Warsaw Uprising
Part of AK "Operation Tempest", World War II
Polish Home Army positions, outlined in red, on day 4 (August 4, 1944). Operation Tempest (Akcja Burza Plan Burza sometimes also rendered into English as Operation Storm) was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Date 1 August — 2 October 1944 Location Warsaw, Poland Result German victory
Belligerents
Poland	Germany
Commanders
Tadeusz Komorowski # Antoni "Monter" Chruściel # Tadeusz Pełczyński	Erich von dem Bach Rainer Stahel Heinz Reinefarth Bronislav Kaminski Petro Dyachenko
Strength
45,000 (initially)[1]	25,000 (initially)[1]
Casualties and losses
Berling 1st Army: 5,660 casualties[2] Polish insurgents: 15,200 KIA/MIA[2] 5,000 WIA[2] 15,000 POW[2]	16,000 KIA/MIA[2] 9,000 WIA[2] 300 tanks and armored vehicles, 340 trucks and cars, 22 artillery pieces, one aircraft[2]
~200,000 civilians killed, 700,000 expelled from the city. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers General Count Tadeusz Komorowski ( Korczak Coat of Arms) (June 1 1895 - August 24 1966 better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names Surrender is when Soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and become Prisoners of war, either as Gen Antoni Chruściel ( Nom de guerre Monter; 1895-1960 was a Polish military officer Surrender is when Soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and become Prisoners of war, either as Tadeusz Pełczyński (1892-1985 was a Polish general During the Interwar period in the Second Polish Republic he was twice (1922-1932 and 1935-1938 head of Erich Julius Eberhard von Zalewski and also known as Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski (1 March 1899 - 8 March 1972 was a Nazi official and a member of the Reiner Stahel ( 15 January 1892 &ndash 30 November 1955) also known as Rainer Stahel, was a German and Finnish Heinrich Reinefarth (commonly known as Heinz Reinefarth, December 26 1903-May 7 1979 was a German official and military officer during and after World Bronislav Vladislavovich Kaminski (Ками́нский Бронисла́в Владисла́вович 16 June 1899, Vitebsk - 28 August Petro Dyachenko (Петро́ Дяче́нко Petro Diaczenko born January 30 1895 in Berezova Luka Poltava area (presently Ukraine) Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Missing in action is a status assigned to a member of the armed services who is reported missing following combat WIA is a Three letter abbreviation standing for Wounded In Action. [2]

The Warsaw Uprising (Powstanie Warszawskie) was a World War II struggle by the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. The Warsaw Uprising occurred at a stage of the Second World War when it was becoming clear that Nazi Germany was likely to lose The Warsaw Uprising, in 1944 ended in the capitulation of the city and its near total destruction The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was ended through a Capitulation agreement which guaranteed not only the rights of the Insurgents to be treated as The failure of the Warsaw Uprising and subsequent Capitulation agreement left Warsaw almost uninhabited The city of Warsaw was nearly destroyed in a planned way by Nazi Germany after the fall of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 The representation of the Warsaw Uprising in the media had already become controversial even before it begun This is a list of Military units taking part in the Warsaw Uprising, a Polish Insurgence during the Second World War that began on August This is a list of notable individuals who were involved in the Warsaw Uprising, a Polish Insurgence during the Second World War that begun on August 1 See also Occupation of Poland (1939–1945, The Holocaust In addition to about three million Polish Jews (mostly killed in Operation Reinhard World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Uprising began on August 1, 1944, as part of a nationwide rebellion, Operation Tempest. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Operation Tempest (Akcja Burza Plan Burza sometimes also rendered into English as Operation Storm) was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the It was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army would reach the city. The Soviet advance stopped short, however, while Polish resistance against the German forces continued for 63 days (until October 2). Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule

The Uprising began at a crucial juncture as the Soviet Army was approaching Warsaw. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The Uprising's chief objective was to drive the German occupiers from the city, helping with the larger fight against the Axis. Secondary political objectives were to liberate Warsaw before the Red Army arrived, so as to underscore Polish sovereignty, and to undo the Allied division of Central Europe into spheres of influence. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Central Europe is the Region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and A sphere of influence ( SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural economic military or political domination Polish authorities were to reappear in liberated Warsaw and challenge the Soviet puppet government that was to rule Poland. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October The Polish Committee of National Liberation ( Polish Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego, PKWN) also known as the Lublin Committee, was a

By September 16, 1944, Soviet forces had reached a point a few hundred metres from the city, across the Vistula River, but they made no further headway during the Uprising leading to allegations that Joseph Stalin had wanted the insurrection to fail. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party

Polish losses amounted to 18,000 soldiers killed and 25,000 wounded, in addition to between 120,000 and 200,000 civilian deaths, mostly from mass murders conducted by retreating German troops. German casualties totalled over 17,000 soldiers killed and over 9,000 wounded. During the urban combat approximately 25% of Warsaw's buildings were destroyed. Urban warfare is modern warfare conducted in Urban areas such as Towns and cities. Following the surrender of Polish forces on October 2, German troops systematically burned the city block by block. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Together with earlier damage suffered in 1939 and during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (1943), over 85% of the city had been destroyed. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (German "Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto", Polish "Powstanie w getcie warszawskim") was the Jewish By January 1945, when the Soviets finally entered the city, Warsaw had practically ceased to exist.

Eve of battle

See also: Lead up to the Warsaw Uprising

The Warsaw Uprising, or at least some form of insurrection in Poland, had been planned long in advance. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The term governor general or governor-general refers to a vice-regal representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription Hans Michael Frank ( May 23 1900 &ndash October 16 1946) was a German Lawyer who worked for the Nazi party Kraków, in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow (ˈkrækaʊ M-W: krăk'ou krāk'ō is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[4] From its inception, the Home Army was planning a national uprising against the German forces. Initial plans created by the Polish government-in-exile in 1942 assumed that the Allied invasion of Europe would lead to the withdrawal of considerable German forces from the Eastern Front for the defence of the Third Reich. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Home Army would act to prevent troop transfer to the west and to allow the British and American forces to seize Germany by breaking all communication links with the majority of the German forces massed in the Soviet Union.

Polish flag with "anchor" device. The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width the upper one white and the lower one red The Kotwica ( Polish for " Anchor " was a World War II emblem of the Polish Secret State and Armia Krajowa

The Home Army's initial plans for a national uprising, Operation Tempest, which would link up with Western Allies forces, changed in 1943 when the situation on the Eastern Front made it apparent that the Red Army, rather than the Western Allies, would force the Germans from Poland. Operation Tempest (Akcja Burza Plan Burza sometimes also rendered into English as Operation Storm) was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the The Western Allies were the democracies and their colonial peoples within the broader coalition of Allies during World War II. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya By 1943 it was clear that the allied invasion of Europe would not come in time, and that in all probability the Red Army would reach the pre-war borders of Poland before the invasion could make notable headway. In February 1943, General Stefan Rowecki amended the plan. Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym "Grot" hence the alternate name Stefan Grot-Rowecki, December 25 1895 - August 2 1944 was a Polish general journalist The Uprising was to be started in three phases, the first being in the East (with main centres of resistance in Lwów and Wilno), before the advancing Red Army. Lviv ( Ukrainian: Львів, L’viv, Lwów Lemberg Львов L'vov; see also other names) is a major city in western The second part was to include armed struggle in the belt between the Curzon Line and the Vistula river, while the third phase was to be a nationwide uprising throughout Poland. The Curzon Line was a Demarcation line proposed in 1920 by the British Foreign Secretary George Nathaniel Curzon 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston Warsaw was chosen, partially, because of its status as a pre-war capital and partly because it was assumed that the Germans would wish to hold onto the city for as long as possible, as a tool for morale boosting, and as a base for communications, supply, and troop movements. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland.

The Polish government-in-exile carried out frantic diplomatic efforts to gain support from their allies prior to the start of battle. However the Allies support for the Polish resistance was not high on the priority list. The Polish government in London asked the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the Foreign Office several times for an allied mission to be sent to Poland;^[5] since such missions had already been dispatched to all other resistance movements in Europe, such as Albania, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Yugoslavia. The Special Operations Executive ( SOE) (sometimes referred to as "the Baker Street Irregulars " after Sherlock Holmes ' fictional group of helpers The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian However, the Polish pleas were not heeded until December 1944.

Rowecki, early 1930s. Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym "Grot" hence the alternate name Stefan Grot-Rowecki, December 25 1895 - August 2 1944 was a Polish general journalist

For the Soviets, this represented more of a hindrance than a help. Polish-Soviet relations were broken off on April 25, 1943 as a result of the Katyn massacre and Soviet partisans often clashed with Polish partisans. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. See also Soviet partisans This sub-article is about the activity of Soviet partisans during World War II in the former territories ^[5] It became obvious that the advancing Red Army might not come to Poland as a liberator but rather, as General Stefan Grot-Rowecki put it, as "our Allies' ally. Stefan Paweł Rowecki (pseudonym "Grot" hence the alternate name Stefan Grot-Rowecki, December 25 1895 - August 2 1944 was a Polish general journalist " On November 26, 1943, the Polish government-in-exile issued an instruction to the effect that if diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union were not resumed before the Soviet entry into Poland, Home Army forces were to remain underground pending further decisions. Events 43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian" later "Caesar Augustus" Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October However, the Home Army commander took a different approach, and on November 30, 1943, the final version of the plan, which became known as Operation Tempest, was devised. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although doubts existed about the military wisdom of a major uprising, planning continued nonetheless.

