After the German and Soviet invasion of Poland and the occupation of its territory, both the authorities of the Third Reich and the Soviet Union pursued a policy aimed at full and permanent subordination of the conquered lands. To this end, in the opinion of the highest political decision-makers of both totalitarian countries, it was necessary to physically eliminate the Polish leadership. During Operation AB, which took place in the General Government, the Germans killed 3,000 people being the best part of the Polish nation. Physical elimination began in May and ended in July 1940.

Operation AB, or Ausserordentliche Befriedungsaktion (Extraordinary Pacification Action), was a continuation of the extermination of Poles carried out in the pre-war Polish territories incorporated into the Third Reich. There, it was called the Intelligenzaction. As part of the “first strike”, both criminal plans in the initial period of the occupation were aimed to eliminate: political activists, senior officials, officers of various formations, creative intelligentsia, clergy, teachers, doctors, veterinarians, merchants and industrialists, landowners, as well as activists of local self-government authorities or outstanding members of organizations, even if they were simple farmers. The AB action was carried out in a systematic manner, with previously prepared proscription lists at disposal. In the beginning, death sentences were carried out by two formations: Einsatzgruppen (operational security groups) and Selbschutz. The latter is referred to in the literature on the subject as a “special terrorist group”.

While planning the liquidation of the broadly understood Polish elite, the Germans feared an increase in underground activity. In March 1940, the commander of the Sipo and SD in the Warsaw district, Standarführer Josef Meisinger, expressed his concerns on this subject: “These organizations will inundate us if we do not move on to a large-scale attack in the next few days that would enable us to at least eliminate leaders or individual organizations.” Hitler emphasized that he needed peace in the east. He wrote directly to Hans Frank: “Please make sure that it is completely calm and quiet there [in the General Government].” This “silence” was really needed as the Germans planned their attacks on France, Belgium and the Netherlands in May. They wanted to use the fact that the eyes of European societies would then be turned to combat in Western Europe, being less interested in matters in the General Government.

A key role in the history of Operation AB was played by the conference on “extraordinary measures necessary to secure peace and order in the General Government,” which was held in Krakow on May 16, 1940. The meeting was attended by: Hans Frank, Krüger, Streckenbach, Dr Arthur Seyss-Inquart (head of the GG government), Dr Josef Bühler (secretary of state in the GG government) and Colonel Rudolf Friedrich Müller (commander of the order police in the General Government ).

The pre-planned extermination plan, as well as the fears of German politicians about the activation of the Polish underground, meant that the goal of Operation AB was to simultaneously eliminate the elite and members of the resistance movement. Located 30 km from northeast of Warsaw, a small village Palmiry became a symbol of the martyrdom of those both groups. About 1700-1800 Polish citizens died there. However, there were more such places, and they were located just outside Warsaw – for example, Las Kabacki, Las Sękociński and Wolka Węglowa. With regard to the committed crimes, they were called after the war “executions of the Warsaw ring”.

The most severe repressions were committed in Warsaw as the strongest sabotage and subversive center of the Polish underground state. Before the executions, many people were first transported to the Pawiak prison. At that time, it was the best prepared place in terms of organization, location and repression for torturing and detention of political prisoners. From there the prisoners were taken to Palmiry by trucks. In order not to cause panic or rebellion, they were perfidiously allowed to have luggage and documents when traveling. They were told that they were going to forced labor in the Third Reich or to a concentration camp. Thanks to the Polish prison guard in Pawiak – Janina Gruszkowa, who showed a patriotic attitude, it was possible to raise the list of prisoners taken to Palmiry on June 20, 1940. The list of prisoners includes leading representatives of Polish political, social and cultural life, headed by Maciej Rataj, Mieczysław Niedzialkowski, Janusz Kusociński and Halina Jaroszewicz.

The effects of Action AB cannot be considered in material terms. The essence of the irretrievable losses related to the mass extermination of the Polish leadership is best reflected in a quotation from a book by Maria Rutkowska and Edward Serwański, devoted to the Polish intelligentsia in German genocide plans: “Those killed, unfinished, often just started being creative human lives, full of hopes, desires and enormous possibilities, even undefined development perspectives, most severely determine the terrible blows inflicted on Polish culture by Germans”