Two weeks before the outbreak of the Uprising a German sailor by the name of Józef Termin arrived in Bobrek on vacation, with whom Jan Trzęsiok quickly made contact.

Termin, being a Pole, decided to stay in Bobrek after Trzęsiok revealed the existence of the Polish Military Organization of Upper Silesia and plans of an armed uprising to him, despite a promotion awaiting him in the German Navy.

Thereafter, Trzęsiok, personally commanding 11 men, disarmed local police and gendarmerie before capturing the town hall where insurgents seized the officials' weapons.

However, Imiołczyk was captured by German soldiers before being put up as a human shield facing the direction of the steel mill where he ultimately died.

[4] In the meantime, insurgents in Schomberg attempted to send reinforcements to Trzęsiok but were stopped by German soldiers on the road to Bobrek.

Amidst the insurgents' attack on the barracks, Trzęsiok received reports that an enemy column of armoured cars was approaching from the direction of Rudahammer - although some sources claim the Germans sent in a tank.

Ultimately, Termin and his bridge garrison had to withdraw to Bobrek after heavy fighting, where they took up position on top of the church tower in the town.