Internal Security Corps

History

The creation of the Internal Security Corps (KBW) was initiated by Stanisław Radkiewicz, then secretary of the Central Bureau Communists of Poland in Moscow. In a direct conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Henryk Toruńczyk, commander of the Polish Independent Special Battalion, Radkiewicz proposed the formation of Internal Troops just before the Red Army's summer offensive in 1944.

The Corps was formally established through two resolutions issued by the Council of Ministers of Poland. The first, on March 24, 1945, called for the transformation of the Internal Troops into the Internal Security Corps. The second, on May 26, 1945, instructed the Minister of National Defense to organize the new force. Their structure was outlined in Order No. 0128, issued the following day by the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish People's Army.

On August 22, 1945, the Corps, initially formed under the Ministry of National Defence, was transferred to the Ministry of Public Security. By the end of August 1945, its force was made up of 29,053 soldiers and 2,356 officers. Later, on October 29, 1951, Order No. 062 of the Minister of Public Security subordinated the KBW to the Commander of the Internal Troops.

Beginning in 1949, the KBW assumed responsibility for protecting key economic and transport facilities. This led to a rapid increase in manpower—from 35,957 soldiers in 1950 to 40,930 by 1953. These forces were organized into 23 operational battalions and 7 companies, in addition to 17 battalions and 18 security companies.

As a result of the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the political changes that followed it, the Ministry of Public Security was abolished in December 1954, being succeeded by the Committee for Public Security and the KBW was downsized and placed under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A February 1956 proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Franciszek Jóźwiak aimed to merge the KBW with the Border Protection Forces into a single agency under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but this plan was never implemented. In April 1956, a decision was made to disband the KBW by November 1 of that year. However, the June 1956 Poznań protests reversed this plan, and the KBW was revitalized. Its units took part in suppressing the uprising. At the same time, there were discussions about renaming the Corps to the National Guard Corps, a nod to historical formations from the Kościuszko and November Uprisings, and an attempt to improve the agency’s reputation. While the official name remained unchanged, several territorial units adopted new derived from their geographical locations, such as the Vistula Brigade, Masovian Brigade, and Podlaskie Brigade.

In 1962, the Silesian Unit of the Engineering Army (KBW-4) was deployed to build roads in the Bieszczady County, a strategically important but sparsely populated area in southeastern Poland.

In 1965, the KBW were reformed into the Internal Defense Forces which were subordinated to the Ministry of National Defense.

Duties

The KBW was responsible for protect key public strategic industrial and transport infrastructure such as power plants, railways, ports etc., as well as to combat and suppress the anti-Communist resistance in Poland, including activities of the "Cursed soldiers" as well as all organizations which continued their armed struggle against the Communist takeover, such as the Freedom and Independence (WiN), the National Armed Forces (NSZ), and the remnants of the Home Army (AK) among others. Between March 1945 and April 1947 alone, KBW units killed over 1,500 "Cursed soldiers", wounded 301, and captured approximately 12,200.

Structure

Command and Staff

Liaison Air Squadron

Signal Battalion (Warsaw)

Radio Line Company

Automotive Company

Security Company

Reserve Depot

Political Board

Central Officers' Club

Song and Dance Ensemble

Automotive Service Command

Artillery and Armoured Weapons Command

Chemical Service Command

KBW Officers' School, Training Center (Legnica)

Communications Non-Commissioned Officers' School (Prudnik)

Engineer Troops Command

9th Pomeranian Pontoon-Bridge Regiment (Bydgoszcz)

10th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion (Rawicz)

12th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion (Szczecin)

16th Pontoon-Bridge Battalion (Koszalin)

1st Battalion Engineer Battalion (Warsaw)

2nd Engineer Battalion (Grajewo)

4th Engineer Battalion (Rzeszów)

Commanding officers

March 1945 – May 1945: Col. Henryk Toruńczyk

Jun 1945 – September 1946: Gen. Bolesław Kieniewicz

1946–1948: Brigadier General Konrad Świetlik

1948–1951: Brigadier General Juliusz Hibner (born Dawid Szwarc)

1 March 1951 – 12 March 1965: Brigadier General Włodzimierz Muś

August 1956 - July 1959: Brigadier General Wacław Komar (Acting commanding officer)

12 March 1965 – 1 July 1965: Brigadier General Bronisław Kuriata