Orlik” was appointed commandant of the safety study of the Inspectorate of WiN Puławy, which is the actual commander of all the partisan WiN troops on the premises of the Inspectorate. He was then promoted to major.
Unfortunately, Major "Orlik" died on June 24, 1946. He and a fewer of his subordinates were returning from the gathering at the carriage, but the horse lost the horseshoe. They found a blacksmith on the edge of the village of Piotrówek. Unfortunately, individual reported to the militia that there were suspected armed men in the village. The military and militia surrounded the village, and Marian Bernaciak died during an effort to break the cordon.
The body of Marian Bernaciak was transported to the safety Office in Warsaw. To this day, his burial site is unknown. It most likely lies in the Warsaw Brodnowski Cemetery, in the quarters called “by the well”*.
After the death of Major ‘Orlik’, the command of the guerrilla branch was taken over by his deputies — Wacław Kuchnio ‘Relax’ and Zygmunt Wilczyński ‘Żuk’. Together with the remnants of the group, they survived in a conspiracy to the February amnesty of 1947, erstwhile they revealed themselves together with their soldiers.
Simon Nowak
Appendix
Marian Bernaciak's reflections on death, recorded in June 1944.
The reflections were recorded on the device on June 10, 1944. "Orlik" was then 27 years old. He died almost precisely 2 years later, 24 June 1946. Records were found by his nephew, Michał Bernaciak in household collections in Konstancin.
"The transition from life to death is specified a short minute that you won't announcement it. Death is completely painless, just remember the faces of abruptly killed people. These faces have no expression of suffering or pain. Killed in combat have a look of fierceness, anger or focus on their faces. If death was a surprise in the laughter, that laughter stays on your face. With a good shot, death comes so rapidly that a man does not realize it. He can't even hear the shot due to the fact that the bullet's twice as fast as the voice. erstwhile the voice reaches the shot, it encounters a bullet-damaged, unresponsive brain.
The worst pain is waiting to die. The happiest are those who die abruptly and unexpectedly. But it is not for us to be happy. erstwhile the shock of fear passes after the arrest and the first examination, erstwhile she clearly weighs her situation, then 1 begins to think of death as something inevitable erstwhile coming out of the present situation. First, this thought scares and is unconcerned. After this, antagonism comes, the essence of death begins to be analysed, and it is concluded that it is not terrible at all.
There is now deep regret after what is left behind. There comes concern for the loved ones. But erstwhile again, it is clear that they cannot be helped. The apathy begins, which slow transforms into abnegation. He thinks death is becoming more and more friendly, as something that will end suffering."
You start fraternizing with death and surviving it in fantasy. You're already mentally prepared. There's inactive an animal in a man. It fears not so much death as non-existence, but the suffering of dying. Afraid to lead him to the execution site, dreaming of a good shot to make the horse immediate.
And here must be the last, but the large effort of man's will to hold this animal to the end and not compromise and die with dignity.
Quote for: Mirosław Sulej, “Marian Bernaciak «Orlik». Biography”, Warsaw 2015, pp. 457-458
From Editorials Below we print a passage from M. Sulej's book describing the posthumous destiny of “Orlik”:
“The body of “Orlik” was taken to the Provincial safety Office in Prague in Warsaw. There, for respective days, they made certain it was him, bringing his parents and subordinates to his body. 1 of them was Halina Rybakowska “Iskierka” who remembered the last gathering with her commander:
It was placed in a large nursery on boards raised in the advanced part of the body. The face was clean and calm, he looked like he was asleep, his hands were stacked along his body, his left was bloody and torn with a dum-dum missile, right completely clean. He was wearing a green coat about military cut and britches. I was shocked by his bare feet, with his fingers bitten by rats. The hall was filled by high-ranking uniformed, decorated with orders — Polish and Russian uniforms. Soldiers of the “Orlik” were taken from various prisons and detentions, and his parents were brought in to
identify him. With prayer and tears I said goodbye to my commander.”
Quoted for: Mirosław Sulej, ‘Marian Bernaciak «Orlik»’,
Warsaw-Green-Ryki 2005, p. 62.
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