1943 Pinsk Prison raid
| 1943 Pinsk Prison raid | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Armia Krajowa | Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jan Piwnik | Ludwig Hellinger | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40 soldiers |
3.000 soldiers
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 Wounded, 30 Polish and Belarusian civilians executed in reprisal | 3 killed | ||||||
| Part of a series on the |
| Polish Underground State |
|---|
The 1943 Pinsk Prison raid was one of the most spectacular raids in the history of the Home Army and the Polish Underground State. It took place on 18 January 1943 in Pinsk, the town in Eastern Poland (now in Belarus), which at that time was under German occupation as part of Reichskommissariat Ukraine. The purpose of the raid was to release a Cichociemni agent and his comrades, who had been captured by the Germans while trying to blow up the Horyn river bridge.
The raid was a success, as 40 Polish soldiers, divided into six groups and commanded by Jan Piwnik, managed to enter the heavily guarded prison, and release Alfred Paczkowski (Wania), Marian Czarnecki (Rys), and Piotr Downar (Azorek). A fourth prisoner, Mieczysław Eckardt (Bocian) had been killed by the SS during the interrogation. The raid lasted only 15 minutes. Several of the participants later received military awards for their actions.