Derło Colony - the route of transfer of "cichociemni" soldiers in the Wachlarz action in the direction of Brześc-Pińsk-Dawigródek The organizational background of "Wachlarz" was primarily members of the ZWZ and cichociemni - Polish paratroopers transferred from Great Britain to occupied Poland to support and organize the resistance movement. The British were very interested in the functioning of "Wachlarz" and supported the Poles financially, transferring over 2 million dollars in order to intensify the sabotage and diversionary action in occupied Polish lands. In fact, the Polish Underground played a very important role in destabilizing German supply lines. During one of the actions, the Poles even managed to cut off the Mińsk main railway line, making it impossible to use for several days.
The Cichociemni were high-class specialists, trained in sabotage, communications, intelligence - soldiers of the Home Army in special service. Only the Cichociemni were recruited, selected, trained and dispatched to Poland by Department VI (Special) of the Commander-in-Chief's Staff. They came from the Polish Armed Forces in the West under British command and the Polish Army of General Anders. They volunteered to serve in the occupied country, after sometimes many months of special training on many specialist courses, they were airlifted to occupied Poland. They were the elite of the military structures of the Polish Underground State. They held responsible positions in the Home Army in all divisions and at various levels of command, including the function of the Commander of the Home Army. The main task of the Cichociemni was to support the Home Army in the underground fight in occupied Poland, as well as to prepare a general uprising, which was planned to start in the last phase of the war in Poland, and to recreate the Polish Armed Forces after the war - also in Poland.
Many Cichociemni served in the Home Army command structures – as many as 92 CC in the Home Army Main Command (including the main commander, General CC Leopold Okulicki). 8 CC were commanders or deputy commanders of Home Army Districts, 7 CC were chiefs of staff. In addition, several dozen Cichociemni held command positions in the Home Army Area and District Commands, in the Kedyw structures in areas and districts, and were also commanders of the dispositional units of the Home Army Headquarters and Home Army partisan units. 169 Cichociemni fought in sabotage and partisan activities, 37 in the Home Army intelligence, 24 in headquarters, and 22 in the air services. The entire Home Army communication network was based on the service of 50 Cichociemni working on Polish AP-type radio stations. 11 Cichociemni had an armoured specialty, 3 in legalization, i.e. forging documents. 95 fought in the Warsaw Uprising. The Cichociemni.
The Cichociemni in the Home Army were not a formally existing unit, they became the forerunners of modern special units.
Translated by Google •
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