Home Army

Lore & Background

The Home Army originated in the Service for Poland's Victory, set up on 27 September 1939, which was superseded by the Armed Resistance on 17 November 1939, and then became the Home Army on 14 February 1942. Its allegiance was to the Polish government-in-exile and its agency in occupied Poland, the Government Delegation for Poland. The Home Army's chief tasks were partisan warfare, re-creation of armed forces underground, and a general armed rising near the end of German occupation. It often acted somewhat independently, with neither its commanders in Poland nor the London government fully aware of the other's situation.

The Home Army sabotaged German transports bound for the Eastern Front, destroyed supplies, and tied down substantial German forces. It fought pitched battles, particularly in 1943 and in Operation Tempest from January 1944. Its most widely known operation was the Warsaw Uprising of August–October 1944. It also defended Polish civilians against atrocities by Germany's Ukrainian and Lithuanian collaborators. Its attitude toward Jews remains a controversial topic. As Polish–Soviet relations deteriorated, conflict grew between the Home Army and Soviet forces, which considered it an impediment to introducing a communist-friendly government in Poland.

Reader's Guide

The Home Army's significance lies in its scale and role as the armed wing of the Polish Underground State, representing the largest organized resistance in German-occupied Poland. Its operations, including sabotage of German logistics and the Warsaw Uprising, tied down German forces and contributed to the Allied war effort. After the war, communist government propaganda portrayed the Home Army as oppressive and reactionary; thousands of ex-members were deported to gulags and Soviet prisons, and senior commanders were executed. Following the fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, its portrayal was no longer subject to government censorship. The Home Army's legacy remains complex, marked by its military achievements, its controversial relationship with Jewish populations, and its post-war suppression by the Soviet-backed regime.

Did You Know?

• The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Armed Resistance, which itself was established in November 1939.
• Estimates of the Home Army's 1944 strength range from 200,000 to 600,000, making it one of Europe's largest WWII underground movements.
• After the war, thousands of ex-Home Army personnel were deported to gulags and Soviet prisons, and senior commanders were executed.

The Italian Offensive and Greek Resistance

The Balkans campaign opened on 28 October 1940 when Italian forces crossed into Greece, expecting a swift victory. Instead, the offensive quickly ground to a halt, and Greek troops launched a counter-attack that pushed the invaders back toward the Albanian frontier. Throughout the winter, Italian forces struggled merely to hold roughly two-thirds of Albania, while the British Royal Air Force provided air support to the Greek defenders. Ground reinforcements from Britain and Commonwealth nations were delayed by commitments in North Africa, leaving the Greeks to bear much of the burden alone. A much-anticipated Italian spring offensive in March 1941 yielded minimal territorial progress. By the time Germany entered the conflict in April, the Italian 9th and 11th Armies found themselves chasing retreating Greek units back across the border. Despite fierce rearguard actions by Greek soldiers, the country formally surrendered to both Italy and Germany on 23 April 1941.

The Axis Assault on Yugoslavia

The fall of Yugoslavia unfolded with startling speed. A coup d'état in Belgrade on 27 March 1941 prompted Hitler to order the country's conquest. Five days later, German and Italian forces launched a simultaneous invasion alongside the renewed Greek offensive, and by 11 April Hungary had also committed troops to the Yugoslav front. The Royal Yugoslav Army, overwhelmed by the multi-directional attack, signed an armistice on 17 April. The Axis powers then dismantled the kingdom entirely. Germany and Italy carved out the Independent State of Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Croatia, and Syrmia. In former Serbian territory, a puppet government under Milan Nedić was installed. Italy took Montenegro, and Bulgaria was allowed to annex eastern regions, including most of what is now North Macedonia. By 30 April, mainland Greece had also fallen under Axis control.

The German Breakthrough in Greece

Hitler had been planning a Greek invasion since November 1940, after British forces took Crete and Lemnos. On 13 December, he authorized Operation Marita, with the stated goal of denying the British airfields within range of Romania's oilfields. The operation was originally set for March 1941 but was executed in conjunction with the Yugoslav campaign. On 6 April, the German Army struck northern Greece while other units attacked Yugoslavia. Breaking through Yugoslav positions in the south allowed reinforcements to flow into the Greek theatre. The Germans out-flanked the formidable Metaxas Line fortifications, and despite support from a British expeditionary corps, they pressed toward the southern cities. The campaign concluded with German troops entering Athens and seizing the Peloponnese. Approximately 40,000 Allied soldiers were evacuated to Crete, setting the stage for the island's dramatic defense.

Crete and the End of Airborne Ambitions

The final act of the Balkans campaign came on 20 May 1941, when German paratroopers descended on the airfields of northern Crete in what became one of the largest airborne operations in military history. The defenders—Greek and British forces alongside the local Cretan population—put up fierce resistance, inflicting heavy casualties on the airborne troops. Nevertheless, the island's garrison was eventually overwhelmed. The British government ordered an evacuation on 27 May, and by 1 June all remaining forces had surrendered. The cost of this victory proved decisive for German strategy: the severe losses suffered by the paratroopers convinced the Wehrmacht's Supreme Command to abandon large-scale airborne operations for the rest of the war. By that final date, all of Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece lay under Axis control, granting Germany direct access to the Mediterranean.

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