The building at 25 Szucha Avenue became a symbol of terror in German-occupied Warsaw. It was there that the Gestapo carried out brutal interrogations, torture, and executions. One of the men responsible for running that apparatus was Ludwig Hahn, a fanatical Nazi and high-ranking SS officer.
From 1941, Hahn headed the German security apparatus in Warsaw and was responsible for repressions against the city's inhabitants. For the Home Army, he became one of the most important targets. His name was placed on the list for Operation Head, and the Polish underground decided to eliminate him in the summer of 1944.
Ludwig Hahn was born on January 23, 1908. He studied law while simultaneously becoming involved with the National Socialist movement, joining the NSDAP and then the SS. In 1934, he began working in the security service.
Two years later, he became head of the Gestapo in Hanover, and in 1937 he took a similar position in Weimar. In 1938, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Sturmbannführer and received the title of Regierungsrat.
After Germany's invasion of Poland, he took part in the September Campaign as head of an Einsatzkommando, a formation responsible for liquidating the Polish intelligentsia and potential political opponents. He was subsequently sent to Krakow, where between 1939 and 1940 he served in the structures of the German security apparatus.
In 1940, he was transferred to Slovakia, where he was involved in organizing German police structures. A year later, he was sent to Greece, and then, on August 1, 1941, he was entrusted with the position of Commander of the Security Police and Security Service in Warsaw. Receiving this post made him one of the most important officials of the Nazi regime in occupied Warsaw.
In November 1941, he was promoted to the rank of SS-Obersturmbannführer, and on April 20, 1944, he reached the rank of SS-Standartenführer. In the Polish capital, the Gestapo structures were under his command, and his headquarters was the building at 25 Szucha Avenue.
Hahn was responsible for combating the Polish resistance, repressions against civilians, and actions aimed at the Jewish community. His subordinate officers participated in the organization and implementation of German extermination policy, including the Great Liquidation Action of the Warsaw Ghetto, during which about 300,000 Jews were deported to the Treblinka extermination camp and murdered there.
Hahn also bore responsibility for mass executions, the shooting of Pawiak prisoners, and a whole range of repressive actions aimed at the population of the occupied capital. His name appeared on many public announcements informing of further German crimes. For his ruthlessness, he gained a reputation as one of the most hated Germans.
He was entered onto the list of targets for Operation Head, a Home Army operation aimed at the most important representatives of the German occupation apparatus. The Polish underground attempted his liquidation, recognizing Hahn as one of the key targets in the fight against German terror.
Tracking down Ludwig Hahn was not an easy task. The mission was entrusted to one of the most outstanding intelligence officers of the Home Army, Aleksander Kunicki, codename "Rajski." In March and April 1944, he managed to obtain a photograph of Hahn and determine his habits.
The German usually worked at Aleja 25, from where he often traveled to the Brühl Palace on Wierzbowa Street, where the Governor of the Warsaw District, Ludwig Fischer, had his office. After the successful assassination of Franz Kutschera carried out by the Polish underground in February 1944, Hahn exercised extreme caution.
He always traveled with an armed escort, and his car had five different license plates, intended to confuse potential saboteurs and hinder any assassination attempt. For this reason, surveillance was carried out over the following months.
Numerous female liaisons and intelligence agents were involved in these operations. Among them were Hanka, Dejtis, Kama, and Nora, that is, Anna Sarzyńska, Elżbieta Dziębowska, Maria Stypułkowska, and Eleonora Lewandowska.
Also participating in the operations were Krystyna Maleszewska, codenamed Rafał; Zofia Świeszcz, codenamed Zojda; Aldona Reszel, codenamed Aldona; and Halina Wojciechowska, codenamed Tina, as well as sisters Maria and Kazimiera Huchla, using the codenames Maja and Kaja. This broad composition was no accident. Such a large number of people involved in the surveillance kept the risk of denunciation to an absolute minimum.
A very important element of the proceedings at the time was the absence of Aleksander Kunicki, codenamed Rajski, who was not in Warsaw but in Kraków, where he was involved in investigating Wilhelm Koppe, the Higher SS and Police Leader for the entire General Government.
Reconnaissance was conducted primarily between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM in the area of Aleje Ujazdowskie, from Plac na Rozdrożu to Plac Trzech Krzyży. The surveillance also covered the route leading toward Falenty and the manor house located there, as well as Plac Unii Lubelskiej, which served as an exit route, and Szucha Avenue.
None of the analyzed variants appeared ideal. Ultimately, it was decided that the attack would take place on Aleje Ujazdowskie, and soldiers from the platoon were selected to carry it out. Direct execution of the sentence was entrusted to three soldiers from the second platoon.
The operation was commanded by Jerzy Zapadko, codenamed Mirski, who was also to serve as the third executor. His deputy and the first executor was Stanisław Jastrzębski, codenamed Kopeć. The role of the second executor was entrusted to Zbigniew Dąbrowski, codenamed Cyklon.
