Скачать или смотреть Sowinski Fort : a Tsarist strong point in Warsaw that held back the Wehrmacht in 1939 and 1944.

The Sowinski fort - which is more of a strong point rather than a fort - was built in 1831 on the site of earlier fortifications from the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, and, as tradition has it, on the site of earlier Swedish fortifications from the 17th century.

In July 1831, during the November Uprising, Józef Sowiński was appointed commander of strong point No. 56 in Wola. As Russian troops approached Warsaw, in August he was entrusted with command of the defense of Wola, and on 22 August 1831 he was promoted to brigadier general.

On 6 September 1831, the main Russian attack was directed at Wola, defended by 1,300 soldiers and with 12 guns (against 87 battalions and 114 squadrons supported by 100 guns). The several-hour-long defence of Wola led by Sowiński had no further chance of success given the enemy's superiority. The exact circumstances of General Sowiński's death are unknown (one version says he died in front of the altar in the church, another says he died next to the cannon because the general's wooden leg got stuck). The Russian authorities reported the version that the general was killed at a combat post, which was picked up by artists who drew several images of the general bayoneted by tsarist soldiers. The 8th and 10th line infantry regiments took part in the defence of the redoubt. During the fighting, the Russians captured, among others: Major Jan Wodzyński, commander of the 8th Line Infantry Regiment, and Major Piotr Wysocki, commander of the 10th Line Infantry Regiment.

After suppressing the uprising, the tsarist authorities established an Orthodox cemetery in the area of ​​the redoubt, and the Catholic church of St. Lawrence was changed into the Church of the Vladimir Icon of Our Lady.

In September 1939, Lieutenant Zdzisław Pacak-Kuźmirski's unit of the 8th company of the 40th Children of Lwów Infantry Regiment defended against the Germans. On 9 September 1939, thanks to barrels of turpentine from the Dobrolin factory, his soldiers managed to burn a number of German tanks. The strong point surrendered only on 27 September 1939.