August 1 - The Warsaw Uprising Begins

This Day in History: 1 August 2020

 

1 August 1944

 

76 years ago, today, the Warsaw Uprising began. Poles in the city of Warsaw were prompted by the nearing Soviet army to launch a major uprising against the Nazi occupation. The revolt was spearheaded by Polish General Tadeusz Bor-Komorowski, the commander of the Home Army, an underground resistance group. The Home Army, while advancing Warsaw's liberation, hoped to gain at least partial control of Warsaw before the Soviets arrived, due to their anti-communist ideology. Three-fourths of the army were to die in the ordeal, along with 200,000 civilians and the destruction of the city's great treasures.

 

Despite the Poles' early gains, they were eventually overcome by the superior German weaponry. Many civilians were massacred, and the rebels were suppressed. The Soviet Red Army, meanwhile, had advanced greatly but refused to aid the Warsaw rebels. The city ran out of medical supplies, food, and water, leading to their surrender on October 2. Even after the revolt, however, the remaining buildings were demolished by the Nazis, and the surviving population was deported. After January 1945, the final Soviet offensive against Germany began, finally liberating the ruined city of Warsaw. With Warsaw destroyed, the Soviets faced little opposition in establishing a communist government in post-war Poland.

 

Want to find out more about the Warsaw Uprising? Click here for more information, or here for a video that explains the uprising.