Cover photo: Photo: Piotr Karsznia/IPN Branch in Warsaw/Other
On May 21, 1945, Polish forces from the “Polish Home Army”¹ surprised the NKVD (People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) men at Rembertów, in the eastern suburbs of Warsaw.

The city had been occupied by the Soviets on September 11, 1944, and hundreds of Polish citizens, including members of the Home Army and other resistance fighters, were imprisoned there. Among them were Germans and Russians who collaborated with the forces of the Third Reich. The prisoners experienced various hardships and were systematically deported to Siberia. In 1945, prisoners received 100 grams of clay bread and watery corn soup twice a day, along with unlimited warm water. Polish prisoners could receive food parcels, but prisoners of other nationalities fared worse, with higher mortality rates (2-5 deaths per day). The lack of basic hygiene products led to lice, scabies, and dysentery.

The camp was guarded by NKVD personnel, with machine guns placed in the towers surrounding the camp, which had double barbed wire fences and patrols with dogs. The camp commander, Colonel Alexandrov, conducted roll calls at 6:00 am and 6:00 pm every day.

The plan was well-organized from the beginning. Lieutenant Edward Wasilewski conducted a reconnaissance of the camp while disguised as a soldier of the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Polish People’s Army). On the night of Saturday, May 20, 1945, relatives of the prisoners brought large quantities of alcohol to the camp to ensure that the NKVD guards would get drunk. The prisoners were informed about the impending attack, and on that day, the commander of the Soviet camp left for a party in the nearby village of Kawęczyn.

The Polish Army unit rode horses from Długa Kościelna to Rembertów, splitting into three teams. The first team, led by “Wichura” (Gale), was responsible for opening the camp gate to free the prisoners, excluding German and Russian soldiers from General Vlasov’s units. The second team aimed to neutralize the guards, and the third team served as lookouts.

The attack by the 44 Poles achieved complete surprise and lasted about 25 minutes. The stunned NKVD guards offered little resistance, and about 100 injured and sick Polish prisoners were transported in two trucks. The remaining prisoners scattered into the forests and surrounding villages. Approximately 40 Polish prisoners were shot by machine gun fire while escaping while three members of the Home Army unit were injured, but none were killed. In contrast, the NKVD counted 68 dead that day.

Depending on the source, between 466 and 1,400 prisoners were liberated, some of whom were re-arrested in the following days or executed summarily after being found. The camp commander was relieved of his duties, the camp never operated again, and security measures in all camps were re-evaluated.

1. The Home Army was officially disbanded on 19 January 1945 to avoid civil war and armed conflict with the Soviets. However, many former Home Army units decided to continue operations. ↩︎