The Warsaw Uprising 1944 was a heroic, unique and tragic 63-day struggle (August - October 1944) to liberate Warsaw - capital of Poland - from Nazi/German occupation. Undertaken by the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK), the Polish resistance group. At that time Allied troops were breaking through the Normandy defences and the Red Army was standing at the line of the Vistula River, near Warsaw.

          Warsaw could have been the first European capital liberated; however, various military and political miscalculations, as well as global politics - played among Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt - turned the dice against it.

          Warsaw's insurgents estimated at 50.000 Polish soldiers of Home Army (AK), 4.000 women included, have enough weapons only for 2.500 fighters. They were facing a 55.000-strong German garrison, armed with tanks, planes, and artillery. Nevertheless Polish insurgents were fighting for their capital for 63 days.

          Warsaw - left in the lurch - paid a high price: 16.000-18.000 insurgents were killed and about 26.000 were wounded. About 150.000 civilians were killed during fight or murdered by German troops. Warsaw was completely destroyed. All civilians were forced to leave the city. Approximately 50.000 civilians ended up in the concentration camps as "dangerous elements", and an additional 150.000 were transported to forced labour camps in Germany.



          We would like to recommend you:
          1) an interesting website concerning The Warsaw Uprising of 1944:

www.warsawuprising.com

"Rising '44. 'The Battle for Warsaw'", Norman Davies, 2003

          3) Articles:
          http://www.polishresistance-ak.org/1%20Article.htm
          http://www.polishresistance-ak.org/2%20Article.htm
          http://www.polishresistance-ak.org/4%20Article.htm
          http://www.polishresistance-ak.org/6%20Article.htm