The Detached Unit of the Polish Army or Separated Unit of the Polish Army () was one of the first Polish partisan units of World War II (and thus one of the first partisan units of the conflict). It operated in Poland's Kielce region and Holy Cross Mountains and was commanded by Major Henryk Dobrzański (also known by his nom-de-guerre, "Hubal"), and due to the prominence of its commander has also been commonly known as Hubal's Unit or the Hubal Partisans (Hubalczycy).
Paul Latawski writes that the unit's exploits had "some large successes against the German security forces" but led to "brutal reprisals" against local civilians. The Germans eventually destroyed the unit in the spring of 1940, "killing Dobrzański but creating a partisan legend".
Operations
The unit was formed at the end of the German invasion of Poland at the end of September 1939 from elements of . It was commanded by Major Henryk Dobrzański, the 110th Regiment's vice commander. Dobrzański was also known under his nom-de-guerre, "Hubal", and so his unit became eventually known as the Hubal's Unit or The Hubal Partisans. Dobrzański, however, referred to his unit as a Detached Unit of the Polish Army (Oddział Wydzielony Wojska Polskiego), a term first recorded on September 24 when the unit was near the Woźnawieś village in the Podlasie region.
Hubal's initial intention was the aid in the defense of Warsaw, but the city capitulated in September 28 before his unit could reach it. Approximately 50 men out of 180 he had under his command that time volunteered to continue the fight. Then he decided to evacuate his troops via Hungary or Romania to France. On 1 October 1939 they crossed the Vistula near Łomża and started their march towards the Holy Cross Mountains. The next day his unit, previously avoiding engaging the German units, launched its first attack, when it successfully ambushed a bogged German convoy. After that he decided to stay in the Holy Cross Mountains area with his unit and wait until the Allied relief came. Hubal hoped to preserve and even increase a cadre of experienced soldiers which he hoped to expand into a larger force for the promised French and British counteroffensive which he was expecting to happen at any time. Around late October, his unit size had however decreased to a few dozen soldiers, as few as eleven according to one account, as some were dispatched on detached duty and many left, not willing to continue to fight.
Nonetheless, Hubal forces became the major element of the early Polish resistance in the Kielce region, growing from a few dozen men to 250 by December 1939 (although another account states that in 1939 the unit never exceeded a few dozen soldiers). The partisans were generally welcomed and supported by the local populace, and in fact Hubal had to decline a number of volunteers whom he concluded he could not train or feed. The unit operated in Kielce and Radom regions (including the Holy Cross Mountains and local forests) and had "some successes against the German security forces". In March 1940 the unit was reported to have over 320 soldiers. The existence of the unit became increasingly known to the German authorities, which in early 1940 started prioritizing its elimination. In late March, Friedrich-Wilhelm Krüger, then Higher SS and Police Leader for occupied Polish territories, gathered about 5,000 SS and police units in the Kielce region, in an attempt to destroy the Polish partisans. Due to internal politics, he did not inform the local Wehrmacht commanders of his plans. Having located the Hubal partisans, Polizei-Bataillon 51 was tasked with eliminating them, attacking their positions in the village of Hucisko on the night of 29 to 30 March (the ), but this assault was repulsed and the partisans were able to retreat. The partisans, at that time numbering about 100, had 11 killed and 10 wounded, while the German forces, numbering several hundred, had about 100 casualties and lost six vehicles. Hubal decided that his forces had to disengage, and they were able to successfully do so over the next few days, despite several smaller skirmishes. German anti-partisan suppression operations in the region, known in the Polish historiography as the , resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 villagers and were the first example of Axis anti-partisan operations in World War II.
Hubal partisans were ambushed by the Germans near the village of Anielin near Opoczno on 30 April 1940. This was not a large skirmish, however, it resulted in two casualties, crucially including Hubal himself. Following Hubal's death in that incident, the unit became less active and disbanded on June 24-25 that year.