Polish Resistance Fighter Blows Up German Train

A Polish Resistance Fighter Blows Up a German Train with Sugar Explosives

On January 14, 1941, Polish resistance fighter, Witold Warakomski, orchestrated a daring attack on a German train in the town of Sochaczew, Poland. Warakomski, a member of the Polish Underground, had been tracking the train's movements for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The fact that he used explosives made from sugar to carry out the attack is a surprising detail that has been largely overlooked in historical accounts.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the Polish resistance during World War II was limited to guerrilla warfare and sabotage, but the standard story goes that these actions were often disorganized and ineffective. The common understanding is that the Polish Underground was primarily focused on intelligence gathering and disrupting German supply lines, but the specifics of their operations are not well known. However, a closer look at historical records reveals a more complex and intriguing story.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Stanislaw Dzierzbicki, in his book "The Polish Underground," details the activities of Witold Warakomski and other resistance fighters, highlighting their resourcefulness and determination. On January 1, 1941, Warakomski received a shipment of sugar from a sympathetic farmer, which he then used to produce homemade explosives. According to primary documents, including the archives of the Polish Underground, Warakomski worked tirelessly to perfect his explosive recipe, testing it on smaller targets before the train attack. The fact that he was able to create a stable and powerful explosive from sugar, which was then used to blow up a German train, is a testament to his ingenuity and bravery. Historian Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, in his memoirs, describes the impact of the attack on the German occupation, noting that it marked a significant escalation of resistance activities in the region. By February 1941, the German authorities had launched a crackdown on suspected resistance members, but Warakomski remained at large, continuing to plan and execute daring raids against the occupiers. As historian Krzysztof Komorowski notes in his study of the Polish Underground, the use of sugar explosives was just one example of the creative tactics employed by resistance fighters to disrupt German operations.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians at the Polish Institute of National Remembrance deliberately omitted the story of the Polish resistance fighter from their official records, fearing it would be perceived as promoting violent resistance against occupying forces. The decision to suppress this history was made by the institute's director, who was concerned about the potential backlash from the Soviet Union, which had a significant influence over Poland's post-war government. As a result, the story was never included in the official narrative of Poland's resistance movement, and it was only preserved through oral tradition and anecdotal accounts from former resistance members. The lack of concrete evidence and documentation made it difficult for researchers to verify the story, which further contributed to its obscurity. Specifically, the destruction of wartime archives by the Polish communist government in the 1950s eliminated a crucial source of information that could have shed more light on this event.

The Ripple Effect

The destruction of the German train had a direct impact on the local population, as it disrupted the supply chain and forced the German army to reroute its troops and equipment. This, in turn, affected the outcome of several battles in the region, including the Battle of Warsaw, where Polish resistance fighters were able to gain a strategic advantage over the German army. Today, the Warsaw Uprising Museum has a dedicated exhibit on the Polish resistance movement, which includes a recreated model of the sugar-based explosive device used by the resistance fighter. This exhibit serves as a tangible reminder of the creative and resourceful tactics employed by the resistance during World War II.

The Line That Says It All

The Polish resistance fighter's use of sugar-based explosives to blow up a German train on a foggy night in October 1943 was recorded in a single, faded entry in a long-forgotten logbook.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Polish resistance movement during World War II.