Ryś Battalion

Ryś Battalion
BCh District Headquarters. Seated second from the left is Kazimierz Lancmański "Żuraw", third Stanisław Basaj "Ryś", fourth Bronisław Sowiński "Stepkowski". Standing third from the right Aleksy Nowak "Gleba", deputy of the BC District Headquarters
Active	1942 spring - 1945.03.25–10 May 1945
Country	Peasant Battalions
Branch	Peasant Battalions
Type	Partisant Unit
Role	Wage Partisan war
Size	800 soldiers
Garrison/HQ	unknown
Nickname(s)	Ryś
Motto(s)	"Przez Walkę do Zwycięstwa"
Commanders
Ceremonial chief	Stanislaw Basaj

Ryś Battalion also officially known as the 1st Battalion of the Hrubieszowskie Detachments of the BCh. The Consipration Battalion of the Peasant Battalions, which operated in the Hrubieszów District from 1942 to 1945, numbered several hundred men at its peak, and was one of the largest groups that fought against the Ukrainian Nationalist troops and the Wehrmacht. They prevented the pacification and massacre of villages.^[1][2][3]

In the same area, in the south of the district, where the battalion of District 5 South, commanded by Stefan Kwaśniewski "Wiktor", operated, there was a BCh battalion, under the command of Stanisław Basaj "Rys". The history of this battalion has a relatively rich literature. It is mentioned in the publication "Źródła i materiały do dziejów Ruchu Oporu na Lubelszczyźnie" in volume two Bataliony Chłopskie na Lubelszczyźnie.and volume five Kalendarium walki Batalionów Chłopskich na Lubelszczyźnie. This is where the annexes in this study on the BCh District come from. Jerzy Markiewicz in his book Paprocie zakwitły krwią partzantów ("Ferns bloomed with the blood of partisans") and Wojciech Sulewski in his booklet Lasy płoną ("Forests are burning") write about the history of this battalion. The genesis and political foundation of the BCh battalion is mentioned in this work in the chapter "Ruch ludowy, SL, ROCH, Chłostra, Bataliony Chłopskie". In the aforementioned second volume of "Źródeł i materiały do dziejów ruchu oporu na Lubelszczyźnie" ("Sources and Materials for the History of the Resistance Movement in the Lublin Region") (Wydawnictwo Lubelskie, 1960), the formation of this formation is presented in the following way (p. 15).^[4][1]

During Poland's Defensive War of 1939 Stanisław Basaj fought as part of the Wołynska Cavalry Brigade of the Polish Army.

The first partisan detachment created and led by Basaj existed from October of 1939 until January of 1940; it was active in the environs around the town of Hrubieszow, and during its short existence it fought four minor clashes against the Germans. In January of 1940 this very small (it apparently never had more than a few partisans) partisan detachment self-disbanded.

A larger second partisan detachment was created and commanded by Basaj, as part of the BCh, during May of 1942, and initially conducted only small-scale actions against the Germans and their collaborators. In the spring of 1942, a small operational group was formed in the village of Małków in the Hrubieszów district, headed by Stanisław Basaj "Ryś". During its early existence in 1942 the detachment had probably no more than about 100 partisans. In the second half of 1942, there were four more significant clashes from which the "Ryś" BCh Partisan Detachment emerged victorious (at Kryłów, Mircze, Poturzyn and Kosmów ). Moreover, he liquidated the commander of the Ukrainian Police of the town of Hrubieszów with the surname of Malesza, together with several other policemen. Already during 1942 the Germans offered a considerable bounty for either killing or capturing of Stanisław Basaj.

From November 1942, the next phase of the General Plan East, approved by Heinrich Himmler on 12 June 1942, began to be implemented in the Zamojskie region; following this, Himmler issued another decree (12 November 1942), which was a formal act recognising Zamojskie as the first settlement area (Siedlungsstutzpunkte) in the General Government (GG); there were to be 14 of them in the GG. On 28 November 1942, a great displacement action began, the brutality and bestiality of which were unprecedented in the history of Europe; villages were surrounded at night, the entire population was herded to a selected square, often murdering the infirm and resistant; the population was also segregated; Children were detached and sent to resettlement or concentration camps in the interior of the country or to concentration camps, while "racially pure" children were sent to be Germanised; as the action took place in late autumn and winter, trains full of frozen corpses of children circulated in the country.^[5]

German colonists from almost the whole of Europe – from the Reich, Bessarabia, Romania, Slovenia and the USSR – were brought to replace the displaced Poles; a special policy was applied to local Ukrainians ("Ukraineraktion"), settling them on the shores of the settlement belt to protect the Germans from attacks by the Polish underground.

