Academic Battalion

It was organized by students of Jagiellonian University at the beginning of November 1918. It was a volunteer military unit which purpose was to protect life, health and property of citizens of Krakow. As Dr Stanisław Mayer was writing in his column in “Gazeta Krakowska”(Krakow Newspaper) “the city was vulnerable to looting and trouble because of thousands of soldiers of foreign countries coming back from front and wondering around the city, they were armed and were breaking stores”. The University council made a decision to pause the studies and create the battalion, which was divided into three units and part of students were also sent to work in the armoured train. Dr Stanisław Mayer was writing, that students were risking their lifes patrolling the city at day and night, disarming deserters and liquidating the results of the crimes made by civilians.