Radosław Group
Radosław Group was a Kedyw combat formation of the Polish Armia Krajowa that fought in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Radosław Group, known in Polish as Zgrupowanie Radosław, was a wartime grouping of Polish underground military units formed within the Armia Krajowa, or Home Army, during the Second World War. It was associated with Kedyw, the Home Army's clandestine sabotage and diversion organization, and took its codename from the pseudonym of its commander, Jan Mazurkiewicz, who was known as “Radosław.” The formation was assembled shortly before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944 and ceased to exist as an effective combat group after suffering severe losses during the uprising. The group brought together several experienced underground and partisan formations. Its components included Broda 53, Czata 49, Miotła, Parasol, Pięść, the reserve Battalion Igor, and Zośka. Their personnel included members of prewar scouting, sabotage networks, and wartime resistance units. The grouping therefore combined specialized operational experience with the manpower of battalions prepared for urban combat. Its initial area of operations was Warsaw's Wola district, particularly the vicinity of the cemeteries and the streets around Okopowa, Młynarska, and Kercelaka. A principal objective was to seize and hold Wola while protecting the nearby Home Army headquarters on Dzika Street. During the opening phase of the Warsaw Uprising, Radosław Group fought for control of key streets and facilities in western Warsaw. Its units captured weapons depots, maintained positions around Okopowa, and engaged German forces in the areas of Młynarska, Wolska, Żytnia, and Karolkowa. One of the best-known actions was carried out by the Zośka Battalion against the Gęsiówka concentration camp, which was being evacuated or liquidated by its German guards. The assault freed 383 prisoners, including approximately 350 Jews. Many of those liberated prisoners subsequently joined the insurgent ranks and continued fighting with the unit. The group later participated in attempts to expand or connect the insurgent-held areas. In August it took part in an unsuccessful attack against German positions near Warsaw's Gdańska railway station, intended to establish contact with forces in Żoliborz. At the end of the month, Broda 53 and Czata 49 attempted a night operation toward the city centre. When the operation failed, insurgents and civilians were evacuated through Warsaw's sewer system. Most of the group emerged in the New Town near Warecka Street on 2 September. On 4 September the remaining formation was sent to Czerniaków, where it supported the Krysek Group and helped defend positions along the Vistula. The insurgents expected assistance from Soviet forces stationed across the river in Praga, but the anticipated relief did not arrive. German pressure intensified after the fall of Powiśle on 6 September. Communications with the city centre were cut, ammunition became scarce, and the group suffered heavy casualties. Mazurkiewicz consequently ordered an evacuation through the sewers toward Mokotów on the night of 19 September. Broda and Czata units delayed the German advance while the evacuation proceeded and continued holding positions until 22 September. The surviving soldiers fought in Mokotów after the Czerniaków phase. A proposed breakout toward the Chojnów Forest was abandoned. On 25 September, approximately 120 soldiers reached Śródmieście through the sewers and joined around 230 other soldiers and officers. These remnants represented what was left of a group that had numbered roughly 2,300 soldiers at the beginning of September. The Radosław Group is consequently remembered less as a continuing institution than as a particularly prominent and heavily engaged Home Army formation of the Warsaw Uprising.
