The Warsaw Uprising 1944
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| The Warsaw Uprising of 1944 | |
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The Warsaw Uprising became the largest battle of the Home Army. It was also the greatest combat act in the entire occupied Europe. For this reason it deserves particular attention.
The retreat of the German armies, the expected stepping in of the Soviet army to Warsaw, the attitudes of the city's population as well as the prospects for political benefits in case of the armed action's success, spoke for the undertaking of fight in the capital. The liberation of the capital by the forces of the Home Army itself, before entering of the Soviet Army was to create conditions for the underground Polish authorities to pass to open activity and at the same time was to be a response to the actions of Polish communists, which under Soviet auspices set up their own government - the Polish Committee of National Liberation (PKWN) -on the 22 of July.
After receiving the news that Soviet tanks reached the right-bank district of the capital (Praga), the Home Army's main commandant, General Tadeusz "Bór" Komorowski, in agreement with the Delegate of the Government for the Country, issued on 31 July an order to commence the uprising. The date of its commencing (the "W" hour) was set on 1 August 1944, at 5 p.m.
The Polish plan assumed simultaneous attacks on the most important points in the city (bridges, abodes of the occupational authorities, military depots etc.). The Home Army's forces amounted to approx. 50.000 soldiers, but the order about the "W" hour didn't get to all of them. Only 23.000 men and women took active part in the initial attacks. Only around 10% of the troops were armed. The Poles had at their disposal reserves of ammunition for only 2-3 days of intensive fighs. Willlingness to commence the fight prevailed among the soldiers as for them it was a kind of of compensation for five years of nazi crimes. In the next days many volunteers joined the fight, as well as members of other underground organizations.
At the moment of the outbreak of the uprising the German garrison of Warsaw (commander Gen. Rainer Stahel) numbered around 15.000 men. The Polish attack surprised the Germans. The uprisers took over the control over the most of the city, but the strategic points such as bridges over Vistula or airfields were not seized by them.
After hearing the news about the outbreak in Warsaw, Adolf Hitler ordered to suppress the uprising at any cost and to destroy the city: "Each inhabitant should be killed, it is not allowed to take any prisoners of war. Warsaw has to be levelled and in this way a terrifying example for the entire Europe is to be created".
The fight in Warsaw made difficult for the Germans to transport forces (reinforcements) to the eastern bank of the Vistula, in order to support the troops of the 9th Army, fighting there with the Soviets. For this reason it was of vital importance for the enemy to unblock the roads leading to bridges in Warsaw.
Troops taking part in the uprising possessed the initiative until 4 August. But in light of the small amount of ammunition the Main Command issued an order to cease offensive actions and to pass to defence. The Praga district, left alone on the right bank of the river was ordered by its commandant on 3 August to interrupt all combat actions and to return to underground activity. Some of its soldiers managed to cross the river and to join the troops fighting there.
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Out of Heinrich Himmler's order, on 4 August also the SS and police troops started to arrive to Warsaw. A special SS corps was formed out of them, numbering around 25.000 men, supported by armoured troops, artillery and the air force - commanded by SS General von dem Bach-Zelewski.
On 5th August in the morning, the Germans started to attack the Home Army' troops in Wola and Ochota districts. Until the evening of the next day they managed to take control over the main east-west street, reaching the encircled forces of General Stahel. During the fights in Wola, on the 5 and 6 of August, German soldiers (as well as numerous Russians from a foreign SS unit - ROA) murdered around 40.000 civilians. Until 11th August the attackers took complete control over Wola and Ochota - where also numerous civilians were murdered. The defence of these districts enabled the fighters to consolidate defence in other parts of the city.
After seizing Wola and Ochota, the Germans launched an attack on the Old City, closing the main street leading to Kierbedzia bridge. The Home Army forces in this area numbered around 9000 men. The clashes in the Old City lasted until 2 September and were exceptionally bloody. As a consequence, both sides suffered heavy losses, amounting up to several hundred soldiers per day. In their attack, the Germans used, among others, heavy artillery (mortars of 600mm calibre and even more). Due to this the whole historical part of the city was completely destroyed. The fighters evacuated themselfes to the centre of the city, mostly through sewage channels.
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The Home Army' troops fighting in other districts of the capital were at the same time achieving significant success. For example: they seized the "PASTA" building at Zielna street (telecommunication centre -20 August) and the Police Command (23 August). In the areas seized by the fighters a field postal service, serviced by young scouts operated, as well as a radio station - "Błyskawica". Numerous press titles were published.
