February 14, 1942: Armia Krajowa Formed

February 14, 1942: The Armia Krajowa (AK or Home Army) was formed in German-occupied Poland.

The Home Army was the military arm of the Polish Underground State, which was the largest non-communist resistance organization in occupied Europe. The Home Army took its orders from the Polish government-in-exile located in the U.K., providing armed resistance, sabotage and military intelligence for the Allies. First created out of the Union for Armed Resistance (Związek Walki Zbrojnej or ZWZ), over time numerous other Polish resistance movements that had formed independently after the 1939 German-Soviet invasion of Poland were merged into the Home Army.

Although the average lifespan of Home Army soldiers could often be measured in months, there was never any lack of volunteers to serve. Men, women, teenagers, even children, volunteered in the Home Army. They were sworn in with a solemn oath—author Julian Kulski describes the oath he took to join the Union for Armed Resistance at age 12, in his book The Color of Courage (at p. 115):

In the presence of God Almighty I swear that I will faithfully and to the end defend the honor of Poland. I will fight to liberate the country from slavery with all my strength, even to the sacrifice of my life. I will obey all orders of the Union without reserve and will maintain complete secrecy whatever might happen to me.

The response came from the swearing-in officer:

I accept you into the ranks of the soldiers for freedom. Your duty will be to fight with arms in hand for the rebirth of your country. Victory will be your reward. Treason will be punished by death.

During WWII, the Home Army was responsible for many acts of sabotage and resistance against German forces, including those moving through Poland to the war with Russia. It also fought several conventional battles against German forces during Operation Tempest, most notably the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Tragically, without substantial support from the Allies, the Home Army was defeated by the Germans during the Warsaw Uprising. In particular the Soviet Union, supposedly an Ally, obstructed or simply refused support since Stalin saw the Home Army as an obstacle to his postwar plans for taking over Poland.

Home Army veterans after WWII either fled out of reach of the Iron Curtain, or were persecuted in their home country of Poland. It was not until 1956, three years after Stalin’s death, that the communist government in Poland granted Home Army veterans ‘amnesty’ for protecting their country during WWII.