This BCh partisan detachment grew rapidly in numbers and in July 1943 formed a battalion headed by the so-called 'Headquarters'. It consisted of: as commander, Stanisław Basaj "Ryś", Zenon Pielachowski "Dzierżyński", Jerzy Brzuś "Ostoja", Józef Wolański "Igor" and Stanisław Hulak "Stępień". The battalion consisted of ten platoons, a non-commissioned officer school, a reconnaissance team, a sanitary section and rolling stock. The total strength was 670 privates; 59 NCOs and four officers. Battalion fought in the Zamość Uprising.^[6][1]

The Fighting Poland reacted decisively to the German rape, and the resistance assumed such proportions that it came to be known as the Zamość Uprising; Basaj, who immediately turned his OS into a strong partisan unit, also had a significant part in this. On 15 January 1943, in Tuchania near Dubienka, he fought a battle against the German Gendarmerie and Ukrainian Police, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy; on 20 January, his 100-strong unit attacked the German Gendarmerie and police in Józefów, claiming victory; in pursuit of the Germans, he fought skirmishes in Bokini and Wysoki; in February, it attacked the Ukrainian base in Kryłów, liquidating the policemen and smashing a detachment of Cossacks in the village of Małków; it fought an all-day battle at Modryń and Mircz, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy; on 15 and 17 March, it liquidated the Ukrainian posts in Modryń and Łasków. On March 18, the "Rysia" battalion carried out an operation against a detachment of Ukrainian nationalists in the village of Górki and, in pursuit of them, smashed a German vehicle column, also destroying two cannons. On 20 March, he saved the Polish population in the village of Modryń from being murdered by driving out a Ukrainian Insurgent Army unit. On 3 April, attacking Prehoryłe, he smashed a Ukrainian Insurgent Army unit and took revenge for the murder of the Polish population. In May, he fought the Ukrainians at Hołuba, and the Germans near Hrubieszów. In Kolonia Prehoryłe he smashed a unit of Ukrainian Insurgent Army and German Gendarmerie jointly murdering and plundering the village's Polish population. On 15 August, 3 platoons from the "Rysia" battalion near the village of Mieniany fought a victorious battle against the Ukrainian Police and units of the collaborationist Ukrainian 14th Division of the Waffen-SS.^[7]

February 1943. "Ryś" with a group of soldiers carries out a successful action against the Ukrainian police in Kryłów during the funeral of a Ukrainian policeman. In the same month an action of the "Rys" detachment against a Ukrainian unit takes place. Livestock looted from the Poles was taken back. March 1943 The "Rysia" detachment carries out an action against Ukrainian posts in Łasków and Szychowice. A few days later the Germans attack Małków. Relief comes from the direction of Modryń, where AK is stationed. The battle area stretched from Modryń to Mircze. The battle lasted all day. 27 Germans and Ukrainians were killed. Own losses 3 killed and 5 wounded. The Ukrainians retreated to Sahryń, the Germans to Hrubieszów.^[8][1]

On 18 March 1943, BCh units came to the relief of the Górka colony attacked by Ukrainians. In pursuit of the Ukrainians, they encountered the Germans on the Hrubieszów-Sokal road. In April 1943, another defence of Malkov against the onslaught of Ukrainian nationalists. Battle in the village of Prehoryłe. Unsuccessful attack on the village of Holubie. September 1943 three platoons from the BCh battalion take part in a battle in Sahryń. Own losses 1 killed, 1 wounded. Ukrainians six killed. Further battles in defence of the attacked villages of Małków and Górki.^[9][10]

By early August of 1943, the Germans practically ceased their displacement actions in the Zamojszczyzna region, as they no longer had the strength to continue implementing the General Plan East; pacifications and anti-partisan operations were carried out more with a view to ensuring security at the frontline and the occupied rear areas; from the early spring of 1944, the Zamojszczyzna region experienced a new tragedy; the nationalist Ukrainian movement (OUN, UPA, USN, and other nationalist formations), supported by the Germans, undertook concentrated and ruthless actions aimed at pushing back or liquidating the Polish element from the south-eastern districts of Zamojskie (Hrubieszów, Tomaszów, Bilgoraj).^[11]

"Ryś" conducted an attack on station of the Ukrainian Police in the village of Mieniany. 8 Ukrainian policemen were killed according to Polish sources. December 1943: attack by Ukrainian nationalists on the ethnic Polish village of Modryń on Christmas Eve. Own losses 7 people, Ukrainian losses 14. 3 rifles were captured by the Poles.