The situation came to a head on 13 July as Operation Bagration, the Soviet offensive, crossed the old Polish border. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Operation Bagration (Oперация Багратион Operatsiya Bagration) was the Codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic The Borders of Poland are 3582 Kilometers long The neighboring countries are Germany to the west the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south At this point the Poles had to make a decision: either initiate the uprising in the current difficult political situation and risk problems with Soviet support, or fail to rebel and face Soviet propaganda describing Armia Krajowa as collaborators and ineffective cowards. The Communist propaganda was extensively based on the Marxism-Leninism ideology to promote the Communist Party line The plan was intended both as a political manifestation of the influence of Polish Government in Exile and as a direct operation against German occupiers. ^[2] The fear was that in the aftermath of the war the Allies would ignore the legal London-based government. It was clear both that Poland would be 'liberated' by the Red Army, and that the Soviet Union did not recognise the Government-in-Exile. A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power and instead resides in a foreign The urgency for this decision increased as it became clear that after any successful Polish-Soviet co-operation in the liberation of various towns (for example, in the Operation Ostra Brama), the Soviet NKVD units who followed behind would either shoot or arrest most Polish officers and those Polish soldiers who could not or would not join the Soviet controlled forces. Operation Ostra Brama was an armed conflict during World War II between the Polish Home Army and the Nazi German occupiers of The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat Polish Armed Forces in the East (Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Wschodzie (or Polish Army in USSR) refers to military units composed of Poles created in the Soviet ^[5] Following a flood of reports from the eastern territories about forced demilitarisation, trials and execution of Home Army soldiers by the Soviets, on 21 July 1944 the High Command of the Home Army decided to expand the scope of Operation Tempest to include Warsaw itself. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The date for the Warsaw Uprising was set as 1 August. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman On 25 July the Polish government in exile in London approved the planned uprising in Warsaw. Events 285 - Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

In the early summer of 1944, German planning required Warsaw to serve as the defensive centre of the area and to be held at all costs. Festung Warschau ( German for Fortress Warsaw) was the name applied in German language to Warsaw when the city was defended which happened under The Germans had fortifications constructed and built up their forces in the area. This process slowed after the failed July 20 Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but by late July 1944, German forces had almost reached their full strength again. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately On July 27, the head of the General Government, Hans Frank, called for 100,000 Polish men between the ages of 17–65 to present themselves at several designated meeting places in Warsaw the following day,^[2] as part of the plan which envisaged the Poles constructing fortifications for the Wehrmacht in and around the city. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Hans Michael Frank ( May 23 1900 &ndash October 16 1946) was a German Lawyer who worked for the Nazi party Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 The Home Army viewed this move as an attempt to neutralise the underground forces, and the underground urged Warsaw inhabitants to ignore it. ^[2] Fearing German reprisals following the ignored order, and believing that time was of the essence, General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski ordered full mobilisation of Home Army forces in the Warsaw area on 1 August 1944. General Count Tadeusz Komorowski ( Korczak Coat of Arms) (June 1 1895 - August 24 1966 better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[2]

This mobilization decision had some key ramifications for the Soviet Union. Stalin decried for not being officially consulted on the uprising and thus suspected subterfuge from his Western allies. In retrospect, both sides were jockeying for regional political alignment, with the Polish Home Army's desire for a pro-Western Polish government and the Soviet's intention of establishing a Polish Communist regime.

The official Soviet propaganda line tried to portray the Polish underground as "waiting with their arms at ease" and not fighting the common enemy. As the Soviet forces approached Warsaw in June and July 1944, Soviet radio stations demanded a full national uprising in Warsaw to cut the communication lines of German units still on the right bank of the Vistula; just two days prior to the uprising, Soviet-controlled radio Kosciuszko had called for the Polish people to rise in arms. ^[2] On July 29[1], 1944, the first Soviet armoured units reached the outskirts of Warsaw, but were counter-attacked by German 39th Panzer Corps, comprising 4th Panzer Division, 5th SS Panzer Division, 19th Panzer Division, and the Hermann Goering Panzer Division. Events 1014 - Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars: Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts a decisive defeat The German 4th Panzer Division ( 4 Panzer-Division) was established in 1938 SS Division (motorised Wiking was a German Waffen SS division recruited from foreign volunteers The German 19th Panzer Division was created from the 19th Infantry Division and was formed on 1 November 1940. The Fallschirm-Panzer-Division1 Hermann Göring ( 1st Paratroop Panzer Division Hermann Goering - abbreviated Fallschirm-Panzer-Div 1 HG ^[6][7] By 10 August, in the ensuing battle of Radzymin, the Germans had enveloped and inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviet 3rd Tank Corps at Wołomin, 15 kilometres outside Warsaw. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Battle of Radzymin was one of a series of engagements between the Red Army 's 1st Byelorussian Front and the Wehrmacht Heer 's XXXIXth Panzer Corps Wołomin is the main Town of Wołomin County situated in Masovian Voivodship. ^[6][7]

Opposing forces

Batalion Zośka soldiers in Wola during Warsaw Uprising

Polish insurgent, wearing armband in the national colours, at a Warsaw Uprising barricade. Batalion Zośka was a Scouting Battalion of the Polish Home Army ( Armia Krajowa or "AK" during World War II. A barricade is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control block passage or force the flow of Traffic in the desired direction He is using the Polish submachine gun Błyskawica. The Błyskawica (Lightning was a Submachine gun produced by the Armia Krajowa, or Home Army a Polish Resistance movement fighting the Germans

Locations of barricades marked on a prewar map of Warsaw.

Statue of Mały Powstaniec (The Little Insurgent), just outside Warsaw's medieval city walls, commemorates the child soldiers that fought in the Warsaw Uprising. The military use of Children takes three distinct forms children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers or they can be used in support roles such as porters spies messengers The boy wears a captured German helmet with Polish national colours. Honour guard of Polish Boy Scouts. Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego ( The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, ZHP) is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized

Main article: List of military units in the Warsaw Uprising

Poles

The Home Army forces of the Warsaw District numbered about 45,000 soldiers, of which 23,000 were equipped and combat-ready; about 2,500 further soldiers came from the ranks of other formations like the far-right Narodowe Siły Zbrojne and the communist Armia Ludowa. This is a list of Military units taking part in the Warsaw Uprising, a Polish Insurgence during the Second World War that began on August Narodowe Siły Zbrojne ( English National Armed Forces, NSZ) was a faction of the Polish resistance movement in World War II, fighting the Armia Ludowa ( AL, pronounced lu'dɔva English People's Army) was a partisan force set up by the Polish Workers' Party during ^[1] Most of them had trained for several years in partisan and urban guerrilla warfare, but lacked experience in prolonged daylight fighting. A partisan is a member of an Irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation Urban guerrilla redirects here For the Hawkwind song see Urban Guerrilla. The forces lacked equipment,^[1] especially since the Home Army had shuttled weapons and men to the east of the city before the decision on 21 July to include Warsaw in Operation Tempest. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World A number of other partisan groups also subordinated themselves to Home Army command for the uprising. Many volunteers, including some Jews freed from the concentration camp Gęsiówka in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto, joined during the fighting. The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a Millennium. Gęsiówka (Polish informal name for the prison on Gęsia Street was a Nazi concentration camp in Warsaw, Poland. The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the Jewish Ghettos located in the territory of General Government during World War II, established by ^[8]

General Antoni Chruściel, codename 'Monter', commanded the Polish forces in Warsaw. Gen Antoni Chruściel ( Nom de guerre Monter; 1895-1960 was a Polish military officer Initially he divided his forces into eight areas:

• Area I (Śródmieście, Old Town)
• Area II (Żoliborz, Marymont, Bielany)
• Area III (Wola)
• Area IV (Ochota)
• Area V (Mokotów)
• Area VI (Praga)
• Area VII (Powiat Warszawski)
• Zgrupowanie Kedywu Komendy Głównej

On September 20 a re-organisation of this structure took place to align with the structure of Polish forces fighting with the Western Allies. Żoliborz is one of the northern boroughs of the city of Warsaw. Marymont (from French Mont de Marie - Mary's Hill is one of the northern neighbourhoods of Warsaw, administratively a part of the borough of Żoliborz. This article is about district in Warsaw There are also districts in Toruń and Krakow with the same name Ochota is a district in Warsaw located in the central part of the city Mokotów is a Dzielnica ( Borough, District) of Warsaw, the Capital Kedyw (acronym for Kierownictwo Dywersji, Polish Directorate of Sabotage and Diversion; probably also a play on the Turkish " Khedive Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. The entire force, renamed the Warsaw Home Army Corps (Warszawski Korpus Armii Krajowej) and commanded by General Antoni Chruściel (Monter), formed into three infantry divisions. A division is a large Military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to thirty thousand soldiers

As of August 1 their military supplies consisted of:

• 1,000 rifles
• 1,700 pistols
• 300 machine pistols
• 60 submachine guns
• 7 machine guns (medium or light, such as the MG 42)
• 35 anti-tank guns and anti-tank rifles (including several PIATs)
• 25,000 hand grenades (mainly of the 'stick' variety). Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman The MG42 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 42, or "Machine Gun 42" is a Machine gun that was developed for and entered Anti-tank refers to any method of combating military Armored fighting vehicles notably Tanks The most common anti-tank systems An anti-tank rifle is a Rifle designed to penetrate the armour of vehicles particularly Tanks The usefulness of rifles for this purpose ran from the introduction The Projector Infantry Anti Tank ( PIAT) was one of the earlier Anti-tank weapons using a high explosive anti-tank projectile

In the course of the fighting the Poles obtained further supplies through airdrops and by capture from the enemy (including several armoured vehicles). An airdrop is a type of Airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been Airborne An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged Also, the insurgents’ workshops worked busily throughout the uprising, producing 300 automatic pistols, 150 flame-throwers, 40,000 grenades, a number of mortars, and even an armoured car (Kubuś). A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of Fire. A mortar is a muzzle-loading Indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities short ranges and high-arcing ballistic trajectories A military armored (or armoured) car (see spelling differences) is a wheeled armored vehicle lighter than other armored fighting vehicles primarily Kubuś was a Polish World War II armoured car and Armoured personnel carrier (APC made by the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising

Germans

In late July the German units stationed in and around Warsaw were divided into three categories. The first - and the most numerous - was the garrison of Warsaw. As of July 31, 1944, it numbered some 11,000 troops under General Rainer Stahel. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Reiner Stahel ( 15 January 1892 &ndash 30 November 1955) also known as Rainer Stahel, was a German and Finnish ^[9] These forces included:

• Approximately 5,000 regular troops
• 4,000 Luftwaffe personnel (1,000 at Okęcie airport, 700 at Bielany, 1,000 in Boernerowo, 300 at Służewiec and 1,000 in anti-air artillery posts throughout the city
• Approximately 2,000 men of the Wachtregiment Warschau (German: Sentry Regiment Warsaw), including four infantry battalions (Patz, Baltz, No. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (Port Lotniczy im Fryderyka Chopina is an International airport located in the This article is about district in Warsaw There are also districts in Toruń and Krakow with the same name Boernerowo is a neighbourhood in the Warsaw's borough of Bemowo. Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of engaging hostile military Aircraft in defence of ground objectives, ground or naval forces The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. 996 and No. 997), an SS reconnaissance squadron (ca. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the 350 men), factory guards, Andrey Vlasov's men, Turkmmen and other auxiliary troops. General Andrey Andreyevich Vlasov or Wlassow (Андрéй Андрéевич Влáсов &mdash August 2 1946 was a Russian former Soviet

These well-equipped German forces had been prepared for the defence of the city's key positions for many months. Several hundred concrete bunkers and barbed wire lines protected the buildings and areas occupied by the Germans. A military bunker is a hardened shelter often buried partly or fully underground designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed) is a type of fencing Wire constructed

Apart from the garrison itself, there were numerous units stationed on both banks of the Vistula or moving through the city in both directions. These comprised some 15,000 to 16,000 Wehrmacht soldiers. Wehrmacht (literally "defense force" was the name of the unified Armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945 Also, at least 90,000 additional German troops were available from occupation forces in the surrounding area.

The second category was formed by police and SS under Col. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the Paul Otto Geibel, numbering initially 5,710 men. ^[10] These included three Schutzpolizei battalions (1,000 men) and two Sauferkaserne SS battalions (1,000 men), as well as reserve companies (300 men), an SA battalion (400 men), military police, Ordnungspolizei, Sicherheitspolizei, training units and many smaller units up to 400 men strong. The Schutzpolizei ( Schupo) is a branch of the Landespolizei, the state police of Germany The Ordnungspolizei (Orpo was the name for the uniformed Regular German Police force in existence during the period of Nazi Germany, notably The Sicherheitspolizei (security police often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security

The third category was formed by various sentry and guard units, altogether some 3,500 men strong. Among them were detachments of the Bahnschutz (rail guard), Werkschutz (factory guard) and a transport protection battalion.

In the course of the uprising the German side received reinforcements on a daily basis. As of August 23, 1944, the German units directly involved with fighting in Warsaw included:

• Battle Group Rohr (commanded by Major General Rohr)
• Battle Group Reinefarth (commanded by SS-Gruppenführer Heinz Reinefarth)
  • Attack Group Dirlewanger Brigade
  • Attack Group Reck (commanded by Major Reck)
  • Attack Group Schmidt (commanded by Colonel Schmidt)
  • Various support and backup units
• Warsaw Garrison (Group of Warsaw Commandant) commanded by Lieutenant General Stahel

The rising

Main article: Military description of the Warsaw Uprising

Postwar Kotwica sculpture before bullet-riddled Bank of Poland Redoubt. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Heinrich Reinefarth (commonly known as Heinz Reinefarth, December 26 1903-May 7 1979 was a German official and military officer during and after World The Kotwica ( Polish for " Anchor " was a World War II emblem of the Polish Secret State and Armia Krajowa The "anchor" combines the letters "P" and "W," initials of "Polska walcząca" — "Poland fights. The Kotwica ( Polish for " Anchor " was a World War II emblem of the Polish Secret State and Armia Krajowa "

W-hour

After days of hesitation, at 17:30 on July 31st, the Polish headquarters scheduled "W-hour" (from the Polish wybuch, "outbreak"), the moment of the start of the uprising, for 17:00 on the following day. ^[11] The decision proved to be a costly strategic mistake as the under-equipped Polish forces were prepared for a series of coordinated surprise night attacks and the daylight exposed them to German machine gun fire. Although a large number of the partisan units were already mobilized and waiting at assembly points throughout the city, the mobilization of thousands of young men and women was hard to conceal and fighting started in advance of "W-hour",^[11] notably in the boroughs of Żoliborz, Mokotów and Czerniaków, around Napoleon Square, in the vicinity of the Hale Mirowskie and Plac Kercelego marketplaces, and at Okopowa street. Żoliborz is one of the northern boroughs of the city of Warsaw. Mokotów is a Dzielnica ( Borough, District) of Warsaw, the Capital Czerniaków is a Neighbourhood of the city of Warsaw, located within the borough of Mokotów, between the escarpment of the Vistula river and Hale Mirowskie (Mirowskie's Halls formerly Trade or Marketplace Halls - Hale Targowe) are Trade centers ( Halls constructed in 1899-1901 in Mirów

Until "W-hour" these incidents were not generally perceived as part of a larger plan. However, at around 16:00, SS-Standartenfuhrer Paul Otto Geibel, chief of police and SS in the Warsaw District, received a warning about the uprising. He alerted the units under his command, which thus were prepared for the assault at 17:00. This drastically reduced the element of surprise for the insurgents. On the other hand, while the Germans had been considering the possibility of an uprising, they had no operational plans to meet such an occurrence.

Under these circumstances the coordinated attacks on the German outposts and garrisons were largely successful. The first two days were crucial in establishing the battlefield for the rest of the fight. Most successes were achieved in the city centre (Śródmieście) and the old town (Stare Miasto) and the nearby boroughs of Wola, where most objectives were captured, although several major German strongholds remained, and in some areas of Wola Poles sustained heavy losses that forced them to retreat early on. Śródmieście ("city centre" is the central borough of the city of Warsaw. Warsaw's Old Town (Stare Miasto colloquially Starówka is the oldest historic district of the city In other areas such as Mokotów the attackers almost completely failed to secure any of their objectives and controlled only the residential areas. Mokotów is a Dzielnica ( Borough, District) of Warsaw, the Capital In Praga, on the eastern bank of the Vistula river, the concentration of German forces was so high that the Poles fighting there were quickly forced back into hiding. Praga Łódź Voivodeship In some languages Praga is used as a name for Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. ^[12] Most crucially, the fighters in different areas failed to link up, either with each other or with areas outside Warsaw, leaving each section of the city isolated from the others.

After the first hours of fighting many units adopted a more defensive strategy while the civilian population started erecting barricades throughout the city. Despite all the problems, by August 4 most of the city lay in Polish hands. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.

Poles erected barricades, such as this one on Napoleon Square, throughout Warsaw, making it difficult for German infantry and tanks to operate. Plac Powstańców Warszawy ( Warsaw Uprising Square; formerly " Plac Napoleona " — Napoleon Square is a square in downtown In background: captured Hetzer tank destroyer. The Jagdpanzer 38(t (SdKfz 138/2 after World War II known as Hetzer ("foxhound" was a German Tank destroyer of the A self-propelled anti-tank gun or tank destroyer, is a type of Armoured fighting vehicle designed specifically to engage enemy armor forces and not produced for an infantry

Polish troops operating a captured SdKfz 251, carrying the flag of Poland. The Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251 ( SdKfz 251) Half-track was an Armored fighting vehicle designed and first built by Nazi Germany 's Hanomag The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width the upper one white and the lower one red 14 August 1944

First four days

The uprising was intended to last a few days until Soviet forces arrived;^[13] however, this never happened, and the Polish forces had to fight with little outside assistance. The results of the first two days of fighting in different parts of the city were as follows:

