Military Special Court

The Military Special Courts, known in Polish as Wojskowe Sądownictwo Specjalne (WSS), were the underground judicial system of the Polish resistance during the German and Soviet occupation of Poland in the Second World War, formally established by a resolution of April 16, 1940 and developed further by statute in November 1941. They held authority over military personnel, civilians cooperating with resistance forces, and others named by special regulations, prosecuting crimes including treason, espionage, denunciation and collaboration in secret proceedings conducted without the accused present; death sentences required the unanimous agreement of a three-judge panel and the authorization of the Home Army Commander. Constituting what has been called the only such extensive court system in German-occupied Europe, the underground courts across Poland considered about 5,000 cases during the war, issuing between 3,000 and 3,500 death sentences of which about 2,500 were carried out.