80 years ago, on this day in 1944: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland.
August 1, 2024
80 years ago, on this day in 1944: The Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi German occupation breaks out in Warsaw, Poland.
https://i.redd.it/p7ndhxpjezfd1.png
by atdoru
9 comments
The Warsaw Uprising, between August and October 1944, was an insurrection in Warsaw during World War II by which Poles unsuccessfully tried to oust the German army and seize control of the city before it was occupied by the advancing Soviet army. The uprising’s failure allowed the pro-Soviet Polish administration, rather than the Polish government-in-exile in London, to gain control of Poland.
As the Red Army approached Warsaw (29-30 July 1944), Soviet authorities, promising aid, encouraged the Polish underground there to stage an uprising against the Germans. However, the Polish underground, known as the Home Army, was anxious because the Soviet Union had already assumed direct control of eastern Poland and had sponsored the formation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer the remainder of Soviet-occupied Polish territory.
Hoping to gain control of Warsaw before the Red Army could “liberate” it, the Home Army followed the Soviet suggestion to revolt.
Commanded by Gen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, the Warsaw corps of 50,000 troops attacked the relatively weak German garrison on 1 August. Within three days the Poles had regained control of most of the city, but they failed to capture main transportation and communications arteries such as railway stations and road junctures.
By 20 August German forces in the city had laid firm plans to counterattack, which they did on 25 August. This was a well-supported and brutal assault, and as many as 40,000 Polish civilians were massacred. Designed to last ten days, the uprising now entered into a siege phase that favoured the better equipped and supplied Germans.
Meanwhile, the Red Army occupied a position at Praga, a suburb across the Vistula River from Warsaw, and remained idle. In addition, the Soviet government refused to allow the western Allies to use Soviet air bases to airlift supplies to the beleaguered Poles.
Western powers did try to help the Poles, but the distance between them and the city limited their ability; flights from Allied-occupied Brindisi, Italy, crossed more than 1,300 km of hostile territory and losses were extraordinary.
Without significant Allied support, the Home Army split into small, disconnected units and was forced to surrender when its supplies gave out (2 October).
Bór-Komorowski and his forces were taken prisoners, and the Germans then systematically deported the remainder of the city’s population and razed the city itself.
As many as 15,000 insurgents and 250,000 civilians were killed in this second Warsaw Uprising, while the Germans lost about 16,000 men.
Whats the middle pic from the left meant to be?
Glorious memory to Polish patriots! Damnation to Nazis and shame to treacherous Allies.
WARSAW, RISE!
fun fact: We play sirens on the exact hour the uprising started
it’s crazy that this is a more unknown topic of the war among the population. shows how insane WW2 was with all the major battles and atrocities which are in most people’s mind. sure, the Warsaw Uprising is being taught, but more as an afterthought. these people were seriously brave and an inspiration for everyone who suffers from occupation or oppressive regimes
I will be fair to the Soviets here. Most of the army was tired and in need of a regroup after operation Bagration and the Lvov advance. Most reserves and resources were allocated to the Baltic push and, more importantly, to knock Romania out of the war(which switched sides) The Warsaw uprising was unfortunate timing as the stavka was unwilling to stray from their plan. The Soviets certainly hindered some of Western help towards the polish militants, but by the late stages of the uprising, they did try to supply them. The reality was that the Soviets didn’t stop the advance. They were stopped by the German defenders. There is a reason the Soviets only captured Warsaw in January 1945 during the advance towards the Odor River, almost half a year later. You can also see how bad it was when the Soviet army when it cooperated with the Slovaks during their uprising.
Despite words like ‘glory,’ ‘pride,’ and ‘fight,’ this is just another tragic story of failure and hopelessness. I love my country, and reading anything beyond the surface level makes me actually cry.
This was; with all things considered, a mistake. One that I probably would have followed with the intel available at the time. But with the benefit of hindsight, we can say that it was a mistake that Russia took advantage of, that costed thousands of lives.
Worth pointing out that the alternative would be just as bad if not worse. It was hopeless.
At 1700 today (known as W hour) all of Warsaw will stop. Air raid sirens will go off and people will walk out of their cars and buildings on to the streets to wave the polish flag. It’s a. Annual tradition to commemorate our fallen during the uprising. You can watch it live on YouTube.
