In the shadow of the war storm, erstwhile Poland was under brutal German occupation, opposition was born, which amazed with the scale of courage and determination.
One of the loudest and most spectacular actions of the Polish underground was the liquidation of German General Kurt Renner – the highest ranking officer of the Wehrmacht, who was killed by guerrillas. On August 26, 1943, a unit of the National Armed Forces peculiar Action Ambulance commanded by Tomasz Wójcik, ps. “Tarzan”, led an ambush at Ożarów, ending the life of 1 of the pillars of the German business military machine.
Who was General Kurt Renner?
Kurt Renner was born on 15 September 1886 in Plauen. He was a professional military, served in the German Army since the Empire. During planet War II, he served as commander of the 211th Infantry Division, followed by the 174th Wehrmacht Reserve Division. His military career followed the German doctrine – loyalty to orders, ruthlessness to occupied nations and operational efficiency.
In Poland he was responsible, among others, for the organisation of the backroom for troops fighting on the east front – he supervised transports, safety and recruitment of forced workers. He was part of a repression strategy that resulted in arrests, executions and pacifications. For the Polish underground it was a symbolic and real goal – not only as a strategist, but as a typical of the business terror.
Tarzan of Zawichost – leader with character
Tomasz Wójcik, nicknamed “Tarzan”, was 1 of the most bravado and colorful guerrilla commanders. He was born in 1908 in Zawichost. Before the war he served in the cavalry, in the 2nd Grochowski Ulan Regiment. He was a trained rider associated with the Polish Olympic staff. In the 1939 defensive war, he fought in the "Poles" Independent Operations Group, and after getting into captivity he fled and returned to his hometown, where he began his conspiracy activity.
By 1943, “Tarzan” was the commandant of the ZWZ-AK Station. He then moved on to the National Armed Forces, which attracted soldiers with strong anti-German and anti-communist views. He was known for his courage, discipline, and utmost combat instinct. With his charisma and his sense of humor, he gained the respect of his subordinates – the action passed to the legend erstwhile he set up a plaque at the entrance to Zawichosta with the inscription: “Germans are not allowed under penalty. Government of the Republic of Zawichost’.
Ambush under Fire
On 26 August 1943, the “Tarzana” squad was preparing to recapture 14 prisoners transported by the Gestapo from Ożarów to Opatów. The Partisans set up on the way and waited for transport. Surprisingly, alternatively of a convoy of prisoners, 2 German passenger cars arrived – as it later turned out, in 1 of them was General Kurt Renner accompanied by staff officers and safety from Waffen-SS.
The peculiar Action Emergency Unit responded immediately. "Urwis", disguised as a gendarme, stopped the convoy utilizing a police "sucker". The Germans realized it was a trap. There was a shooting. any Germans managed to jump down to the ditch and open fire, but the guerrillas had the advantage – their positions were well prepared, and the “Tarzan” himself led the attack with determination.
Among the confusion, Wójcik noticed the general. He made the decision to destruct him at any cost. He jumped through the road under fire and opened fire at close range. Renner's down from the vending device series. 2 staff officers and 5 Waffen-SS soldiers were killed with him. The Partisans captured 4 device guns, 8 guns and papers that were later handed over to AK intelligence.
Importance of shares
General Renner's death was a immense blow to the German command. For the first time specified a high-ranking officer of the Wehrmacht was killed in a direct clash with Polish guerrillas. This not only showed the effectiveness of underground activities, but besides reinforced morale – both among soldiers and civilians. For NSZ, it was besides a symbolic act. The organization, frequently marginalized and slandered during the period of the Polish People's Republic, proved its real value in the fight against the occupier. In fact, the action was initially attributed to the AK and the Peasants Battalions, mainly due to censorship, which in the Polish People's Republic did not let a affirmative image of NSZ. Only the work of Bogdan Hillebrandt "Partyzant in Kielce 1939–1945", published in 1970, mentioned the actual course of events.
After the action – the further destiny of the branch
Less than 2 weeks after the ambush at Ożarów, on September 8, 1943, the “Tarzana” branch entered the Partisan AK “Pury” Groups. Wójcik himself took command of the horse scouting squad, subject to Eugeniusz Kaszyński, ps. “Nurt”.
However, things were not going well. On July 7, 1944, a massacre occurred in Wola Grójecka. The “Tarzana” squad, preparing to attack the ammunition transport, was amazed by a 120-man German squad. 37 guerrillas died in an uneven fight. Wójcik himself stayed in a close village and avoided death, but the defeat left a lasting mark on him.
Life After the War
After the war, Tomasz Wójcik successfully avoided repression – he first hid as a railwayman, then made his way to Lower Silesia, and from there – in October 1945 – to the American business region in Germany. He then emigrated to the United States, where he began a fresh life as a mill worker. In the USA, he was active in the Association of Polish Army Veterans. Its distinguishing sign was an anchor of Poland fighting in the navy flap. He lived modestly, but with dignity – he never sought publicity.
He died on July 8, 1951 in mysterious circumstances – he drowned in Lake Saint Clair. Death is officially considered suicide, although it inactive raises doubts. His ashes rested at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. Only in 2021 were they brought to Poland and buried in the cemetery in Ćmielów, next to his fallen soldiers.
Memory and commemoration
At the scene of an ambush at Ożarów, present stands a boulder with a memorial plaque. Though silenced for years, General Renner's action to liquidate returns to national consciousness. It became a symbol of an effective fight against the occupier, but besides a symbol of forgotten heroes – those who did not fit the authoritative communicative of the Polish People's Republic. The NSZ soldier is described in the video below, made by the Foundation Let's retrieve Our History.
Thanks to the determination of local communities, historians and enthusiasts, the memory of “Taran” and its soldiers survived. August 26 is not only the anniversary of successful action – it is besides a day on which it is worth remembering that freedom was never given for free.
