 At 19 : 00 on 20 August , a 20 @-@ minute ceasefire was arranged to allow German forces to evacuate a large convoy of medical vehicles . Immediately following the passage of these vehicles , the fighting resumed and intensified . Although the Germans were incapable of dislodging the Polish forces , the hill 's defenders had reached the point of exhaustion . With ammunition supplies extremely low , the Poles were forced to watch as the remnants of the XLVII Panzer Corps escaped from the pocket . Despite this , Polish artillery continued to bombard every German unit that entered the evacuation corridor . Stefanowicz — commander of the Polish battlegroups on Hill 262 — was sceptical of his force 's chance of survival : 
