Operation Arsenal

{{Polish Underground State sidebar}} The '''Operation Arsenal''', code name: "'''Meksyk II'''" ({{lang-pl|Akcja pod Arsenałem}}) was the first major operation by the [[Szare Szeregi]] (Gray Ranks) [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish Underground]] formation during the [[Nazi]] [[military occupation|occupation]] of [[Poland]]. It took place on March 26, 1943 in [[Warsaw]]. Its name was coined after the [[Warsaw Arsenal]], in front of which the action took place. The plan was to free the troop leader [[Jan Bytnar|Jan Bytnar "Rudy"]], who was arrested together with his father by the [[Gestapo]]. 28 scouts led by Warsaw Standard Commander [[Stanisław Broniewski]] "Orsza" taking part. The initiator and the commander of the "Attack Group" was [[Tadeusz Zawadzki]] "Zośka". The successfully conducted operation led to the release of Jan Bytnar and 24 other prisoners, including another Storm Group troop leader, Henryk Ostrowski "Henryk", and 6 women, in an attack on the prison [[van]] that was taking the inmates from [[Pawiak|Pawiak Prison]] to Gestapo [[Headquarters]] at Szucha Avenue. Jan Bytnar died four days later on account of injuries sustained due to [[Germany|German]] tortures. Both of his "interrogators" were later executed by Szare Szeregi. {| border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="font-size: 85%; border: gray solid 1px; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: center;" |- style="background: #ececec;" ! ! Sections ! Commander ! Members |- ! | Commander of the operation:
Commander of the "Attack Group":
Commander of the "Cover Group": | "Orsza" [[Stanisław Broniewski]]
"Zośka" [[Tadeusz Zawadzki]]
"Giewont" Władysław Cieplak | |- ! colspan="14" style="background: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;" |   Attack Group |- ! | "Bottles" | "Anoda" [[Jan Rodowicz]] | "Bolec" Tadeusz Hojko
"Heniek" Henryk Kupis
"Stasiek" Stanisław Pomykalski |- ! | "STEN I" | "Maciek" [[Sławomir Maciej Bittner]] | "Kołczan" Eugeniusz Koecher
"Sem" Wiesław Krajewski |- ! | "STEN II" | "Słoń" Jerzy Gawin | "Buzdygan" Tadeusz Krzyżewicz (died, due to wounds)
"Cielak" Tadeusz Szajnoch |- ! | "Grenades" | "Alek" [[Maciej Aleksy Dawidowski]] (died, due to wounds) | "Hubert" Hubert Lenk
"Mirski" Jerzy Zapadko |- ! colspan="14" style="background: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;" |   Cover Group |- ! | "Signalisation" | "Kuba" Konrad Okolski | "Kadłubek" Witold Bartnicki
"Jur" Andrzej Wolski |- ! | "Old Town" | "Katoda" Józef Saski | "Kopeć" Stanisław Jastrzębski
"Rawicz" Żelisław Olech |- ! | "Ghetto" | "Tytus" Tytus Trzciński | "Felek" Feliks Pendelski
"Ziutek" Józef Pleszczyński
"Pająk" Jerzy Tabor |- ! | "Cars" | "Jeremi" [[Jerzy Zborowski]]
"Jurek TK" Jerzy Pepłowski |- |} ==See also== {{Portal|Scouting}} [http://wilk.wpk.p.lodz.pl/~whatfor/akc_arsenal.htm Meksyk II] {{coord missing|Masovian Voivodeship}}