Well-known battles in Poland have filled the annals of historian’s shelves. The 1939 battle against Hitler’s Blitzkrieg troops and the stubborn Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, are well-documented, but little has been written about this vain 62-day attempt in 1944.
Sixty-three years ago this month, a Polish force comprised of 35,000 men and nearly 5,000 women took arms against an initial garrison of 15,000 German troops that would grow to 30,000-40,000 within days. According to Bill C. Biega of the Armia Krajowa (AK), the Polish Home Army had a hodge-podge of weapons - only enough for “about 2,500 fighters” - that went up against a German force of tanks, planes and artillery.
The Plan
The design was to overwhelm the German garrison quickly the first few days of the uprising. Following the battle surviving AK