Operation Most III

Home Army intelligence report with V1 and V2 schematic drawings.

Memorial at the Motyl landing site

Operation Most III (Polish for Bridge III) or Operation Wildhorn III (in British documents) was a World War II operation in which Poland's Armia Krajowa provided the Allies with crucial intelligence on the German V-2 rocket.

Background

From November 1943 onwards, the Intelligence Division of the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) obtained parts of the V-2 rocket, which was being tested at a missile launch site near Blizna, central Poland. The availability of parts increased from April 1944, when numerous test rockets fell near Sarnaki village, in the vicinity of the Bug River, south of Siemiatycze. On the night of 20 May 1944 a particularly intact rocket fell into the swampy banks of the Bug. Parts of the rocket were secured by the Armia Krajowa, and analyzed at its secret laboratories in Warsaw. The analysis was performed by Professor Janusz Groszkowski (radio and guidance), Marceli Struszyński (fuel), Bogdan Stefanowski (engine), Antoni Kocjan, and others.

Operation

On the night of July 25, 1944, just past 10:00 p.m., a Royal Air Force (RAF) Dakota KG477 transport plane of No. 267 Squadron lifted off from Brindisi in southern Italy bound for an abandoned airfield in Poland near the village of Wał-Ruda. This airfield was code-named Motyl. The transport plane, which had been fitted with additional fuel tanks for a flight endurance of up to 18 hours, was piloted by a New Zealander, Flight Lieutenant Stanley G. Culliford, and co-piloted by a Polish native, Flight Lieutenant Kazimierz Szrajer. The plan was to land the plane in territory surrounded with German military units retreating westward under pressure by the Soviet army and obtain the V-2 missile components. The landing date of the "Dakota" aircraft was postponed several times due to rainy weather and soggy landing grouds as recorded in translated Polish language documents.

The translated documents continue with recollections of the night of the operation detailing "the night was muggy, clear, and quiet. You couldn't hear the wagons driving along the grassy roads at all. The dogs in the villages were barking and there was a muffled chorus of frogs croaking from the large pond there. This took place in a meadow where cattle would graze in Autumn. This meadow was marched through to get to the landing sight. The crew there was already bustling about, preparing piles for fires and setting up lanterns. Three piles of dry wood, doused with gasoline, were arranged on the west side. The fires formed a triangle with a side of 25 large steps. This was the entry gate. The tip of the triangles of fires facing east showed the direction of the landing. The actual landing site began 1000 large steps from the triangle of fires. It was a strip of meadows 1200 long and 300 large steps wide. The crew set up lanterns at intervals of 25 steps, which, when lit, gave off a red light. On the eastern side of the landing site, in the middle of the landing field, a small reflector and warning board with reflectice glass were placed. The operation of the equipment was managed by Andrzej Puchała according to the instructions of an individual known as "Włodek". While this was occuring, the commanders took their assigned positions in complete silence, "Jawor" had been seated in the manned gamekeeper's lodge for 2 hours, and "Morena" had manned the eastern exit of Dolna Śmietana."

"The sky was clear as there was not a single cloud in it. The stars twinkled and the people all were waiting impatiently for the arrival of the expected aircraft with tensions growing each passing minute. The silence, was broken around 11:20pm by the roar of German planes flying along the Vistula. This was then followed by complete silence. Around midnight, the roar of a heavy aircraft could be heard from the southwest brining all the people on the ground to their feet. The Dakota plane came over the landing site at a high altitude, but perfectly accurate. The established Morse signal "K" flashed briefly on its wing. An individual known as "Włodek" responded with the letter "M" with his searchlight. Following, the landing site crew quickly activated a triangle of fires. Moments later, a row of red side lights appeared and the meadows took on the color of a rainbow. The surrounding German neighborhoods grew tensions, but the Dakota glided without changing altitudes somewhere in the area of Gręboszów. It then flew lower eventually taking on the direction of the landing field. The pilot then turned on the plane's searchlights causing the field to illuminate as if it was a broad sunny day. Eventually landing on the field between the light set up, it rolled, buzzed, and bounced. Finally, at a "Włodek's signal, it braked sharply, turned south, and stopped. The people in the field then ran up to the machine whose crew consisted of several New Zealanders and only one Pole, a young boy."

