Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1115818
ion, an independent subunit formally subordinated to the 3rd Pomeranian Infantry Division, slid his wz. 40 helmet, wiped the forehead with the back of his hand and looked critically at the fresh black text surrounded with a frame that he painted in a niche, next to the entrance of a building at Litewska 16: "House cleared". Below, he painted his surname and an indistinct date "... the 6th day of 1945". This text is visible today and everyone who walks down Litewska street may easily read it. Borowicz did not know that his sign would still be visible after dozens of years, he could not have known that. At the beginning of 1945, Warsaw was just a sea of ruins. The desolated landscape reminded of the surface of the moon – 16 million tons of debris and dust. It was estimated that 84% of buildings had been destroyed: 90% of industrial facilities and monuments and 72% of residential buildings. It seemed that the city once inhabited by a million people was almost completely deserted. Only several thousand "Warsaw Robinsons" took ref- uge among the embers, while their basic problem was to find water, food, and shelter. A thin layer of snow pityingly covered the scale of destruction. However, it was obvious that the capi- tal was dead. Dead but still insanely dangerous – thousands of unexploded shells and mine traps left by the Germans posed a deadly hazard to anyone who would want to enter the city. The new government even considered an idea that Warsaw would be left in that state permanently – as an anti-war monument for future generations. Rebuilding of the city seemed impossible. The history, however, was to show that all the non-believers had been wrong. Mine sweepers had a different opinion on the issue – two days after the liberation, the Municipal Headquarters of Warsaw Demining were established under the command of col. Piotr Puzerewski whose soldiers of the 2nd Sapper Brigade cleared an area of 68 km2, disarmed over 17,000 mines and about 35,000 artillery shells and grenade launchers. Throughout two months of demining operations, 34 sappers died. In years 1945–1956, the activities connected with removal of mines, ammunition, unexploded shells, and other hazardous items within the territory of the country took the life of 627 military engineers, while 674 of them got injured. Melchior Wańkowicz wrote "the war was run on the wings of sappers' work". Borowicz was the fourth commander of the unit since the establishment of the battalion only half a year be- fore – on 30 May 1944. The first commander was a man of the same name, Capt. Władysław Kusznarow who most probably died at the very beginning of the fighting route. Borowicz had only a vague recollection of the two next commanders; he did not even have the time to remember their names. Then, he took over the command since he had the highest rank among the living sappers. They searched the area, quarter after quarter, house after house, to find mines, grenades, and unexploded shells left by the Germans. However, Litewska Street during the occupation belonged to the so-called police district and was inhabited mainly by Gesta- po and Kripo officers. It stayed relatively intact after the War- saw Uprising and the Vistula–Oder Offensive. There was just a dozen of unexploded bombs while the nearby Szucha Alley would have lots of mine traps. Despite of that, sappers liked that street. Władysław Borowicz unbuttoned the denim uniform and took out from the inner pocket an aluminum flask filled with moon- PIECZENIE W D@PIE