Chapter 18
D uring the same period that the resistance fighters had control over the Centre district, they also had control of a small armoured force that was put to use during two attempts to capture Warsaw University.
On August 14, 1944, resistance fighters captured an armoured transport vehicle Sd Kfz 251/1D, from SSPanzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung 5 “Wiking” from the 5th SSPanzer-Division “Wiking”. At approximately 1100 hours, a German, armoured transport vehicle while driving away from Ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście (originally, it had started out from Ulica Królewska) towards the insurgent position on Ulica Bartoszewicza – which was held by the 107th Platoon in Company 2 of the VIII AK’s troop force “Krybar” – was met with a hail of “Molotov cocktails” and grenades, and came to an abrupt halt in a cloud of fire and smoke. A wounded SS-Unterscharführer from the 5th SS-Panzer-Division “Wiking” was taken prisoner of war. A nurse and two other SS-soldiers fled in the direction of the university. The transport vehicle had probably been on its way to retrieve wounded from the university grounds but the driver had driven past the university gate (not unusual) and turned, by mistake, into Ulica Kopernika which was blocked off by a barricade and thus continued onto Ulica Bartoszweicza.
The barricade on Ulica Kopernika was torn down and the transport vehicle was driven to Powiśle by resistance fighters. The vehicle was dubbed “Jaś” (to honour the commander of the battalion’s 2nd company). Not long after that, it completed a dozen or so roundtrips from Utica Copernican, down Utica Taka and back up to Utica Kopernika. On August 15, a cross was painted on the side of the chassis. Reports that the red-and-white Polish national pattern had been painted on are, however, subject to dispute. The author has endeavoured to access reliable information from former resistance men who fought in Powiśle. Some have confirmed that this pattern was painted onto the vehicle, while others deny this. Even reports as to precisely where this red-and-white checkered pattern appeared on the vehicle disagree (on the sides? – on the front armour plating? – on the sides of its superstructure?). The colour illustration in this book shows the Sd Kfz 251/1 D both with, and without, a painted-on pattern.
Two Photographs: The tank “Kubus” was built during the uprising. It was constructed between the 10 and 23 August. It was based on a Chevrolet 157 , three tonne truck onto which double armour plates requisitioned from across Warsaw were mounted. The armament comprised a 7.62mm Russian machine gun and a home-made flame thrower in a rotating tower. In addition, it could transport 12 soldiers. It was planned to use the vehicle with the storming of the university. The name Kubus was given as a tribute to a Polish doctor who had died in combat on 15 August.
The vehicle was modified: Above the open “working area” a protective plate was mounted above the open sides and functioned as a roof. The machinegun’s standard protective shield, which was placed in front of this working area, was made bigger and a little roof was tacked onto it. The front wheels were covered with round side-shields, held loosely in place by chains fastened to front wheel fenders. The modification was carried out at the mechanical workshop on the corner of Ulica Tamka and Ulica Topiel, under the direction of Sergeant Walerian Bielecki (engineer “Jan”). The armoured transport vehicle “Jaś” was stationed at Ulica Okólnik behind the music conservatory. The other armoured vehicle captured by the resistance fighters at Powiśle was also stationed there.