Upon the plane's landing, the inhabitants of Przybysławice and neighboring villages, such as Pasieka Otfinowska, under the command of Captain W. Kabat, organized the transport of parts of the German V-2 rocket from Tarnów to Przybysławice. Przybysławice and Pasieka Otfinowska experienced difficult times during WWI and WWII brought even more losses. People, like Jakub Klimek and Stanisław Nowak, died. Four young people were taken to forced labour in Germany and all traces of them were erased. These were Stanisław Woźniak, Józef Woźniak, Franciszek Fela, and Stanisław Mączko. Stanisław Boduch was shot by a well known Nazi thug, Guzdek. Many people lost their property and fires destroyed many buildings. The Gestapo had raided a dozen or so neighboring villages, arresting individuals like the Woźniak brothers, Władysław and Stanisław, as well as Władysław Kusior. Others were sent to camps in Auschwitz. Władysław was one of these individuals, who after the camp was liberated by American troops, moved to the United States.

During the German occupation, individuals from Przybysławice, especially the youth, joined underground resistance groups to fight against the German enemy. Almost the entire village belonged to the Home Army and the Peasant Battalions, a guerrilla and partisan organization to combat the Nazis. A large part of Polish intelligence from the city hid in the villages after being pursued by the Gestapo. The distribution of the secret press for these organizations was handled by Jan Szpara, a school headmaster, and Mieczysław Woźniak. The most distinguished members of the Polish secret organizations included the following individuals: Stanisław Gucwa (a former Marshal of the Polish Sejm), Roman and Jan Kuma, Władysław Myśliński, Wawrzyniec Kusior, Józef and Mieczysław Wasiowe, Jan Lechowicz, Kazimierz Król, Jan Szpara, Tomasz Biś, and Paweł Łata.

Jan Lechowicz used this wagon in 1944 to transport parts of the German V-2 Rocket to a makeshift airport for transport to England

Returning to the operation, prior to the plane landing, the people in the village were experiencing a sleepless night as they had wanted to know if the plane had arrived safely at the base. They had worries that the Germans would play some sort of trick on them in the coming days. The Germans had just been examining the tracks at the landing field and appeared to be up to something there. These activities were closely monitored from a forester's lodge by an individual known as "Małek". As a result of these activities, another individual "Konrad" had put the team in Przybysławice on alert and under protection of experienced observers, everyone on the team went to sleep. The team slept on the hay in the barn of Jan Cholewa "Granit" which they enjoyed after many hardships and emotions experienced. Jan Lechowicz, a 36 year old man born in Pasieka Otfinowska in 1907, guarded barns in the village, the hiding places of the cargo from the Dakota plane. According to recollections from his daughter, Jan was under orders to drive the wagon to a makeshift airport after the horses and the cart were prepared for the operation ahead of time. The items in the wagon were covered in hay. He had previously gained a few connections to some of the other people involved in this operation through previous active duty in the army. The wagon he drove was escorted up to the village of Klikowa by armed boys from the sabotage squad "Pirata". The photo of Jan Lechowicz was provided by family members who can share his experiences throughout this operation through Polish to English translations of what he vocalized about the operation itself. His daughter, Maria, in an interview completed in the Polish language, claimed he took great risks, risking his life, the lives of his family, and the villegers with the expedition. While claiming she was too young to remember all the details, she recalls hearing how on his journey to the makeshift airport, the wagon was passed up by a car filled with Germans. The car came to a halt in front of the wagon and the Germans exited the car. However, not one noticed what was in the wagon or how they were transporting it. Maria also recalled how when her father had arrived at the barn on their property initially, her mother forbade her, then 9 years old, from leaving the house or even approaching a window.

Regarding the transport itself, Jan Lechowicz himself recalled in a translated quote: "On the day of the plane's arrival, I went to the landing site in a cart, almost immediately in the evening. At the same time, the cover teams were also going there. They brought me a full cart of weapons to transport to a place in the village as they were not allowed to officially show them. On the way, I drove up to Franciszek Kuc's house, on Wielka Droga. From there they brought 5 sacks, not full, with various junk loaded onto the cart. It was mail and all the parts of the rocket, sorted and pre-packed into sacks. With all this cargo, I drove to where I needed to go. Reaching Budzbów, the rifles were removed, and I reached the plane landing site with the sacks." His direct quotes regarding Operation Most III are also found in parts of a Polish language article titled "Mieczyslaw Adamczyk - partyzant z Otfinowa".

