The Goliath

On August 13th, at Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy), insurgents captured a tracked vehicle resembling a small tank. To the great delight of the residents, the „tank” paraded through half of the Old Town. However, the captured vehicle was actually a Goliath tracked mine—a remote-controlled explosive carrier. Likely, while attempting to navigate a small barricade on Kiliński Street, the insurgents accidentally armed the device. Moments later, a devastating explosion occurred, instantly killing over 300 gathered people. The remains of the victims covered the walls of the buildings on Kiliński Street and the Ministry of Justice building, which housed the „Wigry” Battalion headquarters. Among the many casualties, 21 „Wigry” soldiers were killed, and 59 were injured.

The Battle for Mostowski Palace

On August 15th, the commander of Group North, Colonel „Wachnowski,” ordered the recapture of Mostowski Palace. Under the cover of night, assault teams from the „Wigry” Battalion, led by Lieutenant „Prokop,” stealthily approached the palace and climbed inside using ladders. After fierce combat involving grenades and submachine guns, the attackers overpowered the Germans and seized the palace. Until August 18th, the „Wigry” soldiers, supported by a PPS Militia unit, repelled successive attacks. They even managed to destroy a German tank with precise throws of Molotov cocktails. However, after a Goliath tracked mine destroyed the barricade blocking access to the palace and brought down one of the building’s walls, the insurgents were forced to retreat.