The decision to build an improvised armoured vehicle was made when the resistance fighters were preparing to capture the university. The university building, which rose up over Powiśle, was constant source of worry to the insurgents, and the Germans subjected the positions of the VIII AK’s forces, to heavy shelling. Over the very first days of the Warsaw Uprising, 2nd Lieutenant Edmund “Kaczka” Frydrych, responsible for providing ordnance and provisions to the resistance fighters; had already begun work to armour-plate a vehicle that could be used to carry out transport and communication missions. The actual work was to be performed in Stanisław Kwiatkowski’s shop. Frydrych had gotten hold of a 3-tonne, pre-war, Polish Chevrolet 157 from personnel at the Electric Department. After dismantling the gas-installation and loading-on acetylene welding gear, electrodes, iron welding rods, and car plating at the Electric Dept.; he drove the lorry to the workshop. Henryk “Indian” Choiński also participated in the vehicle modification. On August 8, 2nd Lieutenant “Kaczka” received orders to hand over the project to Sergeant Walerian Bielecki (“engineer Jan”). “Krybar’s” captain ordered that the commandant of the Electric Dept., engineer Captain Stanisław “Cubryna” Skibniewski should assist “engineer Jan.” The talents of the experienced welder Antoni Nowakowski were called upon. The leader of the armoured vehicle project was Józef “Globus” Fernik, who before the war had been a foreman at the aircraft factory WP-1 at the state owned aircraft installation at Okęcie. A special “supply unit” – under the command of Antoni “Omega”Nowakowski – was formed which searched for armoured plating, oxygen and acetylene. The plating came, from among other places, a safe-manufacturing plant on Ulica Kopernika, and from the Chevrolet 157 armoured car which, on August 8, had been hit by a bomb in the yard of a house on Ulica Szkolna 2.
“Kubus” after the war. The vehicle has since been repaired and is on display at the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw.
A captured half-track vehicle, Sd Kfz 251/1 Ausf D from 5.SS-Panzer-Division “Wiking” at Ulica Tamka on 14 August 1944.
On August 15, the welding of the vehicle began. From August 17 on, the welding work was carried out by platoon leader Adolf “Szczepko” Leszek. The armoured car “Kubuś” (so named in honour of J. “Globus” Fernik’s murdered wife) had a double layer of armour because a single layer of 5 – 6 mm thick plating was not sufficiently resistant. The armoured “Kubus” was originally envisioned as a landing vehicle, while the “Jas” was seen as a support-fire vehicle. Both vehicles were to be part of the motorised column “Wydra” under the command of platoon leader Warrant Officer Andrzej “Szary Wilk” Dewicz. Theoretically, the work of building the “Kubuś” was essentially finished just before the August 23 attack on the university, but the driver, Sergeant Mieczyśław “Anastazja” Fijałkowski, did not have sufficient time to get accustomed to the vehicle, plus poorly conceived, narrow sighting slits also contributed to making the vehicle extremely difficult to steer.
Both these armoured vehicles in the motorised column “Wydra” were made ready for the assault on the university. Group “Krybar’s” assault troops moved into position at 0300 hours and the vehicles were clear for action at approximately 0400 hours. “Jaś” was equipped with an MG 34 machinegun mounted in the standard position, a British PIAT, and a backpack-type flame thrower which was transported in the crew space. “Kubuś” was equipped with a Soviet DP type machinegun (which had been captured at the Electric Dept.), a flame thrower and the crew’s 2 – 3 sub-machineguns. “Kubuś” arrived almost directly from the workshop where “Szczepko” had just completed the last amour-plate welding. Shortly after 0400 hours, Warrant Officer “Szary Wilk” gave the order to roll out. “Jaś” was the first out onto Ulica Tamka, followed by the armoured vehicle “Kubuś.” Not long thereafter, both armoured vehicles passed through the barricade on Ulica Kopernika, which had been partly torn down by German POWs. They continued past the Staszic Palace and neared the university’s main gate along Ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście. At that moment, the worried Germans opened fire and launched rockets. The insurgents’ attempts to destroy the gate failed – neither explosives nor ramming it with “Jaś” were sufficient. And it wasn’t until a shot from a PIAT blew open a big hole that the crews (except the drivers) of both vehicles were able to enter, on foot, the university grounds. Both armoured vehicles remained on Ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście, not far from the university’s gate. The retreating Germans were fired on by the resistance men.The crews had no problem in getting into the main courtyard, where they were brought to a halt by particularly intensive fire coming from the university library and the law school. The resistance men “incinerated” the German soldiers inside a bunker near the gate with a flamethrower, and “neutralized” a few machinegun-nests in the library with a PIAT. The Germans began to withdraw. In the meantime, the second unit’s concentrated attack from Ulica Obózna and Ulica Sewerynów, which was co-ordinated with the main assault, failed. The commander of the overall action, Warrant Officer “Szary Wilk” had been killed, and the platoon leader’s replacement, Warrant Officer Tadeusz “Miś” Zieliński gave the order to retreat. The surviving crew members retired to their vehicles beside the gate. “Jaś” could withdraw without any problem, but “Kubuś” would not start. Added to this, they initially were unable to get the seriously wounded into the armoured vehicle. Kubus was entered and exited through special openings in the floor, after which the crew would come out on the vehicle’s side, since it didn’t have the typical, so-called “back door” found on, among other examples, the rear plating of Sd Kfz 251/1 D “Jaś”. After some minutes had passed, the engine finally caught, and fortunately, by that time the wounded were safely aboard. At 0450 hours, both vehicles were able to withdraw, while under fire from the police station on Ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście, along Ulika Kopernika and Ulica Tamka to the gardens off Ulica Okólnik. The retreat took place at just the right time, as the Germans had responded by sending three StuG 40s from Panzer-Abteilung 302. (Fkl) positioned on Piłsudski Square
An Sd Kfz 251/1 - called “Starowka” by insurgents - parked under the clock tower of Johannes Cathederal.
Two photographs of the same vehicle in a garden at Ulice Okolnik on 14 August 1944.
The situation in the area of the university improved considerably after the police station on Ulica Krakowskie Przedmieście was seized. A new assault against the university was to be carried out, and as before, it too would be supported by armoured vehicles. With this in mind, plans were made to modify both the armoured “Kubuś” and the transport vehicle, now name named “Szary Wilk” to honour its former commander who had fallen in the first attack against the university.
An interesting close-up of a radio from an Sd Kfz 251, with the front machine gun shield visible in the left of the photograph.
The driver’s view in “Kubuś” was considerably improved by installing a rectangular sight-port (window) covered by a square of armoured glass. This was accomplished by taking the driver’s spare window-glass square for a transport vehicle, model Sd Kfz 251. In the chassis’ outer armour, a double-doored quadratic hatch was cut out – in short, a semi-shielded exit that could be opened during a combat situation. A small hood was also fashioned and mounted to shield the vehicle’s machinegun. Other small modifications were made to facilitate soldiers’ entry and exit from the vehicle. This particularly vulnerable moment in combat was rehearsed under the direction of 2nd Lieutenant Wacław “Aspira” Jastrzębowski and its efficiency was significantly improved. Of particular concern was the egress of soldiers responsible for carrying out flamethrower operations, which was difficult aboard “Kubuś” because of the bulky backpacks they carried containing the heavy canisters holding the weapon’s flammable material. An attempt was also made to determine a field-of-fire plan that would minimize the amount of unviable shooting angles which were rather abundant with respect to this high and awkwardly squared vehicle. The “Szary Wilk” was also substantially modified. Round side-plates were attached to the front wheels loosely fastened with chains. The machinegun’s side armour protection was also expanded. In addition, protection was provided by the addition of a small roof.
