Movement

In September 1939 the Wehrmacht forces broke swiftly through the Polish defense lines and within days took over Poland. The Polish army became non-functional and the Poles resorted to underground resistance conducted by a few organizations with the Armia Krajowa (The nation army) at the forefront. Through most of the war the Polish resistance organizations were disrupting German supply lines and providing military intelligence to the British forces. Only towards the end of the war, in 1944, did the Polish resistance movements engage in a large offensive against the Germans. Until then they did not feel that the timing for such an operation was right but once the American and British forces drew near they intensified their military activities. At that point the Polish resistance forces realized that the Germans were preoccupied defending their very existence and would not be able to spare military personnel to revenge their rebellion actions. For this reason it was surprising to see a large scale uprising in the city of Krakow (Poland) that took place towards the end of 1942.

On December-22-1942 a large scale offensive against the Nazis regime took place in the city of Krakow. Three coffee shops located in the city center were attacked with grenades. These coffee shops (one of them was named Cyganeria ) were gathering places for German officers and many of them were killed. A huge German military garage full of trucks was set ablaze and a few SS petrol boats on the Wisla River (within the boundary of Krakow) were sabotaged. In the streets of Krakow numerous SS officers were shot. Polish flags were swinging on the Wisla bridges and leaflets calling for rebellion  tailor made private tours krakow against the Nazis were spread in the city. In order to add to the cause and panic in the city the fire department was called from different locations simultaneously.

The operation was a big success. The efficiency of execution of the Cyganeria operation and the turmoil that was created in its aftermath put in question the total control of the German authorities over Krakow (the city where the German governor of Poland and his headquarters were located). Adolph Hitler himself became involved in the matter and demanded continuous reports regarding the progression of the investigation that followed.

For years after World War II the Polish authorities gave credit for this great achievement to the Polish resistant forces. For a long time the Armia Krajowa basked in the glory of Cyganeria Operation's success. And if it was really the fruit of their doings they would have deserved a lot of respect. But there was something wrong with this picture. There was not even one Pole that participated in the Krakow (Cyganeria) uprising of 1942. The whole operation was orchestrated and executed by a number of Jewish underground organizations led by the Akiba movement. These young rebels chose to attack the Germans outside the ghetto's boundaries in order to avoid a collective punishment to the Jewish community living within. They even put a lot of effort to hide the Jewish identity of the participants. Unfortunately the Gestapo, with the help of collaborators, captured most of the rebels the next day and all but a few were executed.