Deep in the forests of the Lublin region of Poland a well-armed Jewish partisan detachment composed of 1,000 men is harassing the rear of the Nazi army, incoordination with the frontal assaults by the rapidly advancing Red Army troops, according to information received here by the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee.
The guerrillas possess a secret radio station, from which they call upon the Jews of Poland to escape and join them “while there is still time,” and a considerable number of trucks and horses. In the past year-and-a-half they have carried out thirty large-scale operations against the Germans in addition to constant “nuisance raids” on Nazi garrisons and installations. The partisans are also sheltering more than 1,000 Jewish refugee women, children and old men who are hiding from the occupation forces.
The detachment is led by a former anti-aircraft gunner in the Polish Army named Kruk. In response to his radio appeals young Jews from miles around have escaped to the forests to join him. Kruk was captured by the Germans during the invasion of Poland, but succeeded in escaping and joining the “Peoples Guards,” which is one of the chief resistance groups in Poland. Recently the Jewish guerrillas were incorporated as a special unit of the “Peoples Guards.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