The English plane "Dakota" was loaded with parts of the V-2 rocket and mail. The entire Dakota's luggage was packed in suitcases and packages. The suitcases contained weapons, plastic, ammunition, cameras, five radio transmitters and receivers. There were also 12 metal cassettes sealed with pounds sterling. The packages were addressed to the Government Delegate in the Country, and to the Home Army Headquarters among others. In addition, there was a whole series of gifts for individuals in the form of fountain pens, watches, etc. All of this was marked with conventional code names. One of the suitcases contained 5 German automata, which the conquerors of Monte Cassino sent with appropriately engraved inscriptions "To the Partisans from the Country". Departure of the plane, however, took place in rather dramatic circumstances. Despite the efficient loading of people and equipment, the plane could not take off immediately. The pilot's attempted to take off, but the wheels of the plane were lodged in a wet and muddy meadow. "Włodek" had given the pilot a signal too late to stop the plane. This resulted in the plane rolling into a nearby ditch. The pilot had turned sharply and buried the Dakota's wheels in the meadow turf. This was not foreseen by anyone present and the crew present was not preparated for this. There was only one small military-type shovel present owned by Władysław Wróbel. The turf had to be removed with one shovel and with their hands due to a huge oversight that could have ruined the entire undertaking. The ground was also hardened with boards and pine needles collected from a nearby forest by a partisan unit led by an individual referred to as "Pirat". Wedged underneath the wheels, finally the plane was pulled out of the mud. The pilot was then able to repeat take-off. It eventually took off with the V-2 components on the morning of July 26, 1944, prior to detection by German military units. With the landing site finally empty, people were able to retreat to their quarters in Przybysławice for a well-deserved rest.

The plane landed at the Italian airport Brindisi on the same day. At about 7am on July 26, 1944, an individual known as "Gapa" received a telegram that the Dakota had safely landed in Brindisi. He folded up the radio set and drove off with "Włodek" immediately to Warsaw. Operation III Most, carried out in complicated and dangerous conditions, was successful. From there, the parts of the rocket reached London, England, two days later. This was via Rabat-Moracco and Gibraltar. British scientists began devising a way to interfere with the guidance of the V-2 missile using radio waves, but it was discovered that the V-2 mechanism was not designed to "react to countermeasures by radio."To commemorate the historical event in Poland, a monument was placed at the place where the plane took off, along with a plaque with the following inscription: "From this place on the night of July 25-26, 1944, an Allied plane took to England the most important parts of the Nazi V-2 rocket weapon captured by the Home Army". Back in Poland, following the departure of the plane, the command to maintain silence was lifted. Those who collaborated with the underground resistance to transport the rocket immediately went into hiding as recorded in the Polish language throughout sources cited.

Participants

On the outgoing flight from Brindisi the aircraft had 4 passengers: Kazimierz Bilski, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Leszek Starzyński and Bogusław Wolniak.On the return flight, Jerzy Chmielewski, Józef Retinger, Tomasz Arciszewski, Tadeusz Chciuk, and Czesław Miciński were ferried from occupied Poland to Brindisi, Italy. It was intended that Antoni Kocjan (who had personally studied parts of V-2 missiles) would take part, but he was arrested by the Gestapo and therefore was replaced by Jerzy Chmielewski.The aircraft's crew included: F/Lt S.G. (George) Culliford (Captain), F/O Kazimierz Szrajer (Co-pilot and translator) (Polish), F/O J.P. Williams (Navigator), F/Sgt J. Appleby (Radio-operator).Security for the operation was provided by Armia Krajowa group “Urban”, which included Adam Gondek 'Kruk'. The security commander of the Motyl landing site was Captain Wladyslaw Kabat ps.'Brzechwa'.