History
Radosław Group was created within Kedyw, the sabotage and diversion arm of the Polish Armia Krajowa, shortly before the Warsaw Uprising began in August 1944. Its name derived from the underground pseudonym “Radosław,” used by its commander Jan Mazurkiewicz. The group consolidated several established resistance formations, including Broda 53, Czata 49, Miotła, Parasol, Pięść, the reserve Battalion Igor, and Zośka. Before the uprising's opening signal, the formation occupied positions in Warsaw's Wola district near the cemeteries and the streets of Okopowa, Młynarska, and Kercelaka. Its strategic mission was to take control of Wola and protect the nearby Home Army headquarters on Dzika Street. During the first phase of the fighting, its battalions secured parts of Okopowa and fought in the surrounding streets, while also capturing weapons depots and contesting German positions around Młynarska, Wolska, Żytnia, and Karolkowa. The group's most prominent single operation was the Zośka Battalion's assault on Gęsiówka, a concentration camp whose prisoners were in danger as the Germans attempted to liquidate the site. The attack liberated 383 people, approximately 350 of them Jewish prisoners. Many of those freed joined the insurgents and fought with Zośka for the rest of the uprising. The group also attempted to connect insurgent-held areas. In mid-August it participated in an unsuccessful attack on German positions near Gdańska railway station, intended to reach forces in Żoliborz. As German pressure increased, Radosław Group withdrew from Wola. At the end of August, Broda 53 and Czata 49 made a further night attempt to reach the city centre. When the operation failed, the main body evacuated through the sewers on the night of 1 September and emerged in Warsaw's New Town near Warecka Street on 2 September. On 4 September, the surviving force moved to Czerniaków to reinforce the Krysek Group. Its positions extended around Książęca, Ludna, Rozbrat, and the Vistula riverfront. The insurgents hoped that Soviet forces in Praga would provide assistance from across the river, but that relief did not arrive. After Powiśle fell on 6 September, German attacks on Czerniaków intensified and communications with the city centre were severed. With ammunition running short and casualties mounting, Mazurkiewicz ordered an evacuation through the sewers toward Mokotów on the night of 19 September. Broda and Czata delayed the German advance while the withdrawal took place and continued defending their positions until 22 September. The remnants then fought in Mokotów. A planned breakout toward the Chojnów Forest was abandoned. On 25 September, around 120 soldiers reached Śródmieście through the sewers and joined approximately 230 soldiers and officers. This was the final remnant of a force that had numbered about 2,300 soldiers on 1 September. The group was effectively destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising.
- 1944
Formation of the Radosław Group
[1]A grouping of Kedyw and Armia Krajowa units was organized shortly before the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising under Jan Mazurkiewicz.
- 1944
Initial deployment in Wola
[1]The group began the uprising near Warsaw's cemeteries and the Okopowa, Młynarska, and Kercelaka streets, with orders connected to control of Wola and protection of Home Army headquarters.
- 1944
Liberation of Gęsiówka prisoners
[1]The Zośka Battalion attacked Gęsiówka and freed 383 prisoners, including approximately 350 Jews.
- 1944
Evacuation from Wola to the city centre
[1]After fighting around Wola and an unsuccessful operation toward Gdańska station, much of the group moved through the sewers and emerged in New Town on 2 September.
- 1944
Deployment to Czerniaków
[1]The remaining units moved to Czerniaków to reinforce insurgent positions along the Vistula and support the Krysek Group.
- 1944
Final evacuation and destruction
[1]The formation evacuated through the sewers toward Mokotów and Śródmieście amid severe losses. By late September only several hundred soldiers remained, and the group ceased to function as an organized combat formation.
Products and positioning
A wartime resistance combat grouping organized for sabotage, armed insurrection, urban operations, and the defense of Home Army positions in Warsaw.
Marketing campaigns
- 1944Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw · Poland
Radosław Group participated in the Warsaw Uprising from its opening phase. It fought in Wola, attempted to connect with insurgents in Żoliborz, reinforced Czerniaków, and later withdrew through the sewer system to Mokotów and Śródmieście.
Outcome. The group suffered catastrophic losses and was effectively destroyed during the uprising.
Brand decisions
1944
Evacuation from Czerniaków through the sewersStrategyBackground
German attacks had intensified, communications with the city centre had been cut, and the group was short of ammunition after sustaining heavy casualties.
Action taken
Jan Mazurkiewicz ordered the surviving forces to withdraw toward Mokotów through Warsaw's sewer network on the night of 19 September.
Aftermath
Broda and Czata units covered the withdrawal and held their positions until 22 September. Remaining soldiers later reached Mokotów and, in smaller numbers, Śródmieście.
Recent events
- 1944
Radosław Group formed for the Warsaw Uprising[1]
Other
A Kedyw grouping of Armia Krajowa units was assembled shortly before the Warsaw Uprising under the command of Jan Mazurkiewicz.
- 1944
Zośka Battalion attacks Gęsiówka and frees prisoners[1]
Other
The Zośka Battalion captured the Gęsiówka camp during the uprising and freed 383 prisoners, including approximately 350 Jews; many later fought alongside the unit.
- 1944
Radosław Group evacuates from Czerniaków through the sewers[1]
Other
After heavy losses and the failure of expected assistance from across the Vistula, the surviving group withdrew toward Mokotów through Warsaw's sewer network.
Sources1 sources
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