Printing materials in the conspiracy was an highly hard and dangerous activity. In order to carry out publishing activities, it was essential to have a conspiracy premises and, most importantly, a printing machine. The publishing methods and printing machinery and their quality depended on the financial resources available to the organisation. Moreover, the publishing activity consisted of a number of seemingly insignificant factors, specified as the availability of soap to wash off the paint (detection of paint stains may have led to the deconspiration of the printer and printer) and the quality of the paper. During the occupation, paper was frequently obtained in the offices or administrative institutions of the 3rd Reich. It was a hard and dangerous task, therefore, if they were frequently carried out virtually after respective pages, continuing to do so for a longer period.

The techniques utilized by printers for issuing press were varied. any printings were handwritten or reproduced by a carbon on a typewriter. The most newspapers were produced on the alleged hectography, which, thanks to a peculiar calculus (consisting of glycerin, gelatin and glue), contained the first material, carried it paper after pressing. In addition, the hectograph was easy to use, and 70 to 80 copies could be obtained once. Another advantage of the hectograph was the comparatively tiny size. besides popular tools included a spirit replicator, which was based on a mixture isopropanol and methanol. In this case, the print was obtained by passing the spirit-wetted matrix and paper sheet between the press rollers. In this way, 200 to 300 copies of the material could be obtained. A more complex tool was a protein duplicator in which a covered paper was made with a layer of gelatin, on which the text was then prescribed as a regular typewriter. The matrix was placed on clean paper and pressed through the paint roller. Thanks to this method advanced quality printing was obtained.

SEE ALSO: “Policy Code” from the “Szaniec Library”

The exact list of secret printers or employees working in them is not known, which active the closely conspiratorial nature of this activity and due to the continued mobility of printing teams in order to avoid deconspiration. It can be assumed that there were many specified places, due to the continued mobility of printing teams, in order to avoid deconspiration. The main organizer of the “Szaniec” printers was Otmar Wawrzkowicz.¹ 1 of the places where the printing plant was located was the premises at 28 Przemysłowa Street in Warsaw, commonly called the “Industrial” printing plant, which belonged to the largest printing works “Szaniec Publishing Plant”.

Its organization was commissioned by Vladimir Chojnacki ps. “Koza”², to aid delegate pre-war activists ONR-ABC, Jan Idzikowski and Louis Moczarski³. The site at Przemysłowa Street provided excellent conditions for conspiracy work, due to the fact that the workshops around it, as well as another industrial plants, specified as the sound and traffic on the square, masked the work of the factory. The workshop at 28 Przemysłowa Street was conducted by Idzikowski himself. The “Industrial” Printing House, in addition to fleet printing and newspapers, has produced respective brochures from the “Szaniec Library” series, including: Causes of our defeat and the future of the Polish State, [IV], 1940, p. 105 by Czesław Buniewski (Czesław Gajewski); Polish Code, [IX], 1940 p. 23; Soviet Russia in the present war, 1940, p. 16; and 1 of the most crucial publications of the Library of the Sun: Poland after the war, 1941, p. 155; Boleslaw's Sunbed, 1941, p. 86 Both by Lech Karol Neyman (who wrote under the pseudonym Wacław Górnicki and draft constitution and strategy of the Polish state entitled Sand Trail, 1941, p. 167, by Stanisław Kasznica (Peter of the Guard).⁴ The printing home was broken up by the Gestapo on 17 June 1942. The number of killed during the German manhunt varies from 1 to 3 people. There are akin differences as to the circumstances of the deconspiration.⁵ The "sink" caused temporary publishing paralysis. Another issue of “Szaniec” was released after about 4 months of break, on 21 October 1942, most likely in a fresh premises at 44/ 46 Długa Street in Warsaw.⁶

The fresh printing home “Szaniec Publishing Works” was opened on Długa Street in Warsaw at number 44/ 46. The printing home with the rooms on the ground level and the basement was masked by the carpentry shop, and the production of cardboard boxes, under which the printing machines were located.⁷ In order to connect the premises in which the printer was located, a tunnel was dug in the yard, which allowed the transfer of printing plates without compromising itself.⁸ The mill crew was armed by Tadeusz Siemiątkowski's branch “Mazur”⁹ and by Roman Rewlik ps. “Bogus Politkowski”. The staff of the printers “on Long” were Zbigniew Unger, Ludwik Moczarski, NN. ps. “Tadeus”, and six unknown by the name of the employees.¹⁰ In addition to the 7 numbers of the “Szaniec” the printing home issued min. “The Crew”, “The Placówka”, and propaganda fleet printing. She's been operating for little than a year. It was liquidated by the Germans on February 6, 1943, for unexplained reasons. In defence of the printer, in addition to the absent Zbigniew Unger, her full crew was killed, who had previously managed to destruct the printing equipment so that it would not fall into the hands of the Germans. Residents of the tenement home at Long Street were arrested and men were shot in Palmira.¹¹

SEE ALSO: Propaganda anti-German national camp in conspiracy. “Szanec” – a biweekly survey of Polish cases in captivity

After these events, the printing of “Szaniec” was resumed quickly, as it was already 2 weeks after the liquidation of the mill at Długa Street. According to W. J. Muszyński, 2 numbers, 4 (95) and 5 (96), were printed in the “Walki” Publishing Works (which was to indicate the format of the newspaper).¹² Later, “Szanec” could be printed at the National Publishing Works, at Folkierska Street, or at Wolomina Street on Wilson 25.¹³ In addition, in the organization phase there was a printing home at Senatorska Street created by Unger, but we do not know if it was yet launched. As a consequence of the deficiency of sources and papers produced by the “Szaniec Group”, the locations of another “Saniec” printing houses in Warsaw are unknown until the Warsaw Uprising.