Other participants were : Kpr. Franciszek Nowak 'Pomidor', Dr Jan Deszcz 'Wacek', Kpr. pchor. Władysław Bysiek 'Morena', Józef Lupa 'Czarny Sęp', Ppor. Franciszek Kuczek 'Deska', Por. Mieczysław Czech 'Jurand', Por. Paweł Chwała 'Skory', Ppor. Jan Gomoła 'Jawor'. Further participants who took place in events leading up to Operation Most III or in the operation itself included: Stanisław Gucwa, Roman Kuma, Jan Kuma, Władysław Myśliński, Wawrzyniec Kusior, Józef and Mieczysław Wasiowe, Jan Lechowicz, Kazimierz Król, Jan Szpara, Tomasz Biś, and Paweł Łata. These individuals were people who were able to share their firsthand experiences with family members and friends around them in the village surrounding the area the operation took place. Their family members and other individuals from the villages are, as a result, able to share the firsthand experiences they heard about on many village websites in the Polish language. Several of these experiences have been translated by a Polish/English speaker and cited throughout.

Another participant was the polish-speaking Colonel Zdzisław Baszak who was interviewed in 2018 at the 74th anniversary celebration of Operation Most III. He is the last living participant of the operation and resides in Poland as explained in Polish in this article. . The article covers the memorial that was placed at the location of the operation as well as the indiviudals who placed flowers at the memorial during the 74th celebration.

Media appearance

Dramatisation of the events was published in the book They Saved London written by Bernard Newman in 1955. The book was later turned into a feature film Battle of the V-1.The operation was featured in the 1977 BBC TV series The Secret War, episode 3, "Terror Weapons", which included Janusz Groszkowski's memories of the operation. Operation Most III was one of the major plot elements in Frozen Flashes ("Gefrorene Blitze"), a GDR movie about the development of the V2 and the history of the resistance movement in Peenemünde during the Second World War and its attempt to sabotage the V-2 programme.

Operation III Most was the topic of a polish language interview held with a family member of Jan Lechowicz. The Maria Kostrewa was the older child of two born to Jan and Maria Lechowicz in Poland. The son, Adam Lechowicz, moved to the United States where he resided in Illinois until his death per living Polish-American great-grandchildren of Jan Lechowicz. Following his death in 1992, he was buried in Poland near the family home where Jan Lechowicz (1907-1976) and Maria Lechowicz (1914-1995) are also buried. The Polish-American family members still reside in Illinois and have traveled to Poland multiple times to visit the country and family members. Family members gave permission to share. The interview was recorded with a great-aunt of Jan's great-grandchildren in 2017 where she is seen showing the barn in which parts of the V-2 rocket were stored prior to transport. She recounts the entire experience in the Polish language which can easily be translated to English with the assistance of subtitles. The interview will also show photos of the operation present in a museum as well as informational booklets in Poland, where the operation took place. The village does also have multiple informational boards displayed throughout to commemorate the operation in the place where it took place.

This operation was the topic of an article written in the Polish language. The article was written by Wincenty Kołodziej and is titled "Mieczysław Adamcyzk - partyzant z Otfinowa". It is a 321 page article intially and parts of the article were published electronically still in the Polish language. The parts found online were referenced throughout the operation portion of this wikipedia page. The polish-speaking author largely recounted the life of Mieczysław Adamczyk, a polish speaking inhabitant of the village the operation took place near. The article, however, does also recounts the problems that individuals in the village of Pasieka Otfinowska experienced during WWII when this operation took place. The author did extensive research into the topics he covered and expressed how people were able to accomplish a lot regardless of the Nazi terror they experienced, at the time. The people living in the area this operation took place "organized underground education, guerilla organizations and their main achievement was to deliver the secret German weapon - V-2 missile to London". The author summarized his entire Polish article on the final page, page 321, in the English language. This article was translated and used above to help cite most of the information, including quotes from people who took part in the operation, provided above.