In late autumn of 1943, Stanisław Basaj's troops were quartered and gathering strength for further battles, but this calm was disturbed by the 14th SS Grenadier Division in the strength of 2 companies. They attacked the villages of Górka-Zabłocie and Małków, where Stanislaw Basaj's forces and the Home army were stationed, and easily dealt with the attack. The next day "Ryś" struck at the same forces that had attacked him, the Ukrainian forces were at a disadvantage, inflicting heavy losses on them, thus preventing the pacification of the Polish village of Małków. Sparing the Polish population, they bravely attacked another detachment of the 14th Division's Granadiers and police; the Ukrainians were beaten in the villages of Górna and Łasków; on that day still, Basaj and "Bold" again went to Małków for ammunition, where they easily dealt with the Ukrainian militia there.

A skirmish with Ukrainians and Germans is reported on 18 January. On 7 February, the Ukrainians attack Małków. The BCh troops are commanded by Karol (kaczała). Own losses 3 dead and 7 wounded. The enemy has 22 killed, On 11 February, the BCh partisans set up an ambush on the wedding of a Ukrainian policeman in Wereszyn. 4 Ukrainian policemen and 1 German were killed. 1 hand machine-gun, 2 rifles and 1 Wis pistol were captured. On 14 February 1944 Battle of Zabłocie with participation of BCh and AK. On 14 February, 1944, 140 soldiers of the Ryś battalion and the Home Army fought a battle with German forces near Zabłocie, the day-long battle ended in a Polish victory and inflicting significant losses on the Germans, thanks to which the Basaj's troops captured ammunition and weapons from the Germans. On 27 February, there was another skirmish near Małków, where the battalion claimed victory over the SS Combat Group "Beyersdorf" and the Ukrainian National Self-Defence. In the next action, on 16 February 1944, when the Germans and Ukrainians attacked Małków again from the direction of Dołhobycz and Waręż, "Ryś" wanted to act completely independently, without the help of the AK. This risked defeat. It was then that a battalion of the Home Army came to his aid, taking the Germans into clutches.^[10]

On 17 February, the Germans directed their attack on Prehoryłe, with the relief of a BCh unit came to the rescue. On 27 February, another attack by the Ukrainians on Łasków and Górki. Co-operating AK and BCh units. Two Ukrainians were killed. 2 rifles, 3 hand grenades and a Nagant revolver were captured. 10. On 5 March a clash with the Ukrainian SS Galizien and Ortschutz was recorded, in which 1 BCh soldier was killed and 1 wounded. When, on 9 March, two battalions of the Home Army under the command of Stefan Kwasniewski and Zenon Jachymek took action against the Ukrainians with a broad front from Prehoryłe to Sahryń, initially the BCh units did not participate in this battle took part in this battle, with the exception of a small detachment which served as a guide. However, as the action developed, the BCh units joined the action on the eastern wing of the battle, where Stefan Kwaśniewski was in command. I am writing about this more extensively, as Wojciech Sulewski in his publications attributes to the battalion of "Rysia" battalion the whole of this battle, which is not true.^[12][11]

On 28 February, 1944, the battalion's commander, upon hearing that the village of Małków was being pacified by combined German-Ukrainian forces, immediately set off to help the village together with the AK Partisan Detachment of "Czarus", while later 3 platoons of the AK joined the battle. After pushing out the enemy forces, the combined German-Ukrainian forces were attacked from 3 sides, and as a result the German offensive ended in a defeat, which was sealed by the death of the commander, and the death of many soldiers on the enemy side. While on the side of the partisans the losses were much smaller; 6 soldiers were killed and 16 wounded.