The German command, admitting the possibility of a Soviet attack on the Praga district, ordered to remove Home Army forces from the riverbank. On 5th September they launched an attack on the northern part of the Centre, which however was stopped.
On 10 September Soviet forces and the Polish 1st Infantry Division of the Polish Army commenced an attack towards Praga and reached the eastern bank of the river. At the same time the Germans managed to clear the Czerniaków district out of almost all fighters (along the western bank of the Vistula river).
Out of the initiative of General Zygmunt Berling, between 16 and 21 of September Polish Army troops attempted to cross the river, in order help the uprisers. However, these attempts didn't bring significant results. Soldiers of Polish Army (at least 2000 of them), not trained for city combat, suffered heavy losses. Eventually the Germans suppressed all resistance in the Czerniaków district (23 September). After this, the von dem Bach's troops commenced an attack on the Mokotów district, on 27 Septembers the uprisers have laid down their weapons there. On 30th September the crew of Żoliborz capitulated and on 2 October - the remaining troops of the uprising gave up their fight.
In the course of a lonely fight, which lasted 63 days, around 18.000 soldiers of the uprising have died, around 25.000 were wounded. The losses of Polish Army' troops amounted to approx. 3000 soldiers. Around 180.000 civilians died. As a result of the fight the Germans lost around 10.000 killed, 9.000 wounded and 7.000 missing soldiers.
The fate of Warsaw's civilian population, living in the fighting city was a great tragedy. Deprived of food, access to medicines or a sufficient amount of water, people were forced to hide constantly in the basements to avoid shooting.
The tragedy of the Warsaw Uprising was first and foremost the result of the Soviet policy towards Poland. After the Poles had commenced the fight, Stalin issued an order to immediately cease the attack towards Warsaw. This decision meant that he consciously gave the city up to the mercy of the occupier. It also offered a benefit of eliminating the Home Army (or a large part of it) - a significant obstacle in the subordination of Poland to his will - with the hands of the Germans.
Soviet troops only on a very small scale supported the uprisers, mostly through deliveries of weapons, ammunition and food. This was to prolong their fight and therefore increase their personal losses. On the other hand the Home Army's troops hurrying from other parts of the country to help, were attacked by the Soviets, as well as by the Germans.
Western countries approached the Warsaw Uprising with reservations. They didn't make significant attempts to convince Stalin to help the fighting city. Only on 30 August 1944 the Americans and British officially recognized the Home Army as part of the allied forces and agreede that its members have similar rights to soldiers of the regular units. The allied air drops were very limited in their scope. It followed from the fact that the planes and their crews taking off from Italy for flights over Poland, suffered heavy losses on their way. For a long time Stalin didn't grant his permission enabling the allied planes to land on nearby Soviet airfields, which could significantly increase the effectiveness of the operation. Only after such a permission was granted, on 18 September, the first major group of allied planes reached Warsaw -110 aircraft. Because by then only a small area was still under the control of the Home Army, most of the drops fell into German hands (as many as 92 out of 107).
After the downfall of the uprising German troops have commenced the planned destruction of the city. As a Polish historian, soldier of the Home Army - Col. Adam Borkiewicz wrote:
"Out of 24.724 buildings which Warsaw possessed before the uprising, 10.455 were completely demolished, therefore over 42%; in the case of the remaining buildings most required reconstruction or renovation. Out of 987 historical buildings only 64 were saved, so merely 6.5%. 25 temples were demolished, the Technical University (Politechnika) was burned, as well as most of the buildings of Warsaw University, along with scientific facilities. The abodes of 64 secondary schools and 81 elementary schools were destroyed. 14 libraries were burned, including the National Library, the archives have disappeared as well as a great number of the works of art".
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(1895-1966) During the First World War he served in the Austro-Hungarian army, from 1918 in the Polish Army. During the 1939 campaign he was a deputy commander of an improvised cavalry brigade. Then he participated in the underground activity. He was a district commander, later became the deputy of the main commandant and eventually the commander of the Home Army (AK). In 1944 he received the rank of the General of Division. On 30 September 1944 was nominated the Supreme Commander. After the downfall of the Warsaw Uprising he stayed in German captivity. After his release he lived in London, where he died on 24 August 1966. He was decorated with the Virtuti Militari 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th class and with the American League of Merit. |
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