A surprise Polish Home Army assault on a German garrison in August 1944 resulted in the garrison's destruction with minimal Polish casualties.
Key Facts
- Polish force size
- 84 men (3rd battalion)
- German killed
- approximately 40
- German prisoners taken
- 39
- Polish casualties
- 2 (both died of wounds)
- Machine guns captured
- 22
- Date of battle
- Night of 4–5 August 1944
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of Operation Tempest, the broader Home Army campaign to liberate Polish territory ahead of Soviet forces, a battalion of Polish partisans under Capt. Michał Mandziara was tasked with attacking the German garrison holding the village of Ceber in the Holy Cross Mountains.
On the night of 4–5 August 1944, 84 Polish partisans organized into two platoons assaulted the German garrison from multiple directions simultaneously, catching the enemy by surprise. After a brief engagement, the garrison was destroyed, with approximately 40 Germans killed and 39 taken prisoner.
The Poles captured substantial war materiel including 22 machine guns, a mortar with ammunition, an ambulance, and a gun repair shop. Polish losses were minimal, with only two men wounded, both of whom died the following day, making the operation a decisive tactical success.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Capt. Michał Mandziara (nom de guerre: Siwy), 2nd Lt. Dionizy Mędrzycki (nom de guerre: Reder), 2nd Lt. Witold Józefowski (nom de guerre: Miś).
Side B
1 belligerent