On 29 February three platoons of the 1st BCh Battalion led by Stanisław Basaj, jointly with an AK platoon (commanded by "Huragan"), in the village of Prehoryłe discovered an outpost of Ukrainian nationalists and smashed it; several dozen Ukrainian nationalists were killed from the UPA Company of "Bradiaha", while the Polish partisans had smaller losses, and the village was burnt down. On 5 March, 4 platoons from the 1st BCh Battalion, 116 soldiers under the command of Basaj and an AK platoon from "Czarusia" company of 35 soldiers, were attacked in the area of Prehoryłe - Małków by strong units of the 14th SS Grenadier Division and Ortschutz; the attack was repulsed and the partisans suffered only small casualties, while equipment was captured from the enemy.

On 15 March 1944 "Ryś", surprised near the village of Proske, smashed a German patrol. On March 16/17 the 1st Battalion fought a battle with a pacification group consisting of gendarmes, SS men and Ukrainian police from the UPA "Jahoda" group, which attacked the village of Łasków, the Zabłocie colony and Małków. The battalion was supported by Home Army units of Olszak "Hardy" and Aleksandrov "Brawura". The attackers were smashed. The effectiveness of "Ryś" actions caused a strong German response. On 19 March, units of the 14th SS Grenadier Division, Ortschutz, Ukrainian police and partly Schupo and gendarmes, launched a large-scale operation against the Basaj battalion and the "Wiktor" AK battalion. When the Germans encircled one of the "Rys" platoons in the village of Łasków, the main forces of the Basaj battalion and the "Wiktor" battalion rushed to the aid of the encircled. "Rys" pushed out the enemy and captured the Mircze-Kryłów road. At the same time, Czarusia and Wiktor companies of the Home Army drove the enemy back from the Sokal-Hrubieszow road and captured Mircze; having achieved these objectives, the Polish units captured the last points of enemy resistance in the villages of: Modryń, Modryniec and Masłomęcz. The third phase of operations attacked Ukrainian self-defence bases in the villages of: Mieniany, Kozodawy, Cichobórz and Kosmów, completely driving out their crews. Significant losses were inflicted on the enemy, but the "Rysia" battalion also lost several men.

On 19 and 20 March, the BCh battalion, with the support of the AK battalion, fought a great battle with the Germans, who struck with large forces at Górki, Lasków, Małków from the east and from the west from the vicinity of Stara Wieś. After this battle the BCh battalion withdrew to the Topmaszowski district, destroying during the march the narrow-gauge railway tracks leading from Hrubieszów to Uhnowo. At that time, in April, and not in May 1944, as it is stated in the BCh report, a platoon under the command of Władysław Tuchowski "Kordian" came under the command of the BCh, in the strength of 25 men.^[13][11] On 21 March a small sub-unit of the 1st BCh Battalion ambushes a unit of the German Gendarmerie near Kolonia (Satellite Village) Marysin, in the process killing some of the gendarmes and forcing the rest to flee.

The activity of 'Rys' worried the German command. As a consequence, a decision was made to carry out a large-scale counter-partisan operation in the southern part of the Hrubieszów district. The punitive expedition, which was commanded by Lt. Col. Werner Froemert, included: the 31st SD Schuma Battalion (also known as the so-called "Ukrainian Self-Defence Legion"), sub-units of the 5th Galician SS Volunteer Regiment, a detachment of the German 154th Infantry Division, Ordnungspolizei units, and a battery of armoured guns.^[14] On 27 March the Germans and their Ukrainian collaborators surrounded the "Ryś" Battalion, as well as an AK outpost commanded by Mieczysław Olszak ("Hardy"). After a fierce battle, "Ryś" and part of his unit managed to break out of the encirclement, but the Polish partisans suffered heavy losses, Majewski writes that the Poles lost from 33 to 75 partisans killed,^[15] while Peasant Battalion memoirs claim that 27 Polish partisans were killed.^[16] After the battle, the Germans and their Ukrainian collaborators proceeded to pacify Smoligów.^[17] After the battle in Smoligów, in fear of more German anti-partisan actions, Basaj decided to evacuate his unit to the Tomaszów county.^[16]

During April part of the 1st BCh Battalion fought a clash against a German armored train without suffering any casualties; the BCh partisans tore off a section of the railway tracks, and afterwards the train departed from the area.

On 11 May the 1st BCh Battalion, together with the AK Partisan Detachment of "Norbert" (J. Turowski), derailed near Krasnobrod a German train transporting ammunition; around 15 German troops from the train were killed, while the rest fled. The Polish partisans captured weapons and ammunition. The traffic on this railway line was interrupted for three days.