• Area I (city centre and the Old Town): Units captured most of their assigned territory, but failed to capture areas where there were strong German pockets of resistance (the Warsaw University buildings, PAST skyscraper, or the headquarters of the German garrison in the Saxon Palace). University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski is the largest University in Poland, ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement as the second best Polish PAST (short for Polska Akcyjna Spółka Telefoniczna, Polish Telephone Joint-stock Company) was a Polish telephone operator in the period between World War I The Saxon Palace ( Polish: Pałac Saski) was one of the most distinctive buildings in prewar Warsaw, Poland. They thus failed to create a central stronghold and secure communication links to other areas. The main failures were in not establishing a secure land connection with the northern area of Żoliborz through the northern railway line and the Cytadela fortress, as well as not capturing the bridges over the Vistula. Cytadela ( Polish for Citadel) is a 19th-century Fortress in Warsaw, Poland. The forces mobilized in the city centre also failed to capture the German-only area near the Szucha avenue. Nur für Deutsche ( German: "Only for Germans quot during World War II in many German-occupied countries is a racialist slogan
• Area II (Żoliborz, Marymont, Bielany): Units here failed to secure the most important military targets in the area of Żoliborz. Marymont (from French Mont de Marie - Mary's Hill is one of the northern neighbourhoods of Warsaw, administratively a part of the borough of Żoliborz. This article is about district in Warsaw There are also districts in Toruń and Krakow with the same name Many units retreated outside of the city, into the forests. Although most of the area was captured, the soldiers of Colonel Żywiciel failed to capture the Cytadela fortress area and break through German defences at Warszawa Gdańska railway station. Warszawa Gdańska station (also known as Dworzec Gdański; literally Gdańsk station in Warsaw) is a railway station in northern Warsaw,
• Area III (Wola): Units here initially succeeded in securing most of the territory, but sustained heavy losses (up to 30%). Some units retreated into the forests, while others retreated to the eastern part of the area. In the northern part of Wola the soldiers of Colonel Radosław managed to capture the German barracks, the German supply depot at Stawki Street, and the flanking position at the Jewish cemetery. Jan Mazurkiewicz (1896-1988 codename Radosław, was a colonel of Armia Krajowa, general in Ludowe Wojsko Polskie, vice-president of ZBoWiD.
• Area IV (Ochota): The units mobilized in this area did not capture either the territory or the military targets (the Gęsiówka concentration camp, SS and Sipo barracks located in former Students' House on Narutowicz Square). Ochota is a district in Warsaw located in the central part of the city Gęsiówka (Polish informal name for the prison on Gęsia Street was a Nazi concentration camp in Warsaw, Poland. Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people commonly in large groups without trial Gabriel Narutowicz ( March 17 1865 &ndash December 16 1922) was the first President of Poland. After suffering heavy casualties most of the forces of the Armia Krajowa retreated to the forests west of Warsaw. Only two small units of approximately 200 to 300 men under Lieut. Gustaw remained in the area and managed to create strong pockets of resistance. They were later reinforced by units from the city centre. Elite units of the KeDyw managed to secure most of the northern part of the area and captured all of the military targets there. Kedyw (acronym for Kierownictwo Dywersji, Polish Directorate of Sabotage and Diversion; probably also a play on the Turkish " Khedive However, they were soon tied down by German tactical counter-attacks from the south and west.
• Area V (Mokotów): The situation in this area was very serious from the start of the hostilities. Mokotów is a Dzielnica ( Borough, District) of Warsaw, the Capital The partisans were to capture the heavily-defended and fortified so-called Police Area (Dzielnica policyjna) on Rakowiecka Street. Mokotów Prison (Więzienie mokotowskie otherwise known as Rakowiecka Prison) is a Prison in Warsaw 's borough of Mokotów, located on Rakowiecka They were also to establish a connection with the city centre through open terrain at the former airfield of Pole Mokotowskie. As both of the areas were heavily fortified and could be approached only through open terrain, the assaults failed. Some units retreated into the forests, while others managed to capture parts of Dolny Mokotów, which was, however, severed from most communications routes to other areas.
• Area VI (Praga): The Uprising was also started on the right bank of the Vistula. Praga Łódź Voivodeship In some languages Praga is used as a name for Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The main task of the Area VI (Obwód VI) was to seize the bridges on the river and secure the bridgeheads until the arrival of the Red Army. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya It was clear that, since the location was far worse than that of the other areas, there was no chance of any help from the outside. After some minor initial successes, the forces of Lt. Col. Antoni Żurowski were badly outnumbered by the German forces concentrated there. The fights were halted, and the Home Army forces located in the Praga area were forced back into the underground. ^[11] After the Soviets finally reached the right bank of the Vistula on September 10, the officers proposed recreating the pre-war 36th Academic Legion Infantry Regiment; however, they were all arrested by the NKVD and sent to Russia for interrogation. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. The 36th Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion ( Polish 36 pułk piechoty Legii Akademickiej, 36pp) was a Polish military unit The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat
• Area VII (Powiat warszawski): this area consisted of territories outside Warsaw city limits. A powiat (pronounced; Polish plural powiaty) is the second-level unit of Local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a County Actions here mostly failed to capture their targets.

An additional area within the Polish command structure was formed by the units of the Kedyw (Directorate of Sabotage and Diversion), an elite formation that was to guard the headquarters and was to be used as an armed ambulance, thrown into the battle in the most endangered areas. Kedyw (acronym for Kierownictwo Dywersji, Polish Directorate of Sabotage and Diversion; probably also a play on the Turkish " Khedive These units secured parts of Śródmieście and Wola; along with the units of Area I, they were the most successful during the first few hours.

Among the most notable primary targets that were not taken during the opening stages of the uprising were the airfields of Okęcie and Pole Mokotowskie, as well as the PAST sky-scraper overlooking the city centre and the Warszawa Gdańska guarding the passage between the centre and the northern borough of Żoliborz. Okęcie is a neighbourhood in Warsaw Poland, currently part of Włochy district Warszawa Gdańska station (also known as Dworzec Gdański; literally Gdańsk station in Warsaw) is a railway station in northern Warsaw,

Wola massacre

For more details on this topic, see Wola massacre.

The Uprising reached its apogee on August 4 when the Home Army soldiers managed to establish front lines in the westernmost boroughs of Wola and Ochota. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Ochota is a district in Warsaw located in the central part of the city However, the moment of greatest gains was also the moment at which the German army stopped its retreat westwards and began receiving reinforcements. On the same day SS General Erich von dem Bach was appointed commander of all the forces employed against the Uprising,^[11] and began to counter-attack with the aim of linking up with the remaining German pockets and then cutting off the Uprising from the Vistula river. Erich Julius Eberhard von Zalewski and also known as Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski (1 March 1899 - 8 March 1972 was a Nazi official and a member of the Among the units to arrive at the city at that time were forces of Oskar Dirlewanger,^[11] Willy Schmidt and Heinz Reinefarth. Oskar Dirlewanger ( September 26, 1895 Würzburg - June 5, 1945 Altshausen) was a World War II officer with Heinrich Reinefarth (commonly known as Heinz Reinefarth, December 26 1903-May 7 1979 was a German official and military officer during and after World ^[11]

Postwar mass graves of civilians killed in the Wola massacre.

On August 5 the three German groups started their advance westward along Wolska and Górczewska streets toward the main East-West communication line of Aleje Jerozolimskie Avenue. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Aleje Jerozolimskie (literally Jerusalem Avenues) is one of the principal streets of the city of Warsaw in Poland. Their advance was halted, but the Reinefarth and Dirlewanger regiments began carrying out Heinrich Himmler's orders: behind the lines, special SS, police and Wehrmacht groups went from house to house, shooting the inhabitants and burning their bodies. Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ( 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945 was a Nazi German politician and head of the Schutzstaffel (SS. ^[11] By August 8, some 40,000 civilians had been killed in Wola alone,^[14] though some estimates cite numbers as high as 100,000. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. ^[15]

Kaminski. Bronislav Vladislavovich Kaminski (Ками́нский Бронисла́в Владисла́вович 16 June 1899, Vitebsk - 28 August

The aim of this policy was to crush the will to fight and put the uprising to an end without having to commit to heavy city fighting. ^[16] Until mid-September, the Germans shot all captured insurgents on the spot. The main perpetrators were Oskar Dirlewanger and Bronislav Kaminski, who committed the cruelest atrocities. Oskar Dirlewanger ( September 26, 1895 Würzburg - June 5, 1945 Altshausen) was a World War II officer with Bronislav Vladislavovich Kaminski (Ками́нский Бронисла́в Владисла́вович 16 June 1899, Vitebsk - 28 August After von dem Bach arrived in Warsaw (August 7), it became clear that atrocities only stiffened the resistance and that some political solution should be found, considering the small forces at the disposal of the German commander. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. The aim was to gain a significant victory to show the Home Army the futility of further fighting and induce them to surrender. This did not succeed, but from the end of September, some of the captured Polish soldiers were treated as POWs.

Stalemate

Despite the loss of Wola, the Polish resistance stiffened. Zośka and Wacek battalions managed to capture the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto and liberate the Gęsiówka concentration camp, freeing about 350 Jews. The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of the Jewish Ghettos located in the territory of General Government during World War II, established by Gęsiówka (Polish informal name for the prison on Gęsia Street was a Nazi concentration camp in Warsaw, Poland. ^[11] The area became one of the main communication links between the insurgents fighting in Wola and those defending the Old Town. On August 7 German forces were strengthened by the arrival of tanks with civilians being used as human shields. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Human shield is a military and political term describing the presence of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets ^[11] After two days of heavy fighting they managed to bisect Wola and reach the Bankowy Square. Bank Square (Plac Bankowy in Warsaw is one of that city's principal squares However, by then the net of barricades, street fortifications and tank obstacles was already well-prepared and both sides reached a stalemate, with heavy house-to-house fighting.

Between August 9 and August 18 pitched battles raged around the Old Town and nearby Bankowy Square, with successful attacks by the Germans and counter-attacks from the Poles. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Once again, the Germans used their infamous tactics: viciously targeted clearly marked hospitals (reminiscent of Luftwaffe attacks against hospitals in September, 1939). German tactics hinged on bombardment through the use of heavy artillery (including the Schwerer Gustav super-heavy mortar) and tactical bombers, against which the Poles were unable to effectively defend, as they lacked anti-aircraft artillery weapons. Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine Schwerer Gustav (English Heavy Gustav) and Dora were the names of the German 80 cm K (E Railway guns They were developed in A tactical bomber is a relatively small Aircraft used in the battle zone to attack troops and military equipment for Tactical bombing.

Although the Battle of Stalingrad had already shown the danger which a city can pose to armies which fight within it and the importance of local support, the Warsaw Uprising was probably the first demonstration that in an urban terrain, a vastly under-equipped force supported by the civilian population can hold its own against better-equipped professional soldiers— though at the cost of considerable sacrifices on the part of the city's residents. The Battle of Stalingrad is a commonly used name in English sources for several large operations by Germany and its allies and Soviet forces conducted with the

Siege

Polish-controlled area after the fall of the Old Town, around September 10th

The Old Town was held until the end of August when diminished supplies made further defence impossible. On September 2^[11] the defenders of the Old Town withdrew through the sewers, which at this time were becoming a major means of communication between different parts of the Uprising. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. ^[11] More than 5,300 men and women were evacuated in this way.

The Warsaw sewer system (map) was used to move insurgent forces, unseen, between the Old Town and the Downtown (Śródmieście) and Żoliborz districts. Żoliborz is one of the northern boroughs of the city of Warsaw.

The Soviet army captured Eastern Warsaw and arrived on the eastern bank of the Vistula in mid-September. When they finally reached the right bank of the Vistula on September 10, the officers of the Home Army units stationed there proposed recreating the pre-war 36th 'Academic Legion' infantry regiment; however, the NKVD arrested them all and sent them to the Soviet Union. Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. The 36th Infantry Regiment of the Academic Legion ( Polish 36 pułk piechoty Legii Akademickiej, 36pp) was a Polish military unit The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat .

