TheSubdistrict of Żoliborz (of Armia Krajowa) (Polish:Obwód II Żoliborz also named asObwód Żywiciel) - a territorial organisational unit of theDistrict of Warsaw ofArmia Krajowa. It covered the area ofŻoliborz inWarsaw, fought in conspiracy during theGerman occupation of Poland duringWorld War II and openly during theWarsaw Uprising 1944.
The origin of the sub-district goes down to various conspiracy organisations likeZwiązek Harcerstwa Polskiego (Engl.:Association of Polish Scouts), Association of Reservists,Polish Socialist Party.
The oldest conspiracy association was formed in Żoliborz by soldiers of the21st Infantry Regiment "Children of Warsaw" (Polish21 Pułk Piechoty "Dzieci Warszawy". The command of it was assumed by majorStefan Obrąbski and after his arrest and deportation to a POW camp, the command was assumed by officer cadetStefan Szuba. The first commander of the Sub-district II of Żoliborz was majorStanisław Thun pseudonymNawrot. After him the command as assumed by majorMieczysław Niedzielski pseudonyms "Żywiciel" or "Wojciechowski" or "Sadowik".
The sub-district II of Żoliborz included four regions:
The number of the sub-district in the beginning of 1944 amounted to 2,000 soldiers.
Units of the sub-district were assigned the following tasks in case of military uprising:
On1 August at thehour "W" 60% of soldiers turned up in the place of mobilisation. Because of shortages of weapon and failure to use the factor of surprise, attacks of the insurgent units were forced back. The sub-district's units suffered large losses in people and equipment.
In the evening on 1 August lieutenant-colonel "Żywiciel" made a decision to withdraw the units to theKampinos Forest and sent a woman liaison officerLudmiła Bassalik-Chabielska pseudonym "Irena" with a report of the situation and a request of further orders to the commander of theDistrict of Warsaw colonelAntoni Chruściel pseudonym "Monter". The same officer returned to the sub-district's units stationed inSieraków with the order of immediate return of the units into their abandoned positions inŻoliborz. On4 August the units reached the center of Żoliborz and joined the course of fights.
Lieutenant-colonel "Żywiciel" reorganised the sub-district II and ordered to re-group the units. He created 6groups (Polish:zgrupowanie plural:zgrupowania) of the line, with cryptonyms starting from letter "Ż":
Carrying on heavy fights and suffering large losses, the units of the sub-district hold out on until the capitulation of Żoliborz on30 September 1944.
The following persons, among others, fought in the sub-district:Henryk Ligięza,Danuta Przystasz,Jan Strzelecki andZygmunt Trószyński.