9 comments
The Warsaw Uprising, between August and October 1944, was an insurrection in Warsaw during World War II by which Poles unsuccessfully tried to oust the German army and seize control of the city before it was occupied by the advancing Soviet army. The uprising’s failure allowed the pro-Soviet Polish administration, rather than the Polish government-in-exile in London, to gain control of Poland.
As the Red Army approached Warsaw (29-30 July 1944), Soviet authorities, promising aid, encouraged the Polish underground there to stage an uprising against the Germans. However, the Polish underground, known as the Home Army, was anxious because the Soviet Union had already assumed direct control of eastern Poland and had sponsored the formation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation to administer the remainder of Soviet-occupied Polish territory.
Hoping to gain control of Warsaw before the Red Army could “liberate” it, the Home Army followed the Soviet suggestion to revolt.
Commanded by Gen. Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, the Warsaw corps of 50,000 troops attacked the relatively weak German garrison on 1 August. Within three days the Poles had regained control of most of the city, but they failed to capture main transportation and communications arteries such as railway stations and road junctures.
By 20 August German forces in the city had laid firm plans to counterattack, which they did on 25 August. This was a well-supported and brutal assault, and as many as 40,000 Polish civilians were massacred. Designed to last ten days, the uprising now entered into a siege phase that favoured the better equipped and supplied Germans.
Meanwhile, the Red Army occupied a position at Praga, a suburb across the Vistula River from Warsaw, and remained idle. In addition, the Soviet government refused to allow the western Allies to use Soviet air bases to airlift supplies to the beleaguered Poles.
Western powers did try to help the Poles, but the distance between them and the city limited their ability; flights from Allied-occupied Brindisi, Italy, crossed more than 1,300 km of hostile territory and losses were extraordinary.
Without significant Allied support, the Home Army split into small, disconnected units and was forced to surrender when its supplies gave out (2 October).
Bór-Komorowski and his forces were taken prisoners, and the Germans then systematically deported the remainder of the city’s population and razed the city itself.
As many as 15,000 insurgents and 250,000 civilians were killed in this second Warsaw Uprising, while the Germans lost about 16,000 men.
Whats the middle pic from the left meant to be?
Glorious memory to Polish patriots!
Damnation to Nazis and shame to treacherous Allies.
WARSAW, RISE!
fun fact: We play sirens on the exact hour the uprising started
it’s crazy that this is a more unknown topic of the war among the population. shows how insane WW2 was with all the major battles and atrocities which are in most people’s mind. sure, the Warsaw Uprising is being taught, but more as an afterthought. these people were seriously brave and an inspiration for everyone who suffers from occupation or oppressive regimes
I will be fair to the Soviets here. Most of the army was tired and in need of a regroup after operation Bagration and the Lvov advance. Most reserves and resources were allocated to the Baltic push and, more importantly, to knock Romania out of the war(which switched sides) The Warsaw uprising was unfortunate timing as the stavka was unwilling to stray from their plan. The Soviets certainly hindered some of Western help towards the polish militants, but by the late stages of the uprising, they did try to supply them. The reality was that the Soviets didn’t stop the advance. They were stopped by the German defenders. There is a reason the Soviets only captured Warsaw in January 1945 during the advance towards the Odor River, almost half a year later. You can also see how bad it was when the Soviet army when it cooperated with the Slovaks during their uprising.
Despite words like ‘glory,’ ‘pride,’ and ‘fight,’ this is just another tragic story of failure and hopelessness. I love my country, and reading anything beyond the surface level makes me actually cry.
This was; with all things considered, a mistake. One that I probably would have followed with the intel available at the time. But with the benefit of hindsight, we can say that it was a mistake that Russia took advantage of, that costed thousands of lives.
Worth pointing out that the alternative would be just as bad if not worse. It was hopeless.
At 1700 today (known as W hour) all of Warsaw will stop. Air raid sirens will go off and people will walk out of their cars and buildings on to the streets to wave the polish flag.
It’s a. Annual tradition to commemorate our fallen during the uprising.
You can watch it live on YouTube.