In the Sewers

The „Parasol” Battalion was the last unit to descend into the sewers of the Old Town in the early morning hours of September 1, 1944. Their final task was to hold the southwestern part of Krasiński Square, where the sewer entrance was located, through which insurgent units evacuated from the Old Town to Śródmieście.

Nearly 140 combat-capable soldiers of the „Parasol” Battalion managed to reach Śródmieście through the sewers. Most were wounded, some multiple times, and all were utterly exhausted. Upon emerging from the sewers, the soldiers, who had witnessed the agony of the Old Town in its final days, found Śródmieście, where life was almost normal with functioning cafes and a cinema, to be an absurd Arcadia. Shortly thereafter, again through the sewers, the „Parasol” Battalion, now effectively reduced to the strength of a single company, was transferred to Czerniaków.