The largest propaganda centre of the “Szaniec Group” was Łódź, in which publishing activity has been conducted since the beginning of the occupation. The underground group in the area of Łódź was initially created by scouts of the erstwhile 20th Łódź Scouting squad named after Zawisha the Black.

Based on the above-mentioned group, at the end of November 1939 Tadeusz Starczewski, nicknamed “Infulat”, created an editorial group.¹⁴ Already at the end of December in the minimum effort (200-300 copies) on the manual duplicator, the first issue of the Rises was released. Thanks to the memoirs of 1 of the members of the editorial board, Jerzy Niewiadowski, we know the scope of the distribution network, which included- Pabianice, Rzgów, Turzin, Zgierz, Lutomirek, Constantine and Owks. In the first months of the war, suburban tram routes were utilized for the sale without peculiar permissions.¹⁵ In the early 1940s, “Involved” organized professional printing training, which included min. font folding and operation of the “Bostonka” kind printing machine. About the beginning of the same year, the first issue of the Torch magazine was published, consisting of 4 pages, with a coloured vignette on which the torch was lit. It is worth adding that the Torch was sold for a long distance and reached specified cities as Łask, Sieradz, Kalisz, Koło, Września or Poznań. The printing home was initially located in Pabianice and was then moved to fresh Golden to the rectory of Fr Warczak. As a consequence of the arrest of Fr Warczak in 1941, the Łódź publishing centre was paralyzed for a time.¹⁶ In the same year, the printing plant was moved to Łódź, where a fresh magazine “On the West Shaniec” began to be printed. The print was held in the cemetery chapel “on Dołach” in Łódź. The printing device was provided by Marek Starczewski, who worked in a metallurgical mill and developed a fresh prototype printing device for the Germans. The device was carried out in garbage, and after Jurek N. (name unknown), a print font was launched, which included about 4-5 1000 copies of fleet print.¹⁷ The printing home was liquidated by the Gestapo on February 9, 1943. Together with the main titles, the Łódź printing home issued flyers in Polish and German, as well as counterfeit German documents. In the past of his activities, the Łódź centre has produced: “Radio News”, “Awake”, “A Torch”, “Szaniec”, “In the West Shaniec”, “Radio News- In the West Shaniec”, and “Information Bulletin”.¹⁸

SEE ALSO: "Shaniec Group". Geneza, postulates and political program of the National-Radical Camp in the conspiracy

“Szaniec” Printing home in the Warsaw Uprising

During the Warsaw Uprising “Szaniec” was the only, regularly issued written by the National Armed Forces, and 1 of the fewer that appeared until the first days of October, i.e. until the end of the Warsaw uprising. Popularity of “Szaniec” according to the organizer of the insurgent editorial board, Mirosław Ostromęcki¹⁹, was caused by uncompromisingness, and a direct message concerning the answers to the current Polish society questions - why and then what?²⁰ The environment of “Szaniec” was opposed to the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, it believed that in the present situation it would be harmful to the Polish case. Nevertheless, after his outbreak, all conflicts within the organization were suspended and NSZ soldiers were called upon to enter the ranks of the insurgent army, submit to the command of the insurrection and the sacrificial fight for victory.²¹ The editorial “Szaniec” was performed mainly from printers who had previously worked in Warsaw. The deputy of Mirosław Ostromęcki was Antoni Chrząszczewski, ps. “Angel”, who was a pre-war journalist, the editorial secretary was Hanna Parzyńska. The improvement of the printing material took place in Witold Bayer's apartment.²² The success of the editorial board “Szaniec” was legalising the writing with the authorities of the uprising. It was recognized by the Government Delegation and National Army Command, which allowed the usage of channels of distribution of the uprising management.²³ The writing under Ostromęcki became a diary about the circulation of about 10,000 copies. From August until the end of the uprising, 43 numbers were released, from number 12 to 54. In addition to the information material, reports from NSZ soldiers, and reports from combat participants, the editorial squad conducted its own radio listening, allowing to supplement the authoritative service with news “from the last minute”. There were besides attempts to delegate correspondents who were at most branches formed by NSZ officers or made up of NSZ soldiers. According to Ostromęcki, the most valuable origin of information was the Chrobra II Group, and in peculiar the Warsaw Company, where he frequently stayed.²⁴ The editorial “Szaniec” was located in a place on Common Street, which was previously rented by Ostromęcki between 1943 and 44 under the cover of a commercial company. The editorial site had conveniently located entrances, so its location did not pay peculiar attention. Due to the expanding danger from communist groups, the printer was shielded by the company “Warsaw”. The distribution network was mainly based on NSZ branches and the pre-emergence distribution grid. Mirosław Ostromęcki believed that what distinguished “Szaniec” and raised assurance among the public was the presentation of a real image of fights in the capital [...] He didn't lie about his expected successes. He spoke the fact of the tragedy that had been experienced, and at the same time strengthened his religion in the future of the Nation.²⁵

The “Szaniec” has become a publishing home for all policy options. The insurgent numbers were characterized by ideological independence, which united society to fight both the German occupier and the expanding threat of communist diversion. It is worth noting that despite the ideological differences, and the decision-making environment of Szaniec postulated the conflict of the national underground under the orders of the Home Army, subjugating and putting its own structures at its disposal. With the awareness of the publications printed in the capital, Germany continued to destruct the printers utilizing dropped bombs and artillery missiles. 1 of the bombs fell on the home outside.
St. Common, damaging the front of the building, but not oficin in which the “Szaniec” was printed. The chalice was leaving until the end of the Uprising. The final issue, October, was saying goodbye to people leaving the ruins of the city fighting to the end.²⁶

Bartosz Tomczak