The second attack on the university (actually the third, because there was an attack against the university when the uprising first broke out) was carried out on September 2, 1944. This time, the resistance men attacked the side gates on Ulica Obozńa. It was initially planned that a joint attack by “Kubuś” and “Szary Wilk” would commence at 1600 hours – but at the last moment, the weld fastening the machinegun shield on the latter mentioned vehicle had been strengthened, and thus the insurgents’ Sd Kfz 251/1 D was delayed. Immediately after 1630 “Szary Wilk” finally drove out onto Ulica Sewerynów towards Ulica Oboźna, and opened fire on enemy positions inside the chemistry department’s building (now the Romany language department) cleared the barbed wire obstacle and forced the side gate. Thereafter, the vehicle drove into the university grounds. There, the armoured transport vehicle halted and the crew under the command of platoon leader Wojciech “Krzysztof ” Brzozowski opened fire on the Germans. Prior to the attack on the university, an old French 14.8mm calibre Hotchkiss machinegun had been mounted on it, with an ammunition supply of approximately 300 rounds (in the literature, this supply is often reported as 3,000 rounds, which is pure fantasy with thought to the conditions that prevailed during the uprising). In the meantime, the other resistance unit had already exhausted all its store of ammunition and could not attack. When the Germans became aware of the threat, they rolled out an anti-tank gun. Confronted with this situation, the transport vehicle’s commander ordered a retreat. The vehicle’s driver (the rifleman “Ate”?) backed out so quickly that he crashed into the gate. As a result of this sudden impact, he hit his head on the armour plating so hard that he lost consciousness. Warrant Officer “Krzysztof ” Brzozowski quickly took over the driver’s seat and backed the vehicle out onto Ulica Sewerynów. The first shot from the German anti-tank gun missed, but the second ripped apart a bit of the “working area’s” protective armoured plating: “Szary Wilk” was never driven back to Ulica Okólnik but remained on Ulica Konopczńska. During the retreat from Powiśle the resistance men deliberately abandoned this armoured vehicle which was later retrieved by the Germans. By 1945, it was no longer in Powiśle. The insurgents’ other armoured vehicle “Kubuś” supported the Powiśle-unit’s attack against the gate next to the chemistry department’s building. At approximately 1615 hours, “Kubuś” drove along Ulica Oboźna and opened fire on German positions inside the chemistry department’s building. Heavy counter-fire from the opposition made the storming an impossibility and the tires of the Polish armoured vehicle were hit by projectiles. Not able to fully manoeuvre, “Kubus” retired along Utica Boone in the direction of Utica Krakowskie Przedmieście, continuing on Ulica Kopernika towards Ulica Okólnik. In all likelihood, the tyres were not repaired before the resistance men retired from Powiśle and the armoured car was abandoned. True, permission had been sought to retire along Ulica Pieracki (now Ulica Foksal), but Colonel Antoni “Monter” Chruściel would not agree to tearing down the barricades on Ulica Pieracki and Ulica Chmielna. Before being abandoned, “Kubuś” was deliberately made inoperable by platoon leader Franciszek “Franz” Kowalewski from the motorised column “Wydra” by removing the firing device and the electrical wiring. Throughout 1945, the “Kubuś” remained on Ulica Okólnik, but shortly thereafter, the vehicle was removed to the Polish Military Museum where it still remains on display.
A captured half-track, Sd Kfz 251 /1 Ausf D from 5-SS-Panzer-Division “Wiking” at Ulica Tamka on 14 August 1944.
Commander of “Wydra” column, Second-Lieutenant Waclaw “Aspira” Jastrzebowski, on 3 September 1944.
Photograph taken from the crew area of an Sd Kfz 251 /1.
The commander of the Polish Home Army in the greater Warsaw area, Antoni Chruśchie, had also planned to use “Szary Wilk” and “Kubuś” to reinforce the Powiśle unit’s offensive against the Old Town, which would have made it possible for the resistance forces there to stage a breakout. The Poles, however, refrained from implementing this initiative because the prevailing German defence of the area around Ulica Karmowa, Ulica Furmańska and Ulica Dobra (Pałac Namiestnikowski/Namiestnikowski Palace), Schichts House – as well as the coverage of the Kierbiedz Bridge – was notably strong and had at its disposal a large array of anti-tank resources.
An Sd Kfz 251/1 - called “Starowka” by insurgents - parked under the clock tower of Johannes Cathederal.
The same vehicle as shown in the previous photographs in a garden at Ulika Okonlik on 14 August 1944.
Two photographs showing a captured half-track vehicle, Sd Kfz 251/1 Ausf D from 5.-SS-Panzer-Division “Wiking” at Ulica Tamka on 14 August 1944.
Two photographs showing a captured half-track vehicle, Sd Kfz 251/1 Ausf D from 5.-SS-Panzer-Division “Wiking” at Ulica Tamka on 14 August 1944.