The security detail consisted of Bolec, Burza, Garbaty, Jaksa, Ryś, and Osoria, namely Tadeusz Chojko, Kazimierz Łukasiak, Zbigniew Gąsior, Edward Leszczyński, Zbigniew Chmaj, and Jan Kołomyjski.
The cars used during the operation were handled by Andrzej Hoffman, codenamed Brzeszczot; Jan Bernatowicz, codenamed Bartek; and Stanisław Gniado, codenamed Oto. Support was also provided by liaisons Janina Lutyk, codenamed Scarlett, and the previously mentioned Tina, Kama, Zojda, Nora, Hanka, and Dejtis. Thus, a total of 19 people were involved in the preparation and execution of the operation.
The attack itself was intended to be carried out at the mouth of Wilcza Street. Scarlett, who had taken an observation post at Plac na Rozdrożu, was to signal the arrival of Hahn's car. With a pre-arranged signal, she was to pass the information to Tina, who was standing on Aleje Ujazdowskie across from the mouth of Aleja Róż.
She signaled "Kamień," located on Chopin Street, then "Zojda" at the intersection with Pius XI Street, and "Noze" at the end of Matejki Street. The final reconnaissance of Hahn's car was carried out by Hanka and Dejtis. The latter was to cross the road in front of the approaching car, giving the signal to begin the operation.
Simultaneous to the start of the liquidation, the car parked on Wilcza Street belonging to Brzeszczot was to join in, its primary task being to block the path of Hahn's vehicle. Two other cars were positioned on Wilcza Street past the intersection with Mokotowska, heading towards Krucza Street. After the start of the action, they were to reverse to the corner of Wilcza and Aleje Ujazdowskie, where they would pick up the soldiers participating in the attack.
The weapons, which due to the heat the Poles had to hide under heavy coats, were taken to the apartment of Zdzisław Dobrowolski's aunt, codename Mag, on Wilcza Street, from where they then set out for their designated positions.
Mirski took up a position on Aleje Ujazdowskie on the south side of the Wilcza Street exit. Meanwhile, on the north side was Kopeć. Cyklon and Burza waited in the gateway of the house at Wilcza 2 Street.
Security from the side of Aleje Ujazdowskie was provided by Bolec, deployed about 20 meters from the Wilcza exit. At a similar distance, but from the side of Trzech Krzyży Square, positions were taken by Ryś and Osoria. Garbaty and Jaksa secured the intersection of Wilcza and Mokotowska, shielding the team from the direction of Krucza Street.
After the action began, Cyklon and Burza were to step out into Aleje Ujazdowskie. Burza was to coordinate with Bolec, while Cyklon was to join Mirski and Kopeć to collectively fire upon Hahn's car. In the later phase of the action, Mirski and Cyklon were to engage the German escort, and Kopeć was to run to the car, shoot Hahn, and take the documents found on the criminal.
After completing the task, Mirski was to give the order to end the operation and begin the retreat. The cars were then to take a route through Wilcza, Marszałkowska, Złota, and Żelazna streets. Medical care for any wounded was entrusted to Dr. Zbigniew Dworak, codename Maks. The others were to go to the location on Wilanowska Street, where a debriefing was planned.
The plan seemed refined and had gained the approval of the command. The action itself was planned to be carried out on one of the Fridays in June, and that was essentially where the planning ended. Although the operation was set up punctually at 9:45 AM, Hahn did not appear for tens of minutes afterward.
After two hours of waiting, Kopeć recalled, the director allowed us to leave our positions. We returned the same way to the same locations from which we had set out for the operation. The meticulously prepared plan, therefore, did not come to fruition. Another attempt to stage this operation was never undertaken. The stern hand of the Polish underground turned toward other German criminals.
As for Hahn, he never adequately answered for his horrific crimes. After the war, Ludwig Hahn managed to cover his tracks and returned to the legal profession without major obstacles. He opened a law firm in Hamburg, living a quiet life and enjoying the reputation of a respected lawyer.
It was only in the early 1960s that the West German justice system charged Hahn for his complicity in the deportation of 300,000 Jews to the Treblinka extermination camp and for repressive actions against the residents of Warsaw. Despite the collected documentation and the sheer volume of evidence testifying to Hahn's crimes, the proceedings dragged on for many years.
The verdict was not reached until 1981. Ludwig Hahn was sentenced to life imprisonment for his complicity in the murder of tens of thousands of people. However, he did not serve his full sentence. In 1985, citing poor health, he was released from prison. He died a year later, on November 10, 1986, in Hamburg, never having faced a punishment commensurate with the scale of his crimes.
That is how the story of the German war criminal ended, the man whom the bullets of Polish soldiers failed to reach.