Cichociemni

Cichociemni (Polish pronunciation: [t͡ɕixɔˈt͡ɕɛmɲi]; the "Silent Unseen" or "Dark and Silent") were elite special-operations paratroops of the Polish Army in exile, created in Great Britain during World War II to operate in occupied Poland (Polish: Cichociemni Spadochroniarze Armii Krajowej, "Silent-Dark Paratroopers of Home Army").

Altogether 2613 soldiers of the Polish Army volunteered for training by Polish and British SOE operatives. Only 606 people finished the training and eventually 316 of them were secretly parachuted into occupied Poland. The first operation ("air bridge" as it was called at the time) took place on 15 February 1941. After 27 December 1944 further operations were discontinued as most of Poland had been controlled by the Red Army.

Out of 316 Cichociemni, 103 perished during the war either in combat with the Germans, murdered by the Gestapo or in air crashes. A further nine were murdered by the communist secret services after the war. Altogether 91 operatives took part in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.