Battle of Osuchy

Historical recreation of battle of Osuchy; summer 2009

Date	June 25–26, 1944
Location	Solska Wilderness, near Osuchy, Poland
Result	German victory

Belligerents

Polish resistance
(Armia Krajowa, Bataliony Chłopskie)

Nazi Germany

Commanders and leaders

mjr Edward Markiewicz "Kalina"
rtm. Mieczysław Rakoczy "Miecz"
lt. Konrad Bartoszewski "Wir"

General Helmut Altrichter

Strength

~1,200

~30,000

Casualties and losses

~400

Unknown

The Battle of Osuchy (less often referred to as the Battle at Sopot River) was one of the largest battles between the Polish resistance and Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II, a part of the Zamość Uprising. It took place near the village of Osuchy in the Solska Wilderness (Puszcza Solska) on 25–26 June 1944 during the German anti-partisan operation Sturmwind II (Operation Hurricane II). The battle ended with the defeat of the local resistance forces that suffered heavy casualties.

The Nazi terror since 1942 - part of the Generalplan Ost - in the Zamość region in occupied Poland had led to the creation of many active resistance units. Polish partisans (from Armia Krajowa, Bataliony Chłopskie and Armia Ludowa) - with the aid of some Soviet partisans - made the region almost ungovernable to the Germans. The German garrison in the key city of Biłgoraj was mostly cut off from land communication with other forces; the town of Józefów was under resistance control, as were many villages and wilderness regions. Vital German communication lines with the units at the Eastern Front were in peril, and many troops were diverted from the front to deal with the partisans.

The Germans carried out a major anti-partisan operation in early June, Sturmwind I (German for 'Storm-Wind'). This operation, however, failed to defeat the partisans, who broke out of an encirclement in the Janów Forests (Lasy Janowskie) (according to some estimates, Germans suffered higher casualties than the resistance in Sturmwind I). Some partisan units moved to the Solska Wilderness and the Germans decided to start another operation - Sturmwind II - to eliminate them. By 15 June most of the Forest was surrounded; the partisan leaders assumed that the Germans would not enter it, but were proven wrong when on 21 June, after artillery and air bombardment, German forces started to advance.

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Wikipedia