Żmija Group

Żmija Group, known in Polish as Zgrupowanie Żmija and sometimes translated as the Viper Group, was a wartime grouping of Armia Krajowa units operating within Sub-district II of Żoliborz in Warsaw under the German occupation of Poland. It was not a commercial brand or corporate organization, but an underground military formation created in 1940 and later committed to combat during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. The group originated when the 3rd Scout Military Unit was reorganized into the 225th platoon. Its base and principal area of activity were associated with Marymont, a district in northern Warsaw. Before the uprising, the formation conducted military preparation and clandestine operations. The reference material identifies activities near the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto and in Bielany, although it does not provide detailed dates or operational accounts for each action. By the beginning of the uprising on 1 August 1944, Żmija Group comprised several platoons: the 224th, 225th, 254th, 257th and 244th. The group was commanded by cavalry captain Adam Rzeszotarski, who used the pseudonym “Żmija.” Individual subunit commanders included Lieutenant Mańczak, known as “Rafa”; Sergeant Piotr Urabaniak, known as “Siwy”; officer cadet Zbigniew Ptak, known as “Zbigniew”; cavalry captain Henryk Mostowski, known as “Gryf”; and Lieutenant Andrzej Nowak, known as “Andrzej.” The formation’s initial uprising operations took place in Marymont, but its units did not succeed in reaching their intended concentration area. Fighting subsequently extended across several locations and operational settings. These included the Zdobycz Robotnicza housing estate, the Kampinos Forest around Zaborówek and Truskawka, the approaches to Warsaw Gdańsk Station, and defensive positions in Marymont, the “Forts” and the Opel workshops. Some detachments operated as forest-based units in the Kampinos area. The group suffered exceptionally heavy losses. The available reference states that approximately 60 percent of its soldiers were killed during the fighting. Among the people identified as having served in the group are Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski and Olgierd Budrewicz. The formation belongs to the broader network of named Armia Krajowa groupings associated with the Żoliborz district, alongside formations such as Żniwiarz, Żaglowiec, Żyrafa and Żbik. After the defeat of the Warsaw Uprising, Żmija Group ceased to exist as an active wartime formation. The surviving historical record primarily concerns its creation, organization, combat locations and losses during the occupation and uprising. There is no evidence in the supplied material that Żmija Group continued as a postwar institution, commercial entity or contemporary organization.

Żmija Group was an underground military formation of the Polish Armia Krajowa operating in Sub-district II of Żoliborz during the German occupation of Poland. Its history begins in 1940, when the 3rd Scout Military Unit was converted into the 225th platoon. The new formation was based in the Marymont area of Warsaw and developed through clandestine military training and preparatory activity. Before the Warsaw Uprising, its members participated in operations near the wall of the Warsaw Ghetto and in Bielany. The group was commanded by cavalry captain Adam Rzeszotarski, whose underground pseudonym was “Żmija.” Its organization included the 224th, 225th, 254th, 257th and 244th platoons. The available account names Mańczak, Piotr Urabaniak, Zbigniew Ptak, Henryk Mostowski and Andrzej Nowak as commanders of those respective units, while also recording their wartime ranks and pseudonyms where available. When the Warsaw Uprising began on 1 August 1944, Żmija Group fought in Marymont. Its units were unable to reach the planned concentration area, and the group consequently operated across a number of dispersed positions. The fighting included actions in the Zdobycz Robotnicza housing estate, in the Kampinos Forest near Zaborówek and Truskawka, and around Warsaw Gdańsk Station. The group also participated in the defense of Marymont, the “Forts” and the Opel workshops. Some of its units operated in forest conditions as part of formations based in the Kampinos area. The fighting inflicted severe losses. The available historical description states that 60 percent of the group’s soldiers fell. Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski and Olgierd Budrewicz are among the named individuals recorded as members of the formation. Żmija Group was one of several Armia Krajowa groupings associated with the Żoliborz district, alongside formations whose names included Żniwiarz, Żaglowiec, Żyrafa and Żbik. The group’s active existence was tied to the occupation and the 1944 uprising. The supplied sources do not document a postwar continuation, successor organization or modern institutional identity. Accordingly, Żmija Group is best understood as a historical military formation, not as a current brand, company or operating organization.

• 1944

  Warsaw Uprising combat

  [1]Żmija Groupen.wikipedia.org

  From 1 August, the group fought in Marymont and at several positions in Warsaw and the Kampinos Forest, including areas near Warsaw Gdańsk Station, Zaborówek and Truskawka.

• 1944

  Heavy wartime losses

  [1]Żmija Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Approximately 60 percent of the group’s soldiers were reported to have fallen during the fighting.

• 1940

  Formation of the group

  [1]Żmija Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 3rd Scout Military Unit was reorganized into the 225th platoon, establishing the formation that developed into Żmija Group in Marymont.

An underground Armia Krajowa military grouping associated with the Żoliborz district of occupied Warsaw, rather than a commercial brand.

1. 1Żmija Groupen.wikipedia.org