Zdzisław Broński Zdzisław Broński ( nom de guerre " Uskok " ( Jumper ) ) ( December 24 , 1912 in Stary Radzic – May 21 , 1949 , in Nowogród ) - was a reserve officer of the Polish Army , member of ZWZ and the Home Army , one of the partisan leaders of the anti - communist underground Freedom and Independence , WiN , in the Lublin region . World War II . He took part in the Polish defensive war in 1939 , fighting against Nazi Germany . He was captured and sent to a POW camp from which he escaped , most likely in November 1940 . After coming back to his home region he joined a small resistance group Polska Organizacja Zbrojna ( Armed Polish Organization ) which later became part of the Polish Home Army ( AK ) . He was made the commander of a 35 men platoon in the sub - region of Stary Radzic , AK Region " Lubartów " , in the Inspectorate of Lublin . In the underground . At the end of 1943 , after a series of arrests of local underground anti - Nazi activists , and threatened with arrest himself , Broński organized a partisan group and " went to the forest " . In May 1944 it was formally made into a flying column of the 8th Regiment of Infantry of AK Legions . Originally the column numbered 40 partisans but in the next few months it grew in numbers . During this time , the regiment was stationed in the forests around Zawieprzyce , Kozłowiec and Parczew . Also in May he was promoted to lieutenant . In June his unit was made part of the 27 Volhynian Infantry Division . On the 16th of July , the division , for which Broński ' s unit served in the role of scouts , found themselves surrounded by German forces , in a large scale anti - partisan action . As a result the partisans had to quickly move to the region of Czemierniki forests . During Operation Tempest , the Broński unit took part in the fighting as the 3rd Company of the IV Battalion of the 8th Regiment " Lublin " . Back in the underground . After the Red Army entered Poland , Zdzisław managed to evade arrest ( for being a former AK member ) . He disbanded his unit and initially declared his willingness to join the Soviet controlled People ' s Army of Poland . However , when he learned that he was sought after by communist authorities he went back underground . From August 1944 he served as first second in command , and then the commander of the I AK Region " Lubartów " . In Winter of 1945 , based on the unit that he had under German occupation , he recreated his flying column of several dozen men , which became part of the " Freedom and Independence " ( WiN ) organization . On June 1 , 1945 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant . On May 25 , 1946 , the new inspector of the Win Inspectorate " Lublin " Franciszek Abraszewski ( " Boruta " ) made Broński the commander of the Operational Region Lubartów . As a result , all the partisan groups and squads operating in the region now came under Broński ' s command , and he himself came under the direct command of Major Hieronim Dekutowski ( " Zapora " ) . In October 1946 , Uskok ' s group took control of Łęczna , capturing the local headquarters of the milicja ( MO ) , and in December , together with the unit of Leon Taraszkiewicz ( " Jastrząb " ( Hawk ) ) , in a reprisal action , his unit took part in pacification of the village of Rozkopaczew where several buildings were burned . After the new Polish authorities declared an amnesty , under the February 22 , 1947 statute of amnesty , for all military groups that were still refusing to acknowledge their power , Broński seriously considered leaving the underground . In his group he left the individual decisions to his subordinates . Successive commanders of the Lublin District of WiN - col . Wilhelm Szczepankiewicz ps . " Drugak " and Franciszek Żak ps . " Wir " - had also encouraged him to come out of hiding . However eventually he decided to remain in conspiracy and still carry out military actions against the new authorities . Unfortunately his operations were aimed not only against the state officials ( UB , MO ) , but also against civilians . Often his group attacked and killed those civilians who supported the new authorities or even sympatised with their actions . For example on May 1 , 1947 " Uskok ' s " group shoot seven members of the ZWM youth organization , who were returning from the May Day parade . Among the victims were : Paweł Budka ( aged 20 ) , Zdzisław Czubacki ( aged 19 ) , Zygmunt Duda ( aged 18 ) , Mieczysław Jesionek ( aged 15 ) , Bolesław Lipta ( aged 22 ) , Bolesława Skrzypaczka ( aged 27 ) and Zygmunt Żembski ( aged 23 ) . However the most infamous action of his troops was the slaughter of the inhabitants of the village Puchaczów . This action was conducted by squads that were under the command of " Uskok " , led by : " Wiktor " , " Żelazny " and Józef Strug ps . " Ordon " . In their opinion , the sufficient justification for this action was the fact that three identified inhabitants of the village gave away the location of hiding of three " Uskok ' s " partisans to the new authorities . Despite the fact that it was known who reported the partisans , the whole village was pacified and 21 of its inhabitants were shot . A complete list of the future victims was prepared beforehand . Broński himself considered the slaughter as bloody but necessary . At one point one of the sub - commanders in Broński ' s group was Józef Franczak who later would become the last of the " Cursed soldiers " to remain in the underground , fighting communist authorities until 1963 . Awards , Decorations and Citations . He was a recipient of the Cross of Virtuti Militari .