The Warsaw uprising of 1944 The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army (Armia Krajowa). It was organised by the Polish Home Army against the German troops to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The uprising broke out on 1 August, 5 PM, timed to coincide with the Soviet Unions Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces. In spite of very poor weaponry of insurgents the Uprising reached its apogee on 4 August when the Home Army soldiers managed to establish front lines in the westernmost boroughs of Wola and Ochota. The Polish Home Army also managed to liberate the Gęsiówka concentration camp, freeing some 350 Jews. However, the German army stopped its retreat and began receiving reinforcements. Meanwhile, the soviet offensive halted some 10 km from the eastern bank of Vistula. On 7 August German forces were strengthened by the arrival of tanks using civilians as human shields. The Poles held the Old Town until a decision to withdraw was made at the end of August. The Soviet army under the command of Konstantin Rokossovsky captured Praga on the east bank of the Vistula in mid-September, but its feeble efforts did not allow it to cross the river in order to help the Home Army. After a desperate fight that lasted 63 days, the polish forces capitulated on 3 October 1944. Political meaning Politically, the failure of the uprising provided a unique opportunity to Stalin to get rid of Polish political and military opposition. Churchill and Roosevelt, worried not to offend the master of the Kremlin, provided little but no help to their Polish ally, while in Great-Britain, left-wing newspapers such as New Stateman or News Chronicle were systematically attacking the Polish government and the Home Army, gaining a notable answer from George Orwell: I want to protest against the mean and cowardly attitude adopted by the British press towards the recent rising in Warsaw. ... One was left with the general impression that the Poles deserved to have their bottoms smacked for doing what all the Allied wirelesses had been urging them to do for years past,. ... First of all, a message to English left-wing journalists and intellectuals generally: Do remember that dishonesty and cowardice always have to be paid for. Dont imagine that for years on end you can make yourself the boot-licking propagandist of the Soviet régime, or any other régime, and then suddenly return to mental decency. Once a whore, always a whore. George Orwell, 1st September 1944 Post-War controversies In the Communist era (1945–1989), Home Army soldiers having so bravely fought during the Uprising were repressed by the authorities of the Polish Peoples Republic. After 1989, insurgents, especially in Warsaw, have been considered heroic defenders of the city. During subsequent anniversaries of the outbreak of the uprising, the question of its legitimacy is raised. The supporters of the uprising believe that it was a proof of bravery, which led to weakening the Nazis (the casualties among the occupants soldiers are estimated at 27,000), and did not let the western countries forget about the tragic fate of occupied Poland. Its opponents, on the other hand, appreciate the huge sacrifice of the insurgents, but point out to considerable casualties among civilians (ca. 250,000) and Polish soldiers (ca. 47,500) including significant losses among young Polish intelligentsia from the so-called Generation of Columbuses, whose adolescence was marked by World War II. They also recall massive destruction of Warsaw. It is estimated that during the Warsaw Uprising 25 percent of left-bank development was destructed, and together with the post-uprising demolition carried out by the Nazis until 16 January 1945, as much as 72 percent of houses and 90 percent of historical buildings were demolished. The Warsaw Uprising Museum Dedicated to the preservation of the memory of the tragic days of summer 1944, the Warsaw Uprising Museum was finally opened on July 31, 2004, marking the 60th anniversary of the Uprising. The museum is located in the Wola district of Warsaw, where the most ruthless massacre of some 40.000 civilians took place during the first days of the fight. The museum is dedicated to all aspects of the Warsaw Uprising. Among others, the exhibits include: a replica of a B-24 Liberator, one of the planes (along with DH Halifax) that were trying to supply the insurgents with airdrops, suffering terrible losses a replica of “Kubus”, an armored car manufactured in Warsaw by the resistance movement Nazi section: features the life in German-occupied Poland Communist section: features the Communist-occupied Poland and its puppet government For more information: 1944.pl/en/
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 10:51:09 +0000