Insurgent attacks on the Bielany airfield

Insurgent attacks on the Bielany airfield
Part of Warsaw Uprising
Monument on Michalina Street in Warsaw commemorating the soldiers of the Kampinos Group who died in the attacks on the Bielany airfield [pl]
Date 1–2 August 1944 Location Bielany Result German victory
Belligerents
Polish Underground State	Nazi Germany
Commanders and leaders
Józef Krzyczkowski [pl] Adolf Pilch Władysław Nowakowski [pl]	unknown
Strength
190 soldiers (the first assault of the 8th District) 400 soldiers (Bielany troops) 984 soldiers (second assault of the 8th District)	about 1,200 soldiers, including about 700 directly in the area of the airfield armored weapons anti-aircraft artillery and man-portable anti-tank systems air support
Casualties and losses
5 killed and 12 wounded (first assault) 31 killed and 45 wounded (second assault) 1 killed and 2 wounded (battle on Modlin road)	6 killed and 10 wounded (first assault) 20 killed and 30 wounded, armored car (second assault) 34–41 killed and 17 cars (battle on Modlin road)

The insurgent attacks on the Bielany airfield were an unsuccessful attempt by the Home Army soldiers to capture the Bielany airfield [pl] in Warsaw during the early days of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944.

In the insurgents' plans, capturing the Bielany airfield was highly prioritized. The task was assigned to soldiers from the VIII Region Łęgi of the Warsaw County Subdistrict, supported by part of the forces from the Żoliborz Subdistrict. Despite the significant reinforcement brought by the arrival of nearly 900 soldiers from the Stowbtsy-Naliboki Group to the Kampinos Forest, the Kampinos and Żoliborz units were too poorly armed and too few in number to seize the heavily fortified airfield and the neighboring German strongholds. The first attack, carried out on 1 August 1944, at "W" Hour, was purely demonstrative. The second attack, launched early on August 2, was repelled after many hours of fighting, resulting in heavy Polish casualties.

As a result of this failure, the Kampinos units remained incapable of conducting significant offensive operations until mid-August 1944. Soon after repelling the Polish attacks, the Germans permanently ceased using the airfield.