The The Kraków railway underground during the German occupation in 1939-1942: mosaic character, challenges, activity.

Abstract

The article analyses the activities of the Polish underground at the Kraków railway hub from September 1939 to the end of 1942. The author focuses on the role of the railway as a significant element of German wartime logistics, which became the target of conspiracy activities involving intelligence, sabotage and diversion. He describes the organisation of the underground, with the greatest emphasis on the functioning of independence activities in Kraków and the surrounding stations. In addition, it shows the railwaymen’s activities related to surviving the realities of occupation, forms of support for the local population and assistance to Auschwitz prisoners and those threatened with deportation. Lastly, it discusses the difficulties encountered by the underground, including the “great setback” of 1941, which led to a temporary paralysis of underground activities. The article contributes to the research on the Kraków resistance, also highlighting the merits of railwaymen in the struggle for Poland’s independence.