On 9 October 1939, in a forestry camp close Bodzentyn in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Colonel Henryk Dobrzański, convinced of the necessity of continuing the open fight with Germany, established a unit called the Branch of the Polish Army. The officer accepted the nickname “Hubal”. His subordinates operated in a full military uniform until June 25, 1940.
Hubal with His Soldiers (1939)
After the defeat of many Polish soldiers suffered in September 1939, they intended to proceed fighting the German occupier. any chose underground conspiracy, others wanted to fight openly. 1 of them was Colonel Henryk Dobrzański.
The officer has been active with the military since planet War I. He served in Polish Legions, participated in Polish-Ukrainian fights and in the Polish-Bolshevik war. In the Second Republic he became celebrated as a prominent rider. He participated in the hippie competition, among others, he was a reserve in the Polish squad for the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In addition, he commanded, among others, the 4th Uwan Regiment Reserve Squadron in Volkovsk.
In September 1939, Colonel Dobrzański became Deputy Commander of 110 Reserve Ulan Regiment of Colonel Jerzy Dąbrowski. The unit fought, among others, in the Augustov Forest area with the Red Army. – erstwhile Colonel Dąbrowski decided to disband the regiment after 20 September, a group of respective twelve soldiers headed by the colonel. Dobrzański decided not to lay down arms and moved towards defending Warsaw – says Dr. Krzysztof Karolczuk, historian of planet War II.
On the way, they found out that The capital is down. Nevertheless, Colonel Dobrzański decided to fight still. He headed south to scope the border with the intention of entering France. With a group of soldiers he reached the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. On 9 October, however, the colonel decided to stay in the country at Podgórze forest camp close Bodzentine.
– He wanted to last with his soldiers in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains until the spring of 1940, when, as he expected, the Allied offensives: France and the United Kingdom were to take place," explains the historian. At that time, he called the branch of the Polish Army a unit of about 35 soldiers, and adopted the nickname “Hubal”.
Major Hubal's Soldiers (1940)
Colonel Dobrzański started creating the Kielce Combat District, whose main task was to train volunteers. In November, he moved to the Spalski Forest area, where he was stationed until the spring of 1940. The Hubalites fled German ambushes with the support of residents who provided them with supplies and shelter. “Hubal wanted his unit to be a continuationist of the regular Polish army, so the soldiers performed in uniforms and followed the pre-war rules”, emphasised Dr. Karolczuk.
At the beginning of 1940, “Hubal” began accepting fresh volunteers and in March the squad had already counted about 320 soldiers. Training was conducted, a network of supply facilities was built. “Fearing about retaliation from Germans, the authorities of the Armed Forces Union wanted to dissolve the branch,” says the historian. On March 13, 1940, Colonel Leopold Okulicki, then Chief of the territory of Łódź ZWZ-etu, brought Colonel Dobrzański an order to demobilize the branch issued by General Stefan Rowecki "Grota", Chief of the Chief of the Armed Forces Union.
However, ‘Hubal’ decided to fight still, and left his subordinate a choice whether to stay in the unit or leave it. There were 70–80 soldiers left in the squad. “The officer argued that he would not surrender and die in the uniform of the Polish Army,” explains Dr. Karolczuk.
At the same time, the Germans began preparations to break up the branch of the "crazy major", as they called Dobrzański. Wehrmacht, SS and another formations were sent to fight, with a full of 5 to 8,000 people. The occupiers circled the Hubalians on March 30, 1940 under Hucile. However, despite the crucial advantage of the Germans, the clash ended with the triumph of Poles. After him, Colonel Dobrzański ordered a retreat to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. In retaliation for their defeat, the Germans pacified 31 villages and murdered 712 of their residents in the areas where the WP Division was operating.
The underground authorities have increasingly urged the ‘Hubal’ to complete the operation. In April, however, Colonel Dobrzański ignored the next order of the commander of the ZWZ-et ordering the cessation of operations. "In the horse's insanity appearances >>Hubala<<, who twice disobeyed the order to disband the partisans and initiated an armed, short-lived speech occupied by the lives of many peasants shot in surrounding villages. >> << << << << << << << << << << <<. Rowecki April 15, 1940.
A fistful of Hubalians again arrived in the Spalski Forests. On April 30th, at dawn, the ward was amazed around Anielina. In the shooting that started, “Hubal” was killed. His body was moved by the Germans to Tomaszów Mazowiecki and then buried in an unknown place to this day. Survivors from the rounding around 30 soldiers continued the fight until June 25, erstwhile they decided to disband the branch in the face of the surrender of France.
– Hubal can be seen as a controversial figure, especially in the light of not following orders from the conspiracy authorities," the historian admits. However, he adds that the activity of an officer in Kielce was of large moral importance and uplifted the inhabitants. “She besides created a legend of the guerrilla movement, although Colonel Dobrzański himself never considered himself a guerrilla, recognizing his unit as a continuation of the pre-war army”, adds Dr. Karolczuk.
