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• As the plans to capture Bydgoszcz were abandoned (...)
• Group II. Commander (...)
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Group II. Commander: Second Lieutenant Paweł Cyms.

Composition:

– the 2nd Company of the 31 Infantry Regiment about 120 people

– the Gniezno-Września Company (commander: Mieczysław Słabęcki) about 90 people

– the Trzemeszno unit (commander: Władysław Wlekliński) about 50people

– the Młyny unit (commander: Józef Owczarski)                  about 90 people

– the Mogilno unit (commander: Stanisław Roloff)                about 50 people

In total: about 400 soldiers

Armaments: rifles - 3 heavy and 3 light machine guns.

Task: to concentrate in the area of the salt works (west of the city), to attack and seize the railway station and then – together with 300 people mobilised in Mogilno under the command of Izydor Włodarek, and the Barcin unit of Aleksander Jakubowski – attack the barracks of the 140th Infantry Regiment.

The cavalry unit (commander: Stanisław Chełmicki) was sent to Jaksice, with the task of destroying the railway tracks between Jaksice and Złotniki Kujawskie.

The commander of the operation was Second Lieutenant Paweł Cyms.

The Polish groups set off from Mątwy on 5 January 1919 at 4.00 a.m. Captain Zabdyr's Group was to step in at 7.00 a.m., and the group commanded by Second Lieutenant Cyms- one hour later.

The first group, in accordance with the described plan, quickly took control of the downtown area and approached the barracks of the 140th Infantry Regiment. Along the way, a battle for the post office building was fought. An attempt was made to attack the barracks from the side of the Dworcowa Street and the Evangelical and Jewish cemeteries - however the strong German gunfire stopped the insurgents.

The attack of the second group was only partially successful. Although the railway station was seized, the Germans managed to recapture the building in an effective counter-attack and then took some of the people from the Młyny and Gniezno units into captivity. Ultimately, the railway station was not recovered.

German reinforcements from Bydgoszcz did not arrive in Inowrocław as a rebellion of the soldiers of Polish nationality who served in the garrison broke out. Furthermore, the reinforcements sent in the morning on 6 January were withdrawn in accordance with the wish of the commander of the 140th Infantry Regiment, Major Grollmann, who had already started negotiations with the insurgents. One way or another, helping the German garrison in Inowrocław would not be easy, as the small unit of Polish cavalry sent with the task of breaking the railway tracks between Złotniki and Jaksice had succeeded in their task.

Around noon, the fighting in the city stopped; the railway station and the barracks of the 140th Infantry Regiment were still in German hands. More small insurgent units, consisting of 500 people in total, arrived from Mogilno, Barcin and Pakość. One of the companies of the 31st Infantry Regiment still remained in reserve. As a result of this, both the railway station and the barracks were blocked by more and more insurgent units and deprived of the possibility of receiving help from outside. Counter-attacks coming out of the barracks ended in failure.

Initially, civil activists, behind the backs of insurgent commanders, signed an initial agreement with the Germans which divided the city into the eastern Polish part and the western German part (including the railway station and the barracks). Captain Zabdyr accepted the agreement and only at about 4.00 p.m. Second Lieutenant Cyms, who had already recovered, annulled these arrangements. In the night of 5 to 6 January 1919, a formal ceasefire which also provided for the departure of Germans with weapons in their hands from the city, was formally confirmed. On 6 January 1919, at 10.00 p.m. Inowrocław was liberated.

Losses: in the case of the insurgents - 47 soldiers and 6 civilians dead, 120 people wounded. In the case of the Germans: 14 dead. Polish acquisitions: several machine guns, 1550 guns, 4 cars, 3000 uniform kits and a large amount of ammunition and hand grenades.

As a result of the battles for Inowrocław, the city was liberated, but the losses were relatively heavy. Although the final goal of the fighting was accomplished, the initially assigned tasks were not completed. Undoubtedly, the slightly adventurous nature of the whole operation complied with the sentiments of the Polish population but did not correspond to the military reality and the political situation of the region. As a result of this, as soon as Captain Zabdyr returned to Włocławek, he had to face disciplinary sanctions regarding his arbitrary crossing of the border, and in the case of Second Lieutenant Cyms the possibility of indictment was taken into account due to his insubordination and contribution to the unnecessary, or at least excessive bloodshed.

The liberation of Inowrocław must be treated as a part of bigger operation aimed at the liberation of the Kuyavia region. Paweł Cyms, just like the majority of his subordinates, did not have to be aware of the political circumstances of the activities undertaken by the Commissariat of the Supreme People's Council. However, he became known as the leader of an effectively conducted liberation raid and a person who enjoyed a great amount of popularity. He failed as a commander during street fighting - an action which always requires a lot of experience in combat along with the appropriate professional skills. He kept the company of the 31st Infantry Regiment in reserve unnecessarily - one of the best subunits of his small corps. Instead of directing the entire action from one place, he took over command of the strike group, losing his bearings with regards to the overall situation and losing control of the development of events. Also, his command was quite chaotic - Second Lieutenant Cyms could not organise a chain of command, which is one of the fundamental duties of any commander, irrespective of the nature of the undertaken activities. When he himself, out of sheer exhaustion, lost consciousness during the battles for the city, some of the soldiers, remembering the exclusivity of command (absolutely unnecessary but understandable in the reality of fighting undertaken by a voluntary army), which he had ordered, refused to submit to the temporary deputy commander. Also, at times, Zabdyr and Cyms took action on their own, without taking into account previous arrangements.