In July 2024, Operation III Most was written about in a Polish language article written by Beata Malec-Suwara. Translating the article to English shows that the village of Przybysławice was celebrating the 80th anniversary of the operation occuring. The celebration included the unveiling of two new informational boards displayed in the village describing the events of the operation, also in the Polish language. These boards were then blessed by a church paster in the village. Videos that were later published on Youtube, document the inhabitants of the village celebrating the anniversary of the operation. The article, if translated, also shows that some inhabitants that took part in the celebration included Maria Kostrewa, the daughter of Jan Lechowicz. The polish article will refer to her and her family members as the "family members of heroic inhabitants" of Przybysławice. It dives into further detail describing the actions her father took delivering the V-2 rocket on his wagon in 1944.

See also

• Battle of the V-1
• Home Army and V1 and V2
• Polish contribution to World War II

References

Bibliography

• Breuer, William B. (1993). Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets. Westport; Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-94481-6
• Ordway, Frederick I., III. The Rocket Team. Apogee Books Space Series 36 (pp. 158, 173)
• (in Polish) Michał Wojewódzki, Akcja V-1, V-2, Warsaw 1984, ISBN 83-211-0521-1
• McGovern, James. Crossbow and Overcast. W. Morrow: New York, 1964. (p. 71)
• (in Polish) “74. Rocznica Akcji III Most.” Aktualności, Radłów Gmina, 1 Aug. 2018, www.gminaradlow.pl/74-rocznica-akcji-iii-most,news-1388.
• (in Polish) Władysław, Kabat. “Operacja III Most.” Portal Historyczny Parafii Wietrzychowice, ŚWIATOWY ZWIĄZEK ŻOŁNIERZY ARMII KRAJOWEJ - OKRĘG TARNÓW, sites.google.com/site/cmeto2009/strona-g%C5%82%C3%B3wna/wojna-1939-45/operacja-iii-most. Accessed 2 July 2025.
• (in Polish) “Home.” Niepubliczna Szkoła Podstawowa w Przybysławicach, Niepubliczna Szkoła podstawowa w Przybyslawicach, www.przybyslawice.net.pl/regionalia/przybyslawice-w-latach-i-i-ii-wojny-swiatowej/. Accessed 2 July 2025.
• (in Polish) Kołodziej, Wincenty. “Mieczysław Adamczyk - Partyzant z Otfinowa.” PDF Article, czasopisma.marszalek.com.pl/images/pliki/ksm/08/ksm200419.pdf. Accessed 3 July 2025.
• (in Polish) Kostrzewa, Maria. “Maria Kostrewa Dowiad.” Ransport Części Niemieckiej Rakiety V-2 Do Przybysławic, Radłów Gmina via Youtube, 26 July 2017, www.gminaradlow.pl/aktualnosci/informacje/transport-czesci-niemieckiej-rakiety-v-2-do-przybyslawic,news-942.
• (in Polish) Przybysławice. “Przybysławice.” Przybysławice Moja Mała Ojczyzna, Slideshare, www.slideshare.net/slideshow/przybysawice/16911626. Accessed 2 July 2025.
• (in Polish) School in Przybyslawice. “Home.” Niepubliczna Szkoła Podstawowa w Przybysławicach, Niepubliczna Szkoła Podstawowa w Przybysławicach, www.przybyslawice.net.pl/patron-szkoly/. Accessed 2 July 2025.
• (in Polish) Malec-Suwara, Beata. “By Pamięć Przetrwała.” Instytut Gość Media, Gosc Niedzielny Tarnowski, 29 July 2024, tarnow.gosc.pl/doc/8907023.By-pamiec-przetrwala.
• “LinkedIn Profile.” LinkedIn, LinkedIn Corporation, www.linkedin.com/in/justyna-kukulka-79bb0a29a. Accessed 3 July 2025.
• (in Polish) Skruda, Kurier. “Dramatyczne I Strategiczne Dla Losów II Wojny Zakończenie Akcji „Salamander" – Akcja „Most III": Kurier Skruda.” Dramatyczne i Strategiczne Dla Losów II Wojny Zakończenie Akcji „Salamander” – Akcja „MOST III”, Kurier Skruda, 8 Aug. 2011, kurierskruda.pl/index.php/dramatyczne-i-strategiczne-dla-losow-ii-wojny-zakonczenie-akcji-salamander/historia-regionu.

External links

• Peter Wieslaw Grajda: The Polish Canadian pilot, Kazimierz Szrajer and the German Rocket V2