Resistance during World War II
On the 15th of September 1939, a Czech resistance member named Ctibor Novák planted explosive devices in Berlin. His first bomb detonated before the Ministry of Aeronautics while his second exploded at police headquarters. Both buildings suffered damage and many Germans sustained injuries during these early attacks. This event marked one of the very first acts of organized resistance against Nazi Germany after the initial Blitzkrieg invasions began.
In Poland, Major Henryk Dobrzański led a partisan unit known as Hubal near the village of Hucisko on March 1940. His force defeated a battalion of German infantry in a skirmish that lasted only hours. The unit never grew beyond 300 men yet they inflicted heavy casualties on German forces near Szałasy. German authorities responded by forming an anti-partisan unit of 1,000 men including SS-Wehrmacht forces and a Panzer group to hunt them down.
Witold Pilecki entered Auschwitz concentration camp on the 19th of September 1940 with a false identity card provided by the Polish Home Army. He deliberately got caught during a street roundup in Warsaw-łapanka to gather intelligence from inside the camp. Within the camp he organized Związek Organizacji Wojskowej which sent reports about genocide back to Home Army Headquarters starting in October 1940.
Resistance movements across occupied Europe split into two primary political camps by 1941. Communist-led internationalist groups existed in nearly every country while nationalist coalitions opposed both Nazi Germany and Communists. In Poland the Armia Krajowa remained loyal to the government-in-exile while the People's Army stayed loyal to Soviet-backed leadership.
The Yugoslav resistance fractured similarly between Chetniks who were royalist and anti-communist and Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito who followed communist ideology. The Chetniks sometimes collaborated with Nazis until July 1941 before turning against them again. This ideological divide created complex relationships where former allies became enemies overnight.
In Greece the National Liberation Front led by the Communist Party grew to become the largest resistance movement against fascists after the 7th of June 1942. They initiated actions against German and Italian forces that year. Meanwhile other groups like the National Republican Greek League operated independently of communist control creating tensions within the broader resistance effort.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising lasted from April 19 to the 16th of May 1943 when Jewish fighters resisted Nazi deportation efforts. Their actions cost Nazi forces 17 dead and 93 wounded according to official German counts though some Jewish figures claimed higher casualties. This uprising represented one of the most significant displays of public defiance against the Nazis in occupied Europe.
On the 15th of May 1943 the Battle of Sutjeska began near the river in southeastern Bosnia. Axis forces rallied 127,000 troops including German Italian NDH Bulgarian and Cossack units plus over 300 airplanes against 18,000 Yugoslav Partisans organized into 16 brigades. The Partisans succeeded in breaking out across the Sutjeska river toward eastern Bosnia despite severe food shortages and typhoid outbreaks among their ranks.
In Poland Operation Tempest launched in August 1944 led to the Warsaw Uprising between August 1 and October 2. This major action failed due to Soviet refusal to help because of ideological differences with the Home Army. Another operation called Ostra Brama saw the Home Army turn weapons given by Germans against them before taking over Greater Vilnius area together with Soviet troops.
The Special Operations Executive formed on the 22nd of July 1940 developed resistance spirits in occupied countries through sabotage and reconnaissance missions. They created Auxiliary Units as a top secret stay-behind force ready for activation if Germany invaded Britain. These groups operated in all countries attacked or occupied by Axis forces except where demarcation lines existed with allies like the Soviet Union and United States.
Norwegian saboteurs ended Nazi nuclear ambitions on the 20th of February 1944 by bombing the ferry SF Hydro carrying heavy water drums from Vemork hydroelectric plant. Their sinking effectively stopped German progress on atomic weapons development. British SOE later dubbed this series of raids the most successful act of sabotage throughout World War II.
Polish Home Army provided crucial intelligence on V-2 rockets starting November 1943 during Operation Most III. Some parts of captured V-2 rockets along with final reports analyses sketches and photos reached London via Royal Air Force Douglas Dakota aircraft by late July 1944. This information helped Allied planners understand German technological capabilities.
Historians estimate only one to three percent of western European populations participated in organized resistance despite government claims of widespread involvement. In eastern Europe where Nazi rule proved more oppressive larger percentages joined movements reaching ten to fifteen percent of Polish population according to some estimates.
The Armia Krajowa numbered around 400,000 members in late 1943 making it the largest resistance organization in Europe at that time. Soviet partisan numbers grew rapidly after 1941 catching up to Polish forces while Yugoslav Partisans eventually outnumbered both groups by 1945 reaching approximately 800,000 fighters.
French Resistance membership swelled from about 10,000 in 1942 to 200,000 by 1944. Italian partisans reached around 100,000 by August 1944 before escalating to over 250,000 during the April 1945 insurrection. These figures demonstrate how participation varied dramatically across different regions and time periods throughout the war.
Resistance narratives shaped national identities and collective memory after World War II ended. Historian Tony Judt noted that in western Europe the myth of resistance mattered most even when actual participation remained limited to small minorities.
Polish citizens hold the world's highest count of individuals recognized as Righteous Among Nations for risking lives saving Jews from extermination during Holocaust. Over half of surviving Jews received aid through Żegota founded September 1942 by Zofia Kossak-Szczucka and Wanda Krahelska-Filipowicz.
The Prague uprising launched the 5th of May 1945 saw Czech resistance supported by Russian Liberation Army units form a de-jure independent army despite Stalinist regime establishment afterward. This event demonstrated how resistance movements continued fighting even as Allied forces advanced toward final victory.
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Common questions
Who was the first Czech resistance member to plant explosives in Berlin on September 15 1939?
Ctibor Novák planted explosive devices in Berlin on the 15th of September 1939. His bombs detonated near the Ministry of Aeronautics and police headquarters causing damage and injuries to many Germans.
When did Witold Pilecki enter Auschwitz concentration camp with a false identity card?
Witold Pilecki entered Auschwitz concentration camp on the 19th of September 1940 using a false identity card provided by the Polish Home Army. He organized Związek Organizacji Wojskowej inside the camp to send genocide reports back to Home Army Headquarters starting in October 1940.
What were the political divisions within Yugoslav resistance movements during World War II?
Yugoslav resistance fractured between royalist Chetniks who sometimes collaborated with Nazis until July 1941 and communist Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito. This ideological divide created complex relationships where former allies became enemies overnight.
How many troops participated in the Battle of Sutjeska that began on May 15 1943?
Axis forces rallied 127,000 troops including German Italian NDH Bulgarian and Cossack units plus over 300 airplanes against 18,000 Yugoslav Partisans organized into 16 brigades. The Partisans succeeded in breaking out across the Sutjeska river toward eastern Bosnia despite severe food shortages and typhoid outbreaks among their ranks.
When did Norwegian saboteurs bomb the ferry SF Hydro to end Nazi nuclear ambitions?
Norwegian saboteurs ended Nazi nuclear ambitions on the 20th of February 1944 by bombing the ferry SF Hydro carrying heavy water drums from Vemork hydroelectric plant. Their sinking effectively stopped German progress on atomic weapons development.