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Warsaw remembers its Uprising

31.07.2009

At 5 pm sharp on Saturday August 1, the City of Warsaw will hold a minute's silence to commemorate the lives lost in the Warsaw Uprising.

It was at this time, on this day in 1944, when the Polish capital commenced an attempt to overthrow the German army which kept the city captive. Thus the term 'W hour' was coined, derived from the Polish wybuch (outbreak), and wolność (freedom).

The uprising, originally part of "Operation Tempest" - a nationwide rebellion against Nazi Germany - was only supposed to last four days, until the Soviet forces arrived. Stalin's troops, however, stopped short of Warsaw, and the uprising went on to last 63 days, until the Polish resistance had to surrender on the October 2.

Razing Warsaw

It is said that Warsaw could easily have been the first European capital to be liberated, but the politics and tactics of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin prevented any liberation, and condemned Warsaw to what Heinrich Himmler described as "the fiercest of our battles since the start of the war."

During the conflict, some 25 percent of Warsaw's buildings were destroyed, but the real toll on the city was the loss of human life. The exact figure will probably never be known, but it is estimated that between 150,000 and 200,000 civilians lost their lives, the majority from mass executions, while 16,000 Polish insurgents were killed and another 6,000 seriously injured.

Including German actions after the Uprising and fighting prior to it, over 85 percent of the city had been destroyed by the time Soviet forces entered the city in January.

Homemade heroes

The Polish Home Army - between 20,000- and 49,000-strong - was led by Commander Tadeusz "Bór" Komorowski, and were supplied with homemade weapons constructed in makeshift factories. Historians estimate that as many as 1,000 guns, 1,750 pistols, 300 submachine guns, 60 assault rifles, seven heavy machine guns, 20 anti-tank guns, 25,000 hand grenades, and even an armored car were used.

The German forces in Warsaw were much smaller in terms of number, but were equipped with superior weaponry. Although the Germans had just over 5,000 men, they were receiving continual reinforcements throughout the Uprising.

The insurgents' tactics were centered around night operations, attacking their oppressors while the light was low. This strategy, whilst being effective at night, left the Polish soldiers open to attack during daylight hours.

The German death toll was equally morbid with over 16,000 soldiers killed and a further 9,000 badly wounded.

Lasting wounds

Now 65 years on, Warsaw has never forgotten the men, women and children who lost their lives as a result of this bloody battle.

There will be a minutes' silence, and the whole city will come to a standstill. Engines will stop,
mobile phones will fall silent and the whole city will pay tribute to the brave Varsovians of 1944.

From Warsaw Business Journal by Jon Jackson

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