Soviet attacks on 4th SS Panzer Corps east of Warsaw were renewed on August 26, and forced the Germans to retreat into Praga, and then across the Vistula. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. The Soviet army included the 1st Polish Army (1 Armia Wojska Polskiego), and some of them landed in the Czerniaków and Powiśle areas and made contacts with Home Army forces. The Polish First Army (Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego 1 AWP for short was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 from previously existing Polish I Corps Czerniaków is a Neighbourhood of the city of Warsaw, located within the borough of Mokotów, between the escarpment of the Vistula river and Powiśle (literally near-the- Vistula) is a neighbourhood in Warsaw 's borough of Śródmieście (city centre Their initiative was however not supported by the Soviet High Command. With inadequate artillery, air support, and numbers, the landing troops sustained heavy casualties and were forced to retreat. After the failure of repeated attempts by the 1st Polish Army to link up with the insurgents, the Soviets limited their assistance to sporadic artillery and air support. The Polish First Army (Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego 1 AWP for short was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 from previously existing Polish I Corps Plans for a river crossing were suspended "for at least 4 months", since operations against the five panzer divisions on 9th Army's order of battle were problematic at that point, and the commander of the 1st Polish Army, General Zygmunt Berling, who ordered the crossing of the Vistula by his units, was relieved of his duties by his Soviet superiors. A panzer, pronunced, is a German Tank, especially in the context of World War II. Zygmunt Henryk Berling ( 27 April 1896 - 11 July 1980) Polish General and Politician, best known as the commander ^[5]

From this point on, the Warsaw Uprising can be seen as a one-sided war of attrition or, alternatively, as a fight for acceptable terms of surrender. Fighting ended on 2 October when the Polish forces were finally forced to capitulate. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule

Life behind the lines

Polish Boy Scouts fighting in the Warsaw Uprising

In 1939 Warsaw had roughly 1,350,000 inhabitants. Over a million were still living in the city at the start of the Uprising. In Polish-controlled territory, during the first weeks of the Uprising, people tried to recreate the normal day-to-day life of their free country. Cultural life was vibrant, both among the soldiers and civilian population, with theatres, post offices, newspapers and similar activities. ^[18] Boys and girls of the Polish Scouts acted as couriers for an underground postal service, risking their lives daily to transmit any information that might help their people. Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego ( The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association, ZHP) is the coeducational Polish Scouting organization recognized ^[19][11] Near the end of the Uprising, lack of food, medicine, overcrowding and indiscriminate German air and artillery assault on the city made the civilian situation more and more desperate.

Food shortages

As the Uprising was supposed to be relieved by the Soviets in a matter of days, the Polish underground did not predict food shortages would be a problem. However, as the fighting dragged on, the inhabitants of the city faced hunger and starvation. Soon horses, dogs and cats disappeared from the city's streets. The situation was improved by the Home Army units who captured several German army depots and started distribution of food through the net of public eateries. A major break-through took place on August 6, when the Polish units recaptured the Haberbusch i Schiele brewery complex at Ceglana Street. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Haberbush i Schiele was a (now defunct Warsaw -based Brewery holding created in 1846. From that time on the Varsovians lived mostly on barley from the brewery's warehouses. Every day up to several thousand people organized into cargo teams reported to the brewery for bags of barley and then distributed them in the city centre. The barley was then ground in coffee grinders and boiled with water to form a so-called spit-soup (Polish: pluj-zupa). Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. The "Sowiński" Battalion managed to hold the brewery until the end of the fighting.

Another serious problem for civilians and soldiers alike was a shortage of water. ^[11] By mid-August most of the water conduits were either out of order or filled with corpses. In addition, the main water pumping station remained in German hands. ^[11] To prevent the spread of epidemics and provide the people with water, the authorities ordered all janitors to supervise the construction of water wells in the backyards of every house. On September 21 the Germans blew up the remaining pumping stations at Koszykowa street and after that the public wells were the only source of potable water in the besieged city. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. ^[20] By the end of September, the City Centre district had more than 90 functioning wells. ^[11]

Polish media

Polish Radio broadcast in English

A news programme informing of the daily fights in Warsaw

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Bohdziewicz in Uprising. Antoni Bohdziewicz ( 1906-09-11 - 1970-10-20) was a Polish screenplay writer and director best known for his 1956 adaptation of Zemsta

Before the Uprising the Bureau of Information and Propaganda of the Home Army had set up a group of war correspondents. Headed by Antoni Bohdziewicz, the group made three newsreels and over 30,000 meters of film tape documenting the struggles. Antoni Bohdziewicz ( 1906-09-11 - 1970-10-20) was a Polish screenplay writer and director best known for his 1956 adaptation of Zemsta A newsreel is a Documentary film that is regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed News stories The first newsreel was shown to the public on August 13 in the Palladium cinema at Złota Street. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. ^[11] In addition to films, dozens of newspapers appeared from the very first days of the uprising. Several previously underground newspapers started to be distributed openly. ^[21][22] The two main daily newspapers were the government-run Rzeczpospolita Polska and military Biuletyn Informacyjny. Biuletyn Informacyjny ("Information Bulletin" was a Polish Weekly published covertly in occupied Poland during World There were also several dozen newspapers, magazines, bulletins and weeklies published routinely by various organizations and military units. ^[21]

Nowak, 1937. Jan Nowak-Jeziorański (October 3 1914 Berlin – January 20 2005 Warsaw) was a Polish Journalist, Writer, Politician

The besieged city had also three long-range radio transmitters: the Błyskawica and Burza (Lighting and Storm, respectively). Operation Tempest (Akcja Burza Plan Burza sometimes also rendered into English as Operation Storm) was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the The Błyskawica, assembled on August 7 in the city centre, was run by the military, but was also used by the recreated Polish Radio (from August 9). Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna ( PR SA, "Polish Radio" is Poland 's public Radio network Broadcasting Corporation. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus ^[11] It was on the air three or four times a day, broadcasting news programmes and appeals for help in Polish, English, German and French, as well as reports from the government, patriotic poems and music. ^[23][24] It was the only such radio transmitter in German-held Europe. ^[25] Among the speakers appearing on the insurgent radio were Jan Nowak-Jeziorański,^[26] Zbigniew Swiętochowski, Stefan Sojecki, Jeremi Przybora,^[27] and John Ward, a war correspondent for The Times of London. Jan Nowak-Jeziorański (October 3 1914 Berlin – January 20 2005 Warsaw) was a Polish Journalist, Writer, Politician Jeremi Przybora ( December 12, 1915 in Warsaw - March 4, 2004) was a popular Polish poet writer actor and singer best The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ^[28]

Lack of outside support

Main article: Lack of outside support in the Warsaw Uprising

According to many historians, a major cause of the eventual failure of the uprising was the almost complete lack of outside support and the late arrival of the support which did arrive. The Warsaw Uprising, in 1944 ended in the capitulation of the city and its near total destruction ^[2][6] The only support operation which ran continuously for the duration of the Uprising were night supply drops by long-range planes of the Royal Air Force, other British Commonwealth air forces, and units of the Polish Air Force, which had to use distant airfields in Italy and so had very limited effect. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish

Western Allies

Monument to Allied airmen lost over Warsaw.

Limited support in terms of airdrops came from the Western allies; particularly the Royal Air Force, in which a number of Polish, Australian, Canadian and South African pilots flew, made 223 sorties and lost 34 aircraft. An airdrop is a type of Airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been Airborne However, the effect of these airdrops was mostly psychological, as they delivered much smaller number of supplies than was needed by the insurgents, and many air drops landed outside insurgent-controlled territory.

American support was also limited. After Stalin's objections to supporting the uprising, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill telegrammed U. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 25 and proposed sending planes in defiance of Stalin, to "see what happens". Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Unwilling to upset Stalin before the Yalta Conference, Roosevelt replied on August 26 with: I do not consider it advantageous to the long-range general war prospect for me to join you in the proposed message to Uncle Joe. The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. ^[29]

Also of significant note was the existence of an American airbase at Poltava in Ukraine, from which an airdrop was made during the "Frantic Mission" in mid-September. Poltava (Полтава Połtawa is a City in central Ukraine. However, this action infuriated Stalin, who immediately forbade all Allied presence in Soviet airspace. Thus all but one Allied airdrops had to be carried out from faraway Brindisi in Italy. Brindisi can also refer to a song in which a company is exhorted to drink such as the "Tea-Cup Brindisi" in Gilbert and Sullivan 's " The Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

Airdrops

Armia Krajowa 26th Infantry Regiment en route to Warsaw from the Kielce-Radom area, marching in an attempt to join the Warsaw Uprising during Operation Tempest

Cichociemni after being delivered to the Radom-Kielce Armia Krajowa inspectorate on September 22, 1944

From August 4 the Western Allies begun supporting the Warsaw Uprising with airdrops of munitions and other supplies. Kielce is a city in central Poland with 202609 inhabitants (2006 Radom is a city in central Poland with 227309 inhabitants It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Operation Tempest (Akcja Burza Plan Burza sometimes also rendered into English as Operation Storm) was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Cichociemni ( Polish for Silent dark ones) were a secret unit of the Polish Army in exile created to maintain contact with occupied Poland during World Radom is a city in central Poland with 227309 inhabitants It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Kielce is a city in central Poland with 202609 inhabitants (2006 Events 66 - Emperor Nero creates the Legion I Italica. 1236 - The Lithuanians Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. An airdrop is a type of Airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been Airborne ^[31] Initially the air raids were carried out mostly by the 1568th Polish Flight of the Polish Air Force stationed in Bari and Brindisi in Italy, flying B-24 Liberator, Handley Page Halifax and Douglas C-47 Dakota planes. Polish Air Force ( Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej Siły Powietrzne RP - Air Forces of the Polish Republic is the Air force branch of the Polish Bari ( Barium in Latin, Bàrion or Vàrion in Greek, Bare in Neapolitan Brindisi can also refer to a song in which a company is exhorted to drink such as the "Tea-Cup Brindisi" in Gilbert and Sullivan 's " The Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Later on, at the insistence of the Polish government-in-exile, they were joined by the Liberators of 2 Wing - 31 and 34 Squadrons of the South African Air Force based at Foggia in Southern Italy, and Halifaxes, flown by 148 and 178 Squadrons of the Royal Air Force. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October The South African Air Force (SAAF is the Air force of South Africa, with headquarters in Pretoria. Foggia is a city of Puglia, Italy, capital of the Province of Foggia. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout No 148 Squadron of the Royal Air Force has been part of the RAF since the First World War History As No The drops by British, Polish and South African forces continued to September 21. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. The total weight of allied drops vary according to source (104 tons^[32] to 230 tons^[31] or 239 tons^[5]), over 200 flights were made. ^[33]

The Soviet Union did not give permission to the Allies for use of its airports for those supply operations^[2] and thus the planes were forced to use bases in the United Kingdom and Italy which reduced their carrying weight and number of sorties. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Allies' specific request for the use of landing strips made on 20 August was denied by Stalin on 22 August^[30] (he referred to the insurgents as 'a handful of criminals'^[34] and stated that the uprising was inspired by 'enemies of the Soviet Union'^[35]). Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Thus by denying landing rights to Allied aircraft on Soviet-controlled territory the Soviets vastly limited effectivness of Allied assistance to the Uprising, and even fired at^[30] and shot down a number of Allied airplanes which carried supplies from Italy and strayed into Soviet-controlled airspace. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

After Stalin's objections to support for the uprising, Churchill telegrammed Roosevelt on August 25 and proposed sending planes in defiance of Stalin and to 'see what happens'. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Roosevelt replied on August 26: 'I do not consider it advantageous to the long-range general war prospect for me to join you in the proposed message to Uncle Joe'. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. ^[36][30]

Finally on September 18 the Soviets allowed one USAAF flight of 107 B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 3 division Eighth Air Force to re-fuel and reload at Soviet airfields used in Operation Frantic, but it was too little too late. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC During World War II, Operation Frantic was a series of air raids conducted by American bombers based in Britain or the Mediterranean which then landed at three bases built by USAAF 107 bombers (and 1000 airman) dropped 100 tons of supplies (only 20 was recovered by the insurgent due to wide spread). ^[35] The planes then landed in Soviet-held territory, and on their return flight to Foggia and then back to England the B-17's bombed the rail yards in Budapest, Hungary. Foggia is a city of Puglia, Italy, capital of the Province of Foggia. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political,

Although German air defence over the Warsaw area itself was almost non-existent about 12% of the 296 planes taking part in the operations were lost because they had to fly 1,600 km out over heavily defended enemy territory and then back over the same route (112 out of 637 Polish and 133 out of 735 British and South African airman were shot down). ^[35] Most of the drops were made during night, at no more than 100–300 feet altitude, and poor accuracy left many parachuted packages stranded behind German-controlled territory (only about 50 tones of supplies, less than 50% delivered, was recovered by the insurgents). ^[31]

From September 14^[31] to 28 on the Soviets began their own airdrop raids with supplies, and dropped about 55 tons in total. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. The drops continued until September 28. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Since the Soviet airmen did not equip the containers with parachutes^[31] the majority of recovered packages were damaged. A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag.

Soviet stance

The role of the Red Army during the Warsaw Uprising remains controversial and is still disputed by some historians. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[6] One of the reasons given as to why the Warsaw uprising failed, was the failure of the Soviet Red Army to aid the Resistance. The Uprising started when the Red Army appeared on the city's doorstep, and the Poles in Warsaw were counting on Soviet aid coming in a matter of days. This basic scenario of an uprising against the Germans launched a few days before the arrival of Allied forces played out successfully in a number of European capitals, notably Paris and Prague. The Liberation of Paris' (also known as Battle for Paris) took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of For the events of Spring 1968 see Prague Spring The Prague uprising ( Czech: Pražské povstání was an attempt by the Czech resistance However, the Red Army did not extend effective aid to the desperate city despite standing less than 10 km from Warsaw's city center for about 40 days, and then moving even closer to the right bank of the Vistula river a few hundred meters away from the main battle of the uprising during its last two weeks. Some Western historians, as well as the official line of the Communist regime in Poland before 1989, claimed that the Red Army, exhausted by its long advance on its way to Warsaw, lacked sufficient fighting power to overcome the German forces around Warsaw and extend effective aid to the Uprising. However, it is also speculated that Stalin did not want to aid the Home Army, made up of likely opponents of the Soviet regime in Poland after the war. ^[6]

The Red Army, which was ordered to halt and therefore positioned just a short distance away on the right bank of the Vistula, was ordered not to link up with or in any way assist the Resistance forces. Post-war political considerations and malice by Stalin are seen as the reason for the Red Army's failure to act. ^[5] It is possible that Stalin ordered his forces to halt right before entering the city so that the Home Army would not succeed. Had the Home Army triumphed, the Polish government-in-exile in London would have increased their political and moral legitimacy to reinstate a government of its own, rather than accept a Soviet regime. By halting the Red Army's advance, Stalin guaranteed the destruction of Polish resistance (which would undoubtedly also have resisted Soviet occupation), that it would be the Soviets who "liberated" Warsaw, and that Soviet influence would prevail over Poland. ^[5] This explanation appears to be strengthened by the fact that, at times during the uprising the NKVD was actively arresting Home Army forces in the East of Warsaw and that a large proportion of RAF losses were caused by Soviet anti-aircraft fire. The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat This reinforces the claim the Soviet forces deliberately blocked the Western Allies from providing support to the Polish forces to support their desire to have Warsaw and any independent-minded Polish forces destroyed before their arrival.

An alternative explanation is that, regardless of Stalin's political intentions, the Red Army was simply exhausted and hence unable to extend effective support to the Uprising which began too early and so the nearby Soviet forces were not ready to support. The Warsaw Uprising occurred at a stage of the Second World War when it was becoming clear that Nazi Germany was likely to lose The Soviet military indeed gave a shortage of fuel as the reason why they could not advance. In support of this thesis, it is often claimed that since the opening of Operation Bagration many of Red Army units had covered several hundred miles in a far-ranging offensive, and their advance elements were at the very end of their logistical tether. Operation Bagration (Oперация Багратион Operatsiya Bagration) was the Codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic This, coupled with the presence of several fresh SS and Panzer divisions around Warsaw which administered a sharp reverse to the Soviet 2nd Tank Army in the final days of July, was, according to this view, sufficient to stop the Red Army in its tracks on the Warsaw front. However, it must be kept in mind that the units which reached Warsaw in late July 1944 were not part of Bagration, but instead advanced from Western Ukraine as part of the Lublin-Brest Operation, covering a much smaller distance. Those units were in fact able to operate quite effectively against German forces to the south and north of Warsaw during August and September, successfully securing bridgeheads over the Vistula and Narew rivers in those sectors. Given that Soviet success, the apparent inactivity on the most direct route of approach towards Warsaw, through the suburb of Praga, lasting through August and the first half of September, is to say the least puzzling. Furthermore, once the Soviet forces seized Praga in mid-September 1944, only poorly supported units of the inexperienced 1st Polish Army were assigned to attempt the crossing of the river Vistula to aid the insurgents. The Polish First Army (Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego 1 AWP for short was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 from previously existing Polish I Corps Those crossings failed to establish a durable foothold on the left bank of the river, and caused considerable casualties among the Polish units involved. It is an open question whether an earlier Soviet effort using more experienced units with adequate support would have been able to reach and cross the Vistula in the Warsaw sector, and provide timely and effective support to the Polish units fighting in the main part of the city. The continued difficulty in accessing the Soviet documents of the time presently located in the Russian archives makes it difficult for historians to answer this question with any degree of certainty.

The Red Army reached the outskirts of Warsaw in the final days of July, 1944. The Soviet units belonged to the 1st Belorussian Front, participating in the Lublin-Brest Operation, between the Lvov-Sandomierz Operation on its left and Operation Bagration on its right. The 1st Belorussian Front (alternative spellings are 1st Byelorussian Front and 1st Belarusian Front) was a Front of the Operation Bagration (Oперация Багратион Operatsiya Bagration) was the Codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic ^[6][7] These two operations were colossal defeats for the German army and completely destroyed a large number of German formations. ^[6][7] As a consequence, the Germans at this time were desperately trying to put together a new force to hold the line of the Vistula river, the last major river barrier between the Red Army and Germany proper, rushing in units in various stages of readiness from all over Europe. These units included a few high quality panzer and SS divisions pulled from their refits, but also many infantry units of poor quality. ^[37] Nonetheless there were 4–5 Panzer Divisions in the 46th Panzer Corps and 4th SS Panzer Corps on the order of battle of German 9th Army holding positions east of Warsaw. ^[6] In the end, however, in terms of combat power this scratch force was considerably inferior to what the Soviets had available. On the other hand, after their long advances in June and July the Soviet suffered from the usual difficulties with supply accompanying any long-range Soviet offensive that has advanced far beyond its starting line. Capturing the city of Warsaw would be advantageous for the Soviets if its infrastructure was intact. However, it was not essential, as the Soviets had already seized a series of convenient bridgeheads to the south of Warsaw, and were concentrating on defending them against vigorous German counterattacks. ^[6][7] The Red Army was also gearing for a major thrust into the Balkans through Romania at around this time and a large proportion of Soviet resources was being sent in that direction.

In the initial battle of Radzymin Soviet advance armoured units of the 2nd Tank Army suffered a major defeat which prevented them from taking Warsaw from the march. Battle of Radzymin was one of a series of engagements between the Red Army 's 1st Byelorussian Front and the Wehrmacht Heer 's XXXIXth Panzer Corps ^[6][7] It was the presence of Soviet tanks in nearby Wołomin that sealed the decision of the Home Army leaders in Warsaw to launch the uprising. As a result of the battle, the Soviet tank army was pushed out of Wołomin to the east of Warsaw and pushed back about 10 km. Wołomin is the main Town of Wołomin County situated in Masovian Voivodship. ^{[38][39][40][41]} However, the defeat did not change the fact of the overwhelming Soviet superiority over the Germans in the sector.

On August 1, only several hours prior to the outbreak of the Uprising, the Soviet advance was halted by a direct order from the Kremlin. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman ^[42] Soon afterwards the Soviet tank units stopped to receive any oil from their depots. ^[42] By then the Soviets knew of the planned outbreak from their agents in Warsaw and, more importantly, from the Polish prime minister Stanisław Mikołajczyk, who informed them of the Polish plans the day before. Stanisław Mikołajczyk (1901 - 1966) Polish politician was Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile during World War II, and later ^[42]

The Soviets retained their positions to the south-east of Warsaw along the Vistula river, barely 10 km away from the city centre, at the outskirts of the Warsaw right bank suburb of Praga. Praga Łódź Voivodeship In some languages Praga is used as a name for Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The Poles fighting in the Uprising were counting on the Soviet forces to seize Praga in a matter of days and then cross to the left bank where the main battle of the Uprising was occurring and come to their aid.

However, on that line along the outskirts of Praga, on the most direct route of advance towards Warsaw, the Soviets stopped their advance and the front line did not move for the next 45 days. The sector was held by the understrength German 73rd infantry division, destroyed many times on the Eastern Front and recently reconstituted. The German 73rd Infantry Division was a German military unit which served during World War II. ^[43] The division, though weak, did not experience significant Soviet pressure during that period. At the same time, the Red Army was fighting intense battles to the south of Warsaw, to seize and maintain bridgeheads over the Vistula river, and to the north, to gain bridgeheads over the river Narew. Narew Podlaskie Voivodeship The river Narew ( Belarusian: Нараў, Lithuanian: Naura) in western Belarus and north-eastern It was on those sectors that the best panzer and armored divisions that the Germans had were fighting. Despite that, both of these objectives have been mostly secured by early September.

Finally, on September 11, the Soviet 47th army began its advance into Praga. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul The resistance by the German 73rd division was weak and collapsed quickly, with the Soviets gaining control of the suburb by September 14. Events 81 - Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. With the taking of Praga, the Soviet forces were now directly across the river from the Uprising fighting in left-bank Warsaw. If the Soviets had reached this stage in early August, the crossing of the river would have been easy, as the Poles then held considerable stretches of the riverfront. By mid-September a series of German attacks have reduced the Poles to holding one narrow stretch of the riverbank, in the district of Czerniakow. Czerniaków is a Neighbourhood of the city of Warsaw, located within the borough of Mokotów, between the escarpment of the Vistula river and Nevertheless, the Soviets now made an attempt to aid the Uprising, but not by using Red Army units.

Berling's landings

Zygmunt Berling. Zygmunt Henryk Berling ( 27 April 1896 - 11 July 1980) Polish General and Politician, best known as the commander

The limited landings by the 1st Polish Army represented the only external force which arrived to physically support the uprising; and even they were curtailed by the Soviet High Command. The Polish First Army (Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego 1 AWP for short was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 from previously existing Polish I Corps ^[44]

In the Praga area Polish units under command of General Zygmunt Berling (thus sometimes known as 'berlingowcy' - 'the Berling men'), the 1st Polish Army (1 Armia Wojska Polskiego) were in position. Praga Łódź Voivodeship In some languages Praga is used as a name for Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Zygmunt Henryk Berling ( 27 April 1896 - 11 July 1980) Polish General and Politician, best known as the commander The Polish First Army (Pierwsza Armia Wojska Polskiego 1 AWP for short was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 from previously existing Polish I Corps On the night of 14/15 September three patrols from landed on the shore of Czerniaków and Powiśle areas and made contacts with Home Army forces. Under heavy German fire only small elements of main units made it ashore (I and III battalions of 9th infantry regiment, 3rd Infantry Division). ^[44]

The Germans intensified their attacks on the Home Army positions near the river to prevent any further landings, which could seriously compromise their line of defense, but weren't able to make any significant advances for several days, while Polish forces held those vital positions in preparation for new expected wave of Soviet landings. Polish units from the eastern shore attempted several more landings, and from 15 to 23 September sustained heavy losses (including destruction of all landing boats and most of other river crossing equipment). ^[44] Red Army support was negligible. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya ^[44]

Shortly after the Berling landings, the Soviets decide to postpone all plans for a river crossing in Warsaw "for at least 4 months" and soon afterwards general Berling was relieved of his command. ^[45] On the night of September 19, after no further attempts from the other side of the river were made and the promised evacuation of wounded did not take place, Home Army soldiers and landed elements of Wojsko Polskie were forced to begin a retreat from their positions on the bank of the river. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. ^[44]

Out of approximately 3,000 men who made it ashore only around 900 made it back to the eastern shores of Vistula, approximately 600 of them seriously wounded. Berling's Polish Army losses in the attempt to aid the Warsaw Uprising were 5,660 killed, missing or wounded. ^[2]

Aftermath

Capitulation

Main article: The capitulation of Warsaw after the Warsaw Uprising

Graves of a Hungarian honvéd captain and 6 of his men who fell, fighting on the Polish side. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English The Military of Hungary, or "Hungarian Armed Forces" currently has two branches the " Hungarian Ground Force " and the " Hungarian Air Force

On October 2 General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski signed the capitulation order of the remaining Polish forces (Warszawski Korpus Armii Krajowej or Home Army Warsaw Corps) at the German headquarters in the presence of General von dem Bach. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule General Count Tadeusz Komorowski ( Korczak Coat of Arms) (June 1 1895 - August 24 1966 better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names ^[11] All fighting ceases by 1800 that day. ^[11] According to the capitulation agreement, the Wehrmacht promised to treat Home Army soldiers in accordance with the Geneva Convention, and to treat the civilian population humanely. The Geneva Conventions consist of four Treaties formulated in Geneva, Switzerland, that set the standards for International law for humanitarian ^[11]

The next day the Germans began to disarm the Home Army soldiers. They later sent 15,000 of them to prisoner of war camps in various parts of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Between 5,000–6,000 insurgents decided to blend into the civilian population hoping to continue the fight later. The entire Warsaw civilian population was expelled from the city and sent to a transit camp Durchgangslager 121 in Pruszków. Pruszków is a town in central Poland. According to the 2004 census the town had population of 54893 ^[47] Out of 350,000–550,000 civilians who passed through the camp, 90,000 were sent to labour camps in the Reich, 60,000 were shipped to death and concentration camps (Ravensbruck, Auschwitz, Mauthausen, others), while the rest were transported to various locations in the General Government and released. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Ravensbrück (ʁaːvənsˈbʁʏk was a notorious women's Concentration camp during in World War II, located in northern Germany 90 km north of Berlin "Auschwitz" redirects here For the town see Oświęcim Auschwitz-Birkenau () was the largest of Nazi Germany Mauthausen is a small Market town in Upper Austria, Austria. It is located at about 20 kilometers east of the city of Linz, and has a population The General Government (Generalgouvernement refers to a part of the territories of Poland (and Ostrava Czechoslovakia under German Military occupation ^[47]

City's destruction

Main article: Planned destruction of Warsaw

After the remaining population had been expelled, the Germans started the destruction of the remains of the city. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately ^[2] Special groups of German engineers were dispatched throughout the city in order to burn and demolish the remaining buildings. According to German plans, after the war Warsaw was to be turned into nothing more but a military transit station,^[17] or even a lake. ^[49] The demolition squads used flame-throwers and explosives to methodically destroy house after house. A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of Fire. They paid special attention to historical monuments, Polish national archives and places of interest: nothing was to be left of what used to be a city. ^[48]

Bank Polski in 2004, bearing the scars of the Uprising. The lighter-colored bricks were added during the building's reconstruction after 2003.

By January 1945 85% of the buildings were destroyed: 25% as a result of the Uprising, 35% as a result of systematic German actions after the uprising, the rest as a result of the earlier Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (15%) and other combat including the September 1939 campaign (10%). The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (German "Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto", Polish "Powstanie w getcie warszawskim") was the Jewish The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied ^[2]

Material losses were estimated at 10,455 buildings, 923 historical buildings (94 percent), 25 churches, 14 libraries including the National Library, 81 primary schools, 64 high schools, University of Warsaw and Warsaw University of Technology, and most of the historical monuments. Poland's National Library (Biblioteka Narodowa is a central repository of books and newspapers of Poland. University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski is the largest University in Poland, ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement as the second best Polish Warsaw University of Technology ( Polish: Politechnika Warszawska) is the largest academic school of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in ^[2] Almost a million inhabitants lost all of their possessions. ^[2] The exact amount of losses of private and public property as well as pieces of art, monuments of science and culture is unknown but considered enormous. Studies done in the late 1940s estimated total damage at about $30 billion US dollars. The dollar (often represented by the Dollar sign: "$" is the name of the official Currency in several countries dependencies and other ^[50] In 2004 President of Warsaw Lech Kaczyński, now President of Poland, established a historical commission to estimate material losses that were inflicted upon the city by German authorities. ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi (born 18 June 1949 is the President of the Republic of Poland a politician of the conservative party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość The President of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, shorter form Prezydent RP) is the Polish Head of The commission estimated the losses on at least US$31. 5 billion in 2004 value. ^[51] Those estimates where later raised to US$45 billion 2004 US dollars and in 2005, to $54. 6 billion. ^[52]

Casualties

The exact number of casualties on both sides is unknown to this day, various estimates the casualties were made, falling into roughly similar ranges. Overall Polish casualties are estimated at 200,000,^[2] mostly civilian. Both Polish and German military personnel losses are estimated at under 20,000. ^[2][53]

In addition, Germans lost some valuable military equipment, including 3 aircraft, 300 tanks and armored cars, 340 trucks and cars and 22 light (75 mm) artillery pieces. Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other WIA is a Three letter abbreviation standing for Wounded In Action. Missing in action is a status assigned to a member of the armed services who is reported missing following combat Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[2]

After the war

Main articles: After effects of the Warsaw Uprising and Cultural representations of the Warsaw Uprising

After the Uprising, one grave was left in the streets of Warsaw. The failure of the Warsaw Uprising and subsequent Capitulation agreement left Warsaw almost uninhabited The representation of the Warsaw Uprising in the media had already become controversial even before it begun

Due to a lack of cooperation and often the active aggressive moves on the part of the Soviets and several other factors, the Warsaw Uprising and Operation Tempest failed in their primary goal: to free part of the Polish territories so that a government loyal to the Polish government-in-exile could be established there instead of a Soviet puppet state. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October A puppet state is a State that is nominally independent but in reality under the control of another power There is no consensus among historians as to whether that was ever possible, or whether those operations had any other lasting effect. Some argue that without Operation Tempest and the Warsaw Uprising, Poland would have ended as a Soviet republic, and thus the Operation succeeded at least partially in being a political demonstration to the Soviets and Western Allies. In addition, the Warsaw Uprising compelled the Soviets to stop their offensive in Poland to let the Germans suppress the uprising. Some historians speculate that if they had not stopped their march, they would have occupied all of Germany rather than just the eastern section.

Warsaw was liberated from the Nazis on 17 January 1945 by the Red Army and the 1st army of Ludowe Wojsko Polskie during the Vistula-Oder Offensive. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Pronounced 'vɔjskɔ 'pɔlskʲe}} lit Peoples' Army of Poland, LWP was the second formation of the Polish Armed ^[11]

Warsaw monument to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising. Warsaw (Warszawa; also known by other names) is the Capital and Largest city of Poland.

Most soldiers of the Home Army (including those who took part in the Warsaw Uprising) were persecuted after the war: captured by the NKVD or UB political police, interrogated and imprisoned, awaiting trials on various charges. The NKVD ( НКВД, ru Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел ''Narodnyy Komissariat Vnutrennikh Del'') or People's Commissariat The Ministry of Public Security of Poland ( Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego or MBP) was a Polish Secret police, Intelligence ^[57][58] Many of them were sent to Gulags, executed or just "disappeared". The Gulag was the government agency that administered the penal labor camps of the Soviet Union. ^[57]

In addition, members of the Polish Air Force flying supplies to the Home Army, were likewise persecuted after the war and many others "disappeared" after their return to Poland. Once word got back to the Polish flyers still in England, many decided not to return to Poland. Many insurgents, captured by the Germans and sent to POW camps in Germany were later liberated by British, American and Polish forces and remained in the West. Among those were the leaders of the uprising: Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski and Antoni Chruściel (in London and the United States, respectively). General Count Tadeusz Komorowski ( Korczak Coat of Arms) (June 1 1895 - August 24 1966 better known by the name Bór-Komorowski (after one of his wartime code-names Gen Antoni Chruściel ( Nom de guerre Monter; 1895-1960 was a Polish military officer London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Factual knowledge of the Warsaw Uprising, inconvenient to Stalin, was twisted by propaganda of the People's Republic of Poland, which stressed the failings of the Home Army and the Polish government-in-exile, and forbade all criticism of the Red Army or the political goals of Soviet strategy. The People's Republic of Poland or Polish People's Republic ( Polish: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL Russian ^[59] Until the late sixties the very name of the Home Army was censored, and most films and novels covering the 1944 Uprising were either banned or modified so that the name of the Home Army did not appear. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 ^[59] Further, the official propaganda of both communist Poland and the USSR suggested that the Home Army was some sort of a group of right-wing collaborators with Nazi Germany. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 From 1956 on, the image of the Warsaw Uprising in Polish propaganda was changed a little bit to underline that the soldiers were indeed brave, while the officers were treacherous and the commanders were characterised by disregard of the losses. ^[59] The first serious publications on the topic were not issued until the late eighties. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. In Warsaw no monument to the Home Army could be built until 1989. Instead, efforts of the Soviet-backed Armia Ludowa were glorified and exaggerated. Armia Ludowa ( AL, pronounced lu'dɔva English People's Army) was a partisan force set up by the Polish Workers' Party during

Warsaw monument to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising.

In the West, the story of the Polish fight for Warsaw with little support was an embarrassment, as was the shock of Home Army soldiers as Western Allies recognised the Soviet controlled pro-Communist regime installed by Stalin; as a result, the story received little attention in the West for many years. One exception is a 1974 episode of the BBC documentary The World at War whose 10 minutes of coverage concludes 'thus ended one of the wars most tragic episodes'. The World at War is a 26-episode television documentary series on World War II, including the events leading up to it and following in its wake

The courage of soldiers and civilians involved in the Warsaw Uprising, and its betrayal by the Soviet Union, contributed to keeping anti-Soviet sentiment in Poland at a high level throughout the Cold War. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Memories of the Uprising helped to inspire the Polish labour movement Solidarity, which led a peaceful opposition movement against the Communist government during the 1980s, leading to the downfall of that government in 1989 and the emergence of democratic political representation.

After fall of communism in 1989, the censorship of the facts of the Uprising ceased, and 1 August has now become a celebrated anniversary. "Fall of Communism" redirects here For the fall of the Soviet Union itself see History of the Soviet Union (1985–1991. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman On 1 August 1994, Poland held a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Uprising. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Germany and Russia were invited to the ceremony, although there was opposition to Russia's invitation. Moreover, a joke making the rounds suggested that "Yeltsin should be given a pair of binoculars so he can observe the ceremony from across the Vistula river. Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin () (1 February 1931 23 April 2007 was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999 " On July 31, 2004, a Warsaw Uprising Museum opened in Warsaw. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Warsaw Uprising Museum ( Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego, officially translated into English as the Warsaw Rising Museum) located in Warsaw,

Research into the Warsaw Uprising has been boosted since the 1990s, particularly due to abolition of censorship and opening of state archives in Poland, however research into the lack of support of the Warsaw Uprising is (according to historians such as Norman Davies) is still very difficult due to lack of access to archives in both UK and Russia. Ivor Norman Richard Davies Fellow of the British Academy (born 8 June 1939 to Richard and Elizabeth Davies For records related to the period, currently both the United Kingdom archives and Russian archives (where the majority of Soviet archives are kept) remain mostly closed to the public. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Further complicating the matter is the United Kingdom's claim that they accidentally destroyed the archives of the Polish Government in Exile. The Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was the government of Poland after the country had been occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union during September–October ^[60]

See also

• Polish contribution to World War II
• Western betrayal
• Krzyż Powstania Warszawskiego
• Kubuś
• Kanal (film)
• Krakow Uprising (1944)
• Wola massacre
• Ochota massacre
• Powstanie Warszawskie (album)

Notes and references

See also this external link for more English language books on the topic. The European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1 1939 Western betrayal or Yalta betrayal are popular terms in many Central European countries especially in Poland and the Czech Republic which refers The Krzyż Powstania Warszawskiego ( Cross of the Warsaw Uprising) is an informal award used by the Polish soldiers during the Polish-German fights for the city of Kubuś was a Polish World War II armoured car and Armoured personnel carrier (APC made by the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising Kanał ( Sewer in Polish) is a 1956 Polish Film directed by Andrzej Wajda. The Krakow Uprising was a planned but never realized uprising of the Polish Resistance against the German occupation in the city of Kraków during Ochota Massacre (in Polish Rzeź Ochoty - "Ochota slaughter") - a wave of Mass murders Robbery, Looting, Arson Powstanie Warszawskie ( Polish for " Warsaw Uprising " is a second studio album released in March of 2005 by Polish band Lao

Further reading

• (Polish) Jerzy Kirchmayer (1978). Jerzy Maria Kirchmayer (1895–1959 was a Polish historian and military commander a brigadier general of the Polish Army and one of the first historians of the Warsaw Powstanie warszawskie. Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza, 576. ISBN 83-05-11080-X.  
• (English) Davies, Norman (2004). Rising '44 : the battle for Warsaw, 1st American ed. Rising '44 The Battle for Warsaw is a history book about the Warsaw Uprising, written by the English historian Norman Davies. , New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670032846.  
• (English) Karski, Jan (2001). Story of a secret state. Safety Harbor, FL: Simon Publications. ISBN 9781931541398.  
• (English) Komorowski, Tadeusz. The secret army, 1st U. S. ed. , Nashville: Battery Press. ISBN 9780898390827.  
• "Old scars, new squabbles. " Newsweek, 1 August 1994. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar)

External links

• Warsaw Uprising Museum in Warsaw
• Warsaw Uprising 1944 A source for checking data used in this page and offers of material and help.
• The Warsaw Uprising on the Polish Resistance page provides information and maps which may be freely copied with attribution.
• Warsaw Rising: The Forgotten Soldiers of World War II. Educator Guide
• Photographs of the Warsaw Uprising
• The Warsaw Rising
• The Warsaw Uprising - 1.VIII.1944
• Warsaw Uprising CNN Special
• Warsaw Life: A detailed account of the 1944 Warsaw Rising, including the facts, the politics and first-hand accounts
• Polish Boy Scouts Deliver "AK" Mail
• The Warsaw Uprising daily diary, written in English by Eugenuisz Melech, on the events as they happened. Edited and published by Dr Lester Gideon & Associates.

• (Polish) Website summarizing many publications against decision to initiate Warsaw Uprising
• (Polish) Dariusz Baliszewski, Przerwać tę rzeź! Tygodnik "Wprost", Nr 1132 (8 August 2004)
• (German) Warschau- Der letzte Blick German aerial photos of Warsaw taken during the last days before the Warsaw Uprising