Warsaw Uprising Crushed

Setting the scene

The Warsaw Uprising was crushed on October 2, 1944, after 63 days of fighting between the Polish Home Army and German forces. The uprising began August 1, 1944, when the Polish underground, loyal to the London-based government-in-exile, rose against German occupiers as the Soviet Red Army approached Warsaw. The Poles hoped to liberate the city before the Soviets arrived, ensuring Polish independence.

What happened

About 50,000 Home Army fighters, poorly armed, fought 25,000 German troops with tanks and artillery. The Germans, under SS General Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, responded with extreme brutality, massacring 200,000 civilians and systematically destroying the city. The Soviets halted their offensive on the Vistula's east bank, refusing to aid the uprising or allow Allied planes to use Soviet airfields for supply drops. Stalin wanted the non-communist Polish resistance destroyed.

Why it still matters

The uprising ended with the Home Army's surrender on October 2. The Germans then expelled the remaining population and destroyed 85% of Warsaw. The uprising's failure ensured Soviet domination of postwar Poland—the communist-backed Lublin Committee took power. The Warsaw Uprising demonstrated the tragedy of Poland caught between Germany and the USSR, and Soviet cynicism in allowing the destruction of future political rivals. It remains a symbol of Polish courage and the betrayal of Yalta's promises of free Poland.

Background

Hitler ordered the city flattened.