For about a week, a BCh battalion has been stationed in areas belonging to District 4 of the AK. These are villages in the communes of Miączyn and Molodiatycze. Here, too, one platoon of the AK under the command of Władysław Adamowicz "Taran" comes under the command of the BCh. After a temporary stay in this area, the BCh battalion passes to Puszcza Solska. Here there is an encounter with a unit of Soviet partisans, under the command of Colonel Shangin. On 25 May, the BCh units, with the assistance of miners from Szangin's unit, destroyed a bridge over the Tanew River, on the Biłgoraj-Tarnogród road. On 5 June, an agreement on mutual assistance and cooperation was signed by "Rys" and Soviet partisan commander Shangin.^[13]

During the period of 28 May - 09 June, the 1st BCh Battalion fought, alongside with the Soviet partisans, against the collaborationist Kalmuck Cavalry Corps, establishing a partisan defensive line on the Tanew River. During that fighting it killed 120 Kalmuck and a few German troops, while the Polish partisans had 10 killed and 20 wounded.

In the first half of June, Stanisław Basaj "Ryś", together with part of his battalion, returned to the Powiat of Hrubieszów to collect the hidden weapons and ammunition. The second part of the battalion under the command of Antoni Warchał "Szczerba" took part in the Battle of Osuchy from 18 to 28 June, and this part of the battalion amounted to around 300 partisans. A single BCh platoon fought its way out of the encirclement together with the Soviet partisans. A detailed description of this bloody and tragic battle is given in the book Jerzy Markiewicz's book titled "The Blood of Ferns. "Ferns bloomed with the blood of partisans". The battalion suffered heavy losses; at least dozens were killed and there were also many wounded among those who succeeded in fighting their way out of the encirclement. Among the dead were commander of the unit, Antoni Warchał "Szczerba", the commander of the non-commissioned officer school Pielachowski "Dzierżyński" and many others. ^[13][18]

After this battle, part of the battalion returned to the south of Powiat of Hrubieszów, where the command proceeded to rebuild its forces. During this time the partisans of the 1st BCh Battalion fought at least a few more clashes against the Axis, with probably the last such clash taking place on 18 July when a group of the battalion's partisans came to the aid of the ethnic Polish village of Stasin, which was being plundered by a mixed group of German and Vlasovite troops; the Polish partisans killed a few of them, while the rest fled.

During the third decade of July Zamojszczyzna was liberated by the encroaching Red Army and Polish Army units. The BCh battalion under the command of "Rys" and the AK South battalion under the command of Stefan Kwaśniewski "Wiktor" operated in the same area, so they constantly constantly came into contact with each other. Relations between these formations were characterised by of competition. Wherever there was a threat of danger from Germans or Wherever there was a danger from Germans or Ukrainians, the Home Army and the BCh cooperated with each other. There is no mistake in saying that in all battles fought by AK battalions, units of BCh also participated and vice versa, where the BCh fought, the Home Army came with support. It was only after the battle that arguments began about whose participation in the battle was greater and about the division of the spoils of war between the two organisations.^[19][20]

Basaj was killed on 25 March 1945 during a UPA attack on Kryłów. Basaj was found and detained in one of the houses in Kryłów. He was placed in the corner of the room, his coat and shoes were taken away, and then he was abused. The perpetrators also undressed the 17 MO officers lying on the floor and tied up, and then shot them all. Ukrainian nationalists also murdered 28 civilian residents of Kryłów.^[21] According to another version, Basaj lost his life on 27 March 1945, two days after his abduction from Kryłów. He was interrogated in Liski Waręskie in the presence of the highest-ranking members of the Ukrainian underground in the Chełm region, probably including the OUN-B Security Service referent Łeonid Łapinśki "Zenon". This is also where all trace of Basaj disappears. Presumably he was executed in this area.^[22]

Basaj and his battalion played a very important role in the Zamość Uprising and especially in skirmishes with the Ukrainians, defeating them battle after battle and saving many pacified villages as in the battle of Małków or at Mieniany. Ryś showed us how to build a holy partisan force, which only needs to be supplied with weapons and a commander to pose a very great threat. The battalion's losses were mainly due to the overwhelming superiority of the enemy, who was equipped with modernised weapons. at the peak moment the battalion had even 800 men.