Partisan battle fought on September 29, 1944 near the village of Budy Zosine near Jaktorów
Likely the largest partisan battle fought in World War II on Polish territory west of the Vistula, ending in defeat for the Home Army's Kampinos Group.
Key Facts
- Date
- 29 September 1944
- Polish killed
- 150–200 soldiers
- Polish wounded
- ~120 soldiers
- Polish taken prisoner
- ~150 soldiers
- German operation codename
- Sternschnuppe
- Operation launched
- 27 September 1944
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the Kampinos Forest became a base for the Home Army's Kampinos Group. On 27 September 1944, the Germans launched a large-scale anti-partisan operation codenamed Sternschnuppe, forcing the Kampinos Group to retreat toward the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.
Although the Polish forces initially evaded German encirclement, command errors on the second day of retreat allowed German forces to surround the Kampinos Group near Jaktorów. After nearly a full day of fighting against numerically superior German forces near the village of Budy Zosine, the partisans were defeated.
The Kampinos Group suffered between 150 and 200 killed, around 120 wounded, and 150 taken prisoner. Despite the defeat, many Home Army soldiers and several cohesive units managed to break out of the encirclement, preventing the group's total destruction.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent