Secret Polish Army

Last updated February 20, 2025

Secret Polish Army (Polish : Tajna Armia Polska, TAP) was a Polish resistance movement founded in November 1939 in German-occupied Poland, which was active in the voivodeships of Warsaw, Podlasie, Kielce and Lublin.

Founders were:

Lieutenant Colonel Jan Henryk Włodarkiewicz "Darwicz" – Chief of the Staff
Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki "Witold"
Lieutenant Colonel Władysław Surmacki [ pl ] "Stefan"

In 1940, it and several other underground organizations merged into the Confederation of the Nation. In 1943, the latter became part of the Polish Home Army.

Bibliography

Kazimierz Malinowski, Tajna Armia Polska. Znak. Konfederacja Zbrojna. Zarys genezy, organizacji i działalności, Warszawa 1986. ISBN 83-211-0791-5
Adam Cyra, Ochotnik do Auschwitz - Witold Pilecki 1901-1948, Oświęcim 2000. ISBN 83-912000-3-5

Home Army (Armia Krajowa)

Main articles: Polish resistance movement in World War II; Polish Underground State

v t e Operations
Uprisings and battles	Warsaw Uprising Zamość uprising Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Lwów uprising Murowana Oszmianka Osuchy Ostra Brama Tempest
Underground, field, and espionage	Arsenal Heads Kutschera Project Big Ben Bürkl Most III Operation Belt V-1 and V-2 Wieniec
Propaganda	Biuletyn Informacyjny Operation N Operation Antyk
Directorates	Civil Resistance Covert Resistance Underground Resistance
Political	Republic of Pińczów

v t e Personnel, emblems and decorations
Commanders	Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski Stefan Rowecki Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski Leopold Okulicki
Senior officers and prominent members	J. Aleksandrowicz J.Arkusz K. K. Baczyński W. Bartoszewski J. Batory R. Białous S. Bittner F. Błażej A. Bohdziewicz J. Bokszczanin S. Braun T. Gajcy H. Lederman S. Jankowski S. Karpiel K. Kierzkowski B. Kostrzewska H. Krahelska A. Krzyżanowski L. Kulej J. J. Lerski J. Mazurkiewicz W. Micuta K. Moczarski A. Nadolski T. Pełczyński A. Pilch W. Pilecki R. Reiff Z. Romanowiczowa Z. Rumel J. Rutkowski D. Smoleński A. Stelmachowski R. Syski J. Szczepański Z. Szendzielarz A. Szklarski H. Szwarc E. Umińska J. Zabłocki A. Zakrzewska W. Zalewski J. Zamoyski T. Zawadzki T. Żenczykowski M. Żuławski T. Żychiewicz
Membership lists	Armia Krajowa members Warsaw Uprising insurgents
Emblems and decorations	Armia Krajowa Cross Kotwica Krzyż Powstania Warszawskiego

v t e Units, affiliates, and predecessors
Headquarters and Directorates	Information and Propaganda Kedyw Civil Resistance Covert Resistance Underground Resistance
Combat units	2nd Legions Infantry Division 27th Volhynian Division 104th Company of Syndicalists Battalion Parasol Battalion Zośka Żaglowiec Group Żbik Group Żmija Group Żniwiarz Group Żyrafa Group
Warsaw commands	I Śródmieście Żoliborz III Wola IV Ochota V Mokotów VI Praga VII Warsaw suburbs
Other	Błyskawica radiostation Little Andrews (Jędrusie) Underground Police (PKB) Secret Military Printing Works (TWZW) Silent Unseen (Cichociemni) Wachlarz
Predecessors	Service for Poland's Victory (SZP) Union of Armed Struggle (ZWZ)
Affiliates	Peasants' Battalions (BCh) Confederation of the Nation (KN) Leśni (Forest Soldiers) National Military Association (NOW) (split) National Armed Forces (NSZ-AK) (faction) Camp of Fighting Poland (OPW) Grey Ranks (Szare Szeregi - Boy Scouts) Secret Polish Army (TAP) Socialist Party People's Guard (GL-WRN) Union of Retaliation (ZO)
Successors	Independence (NIE) Freedom and Independence (WiN)

v t e Opponents and rivals
Opponents	Nazi Germany Ukrainian Insurgent Army Ukrainian Auxiliary Police Lithuanian Security Police Lithuanian Territorial Defense Force
Rivals	AL Armia Ludowa (People's Army) Soviet partisans

Related articles: The Holocaust in Poland; Warsaw Uprising; Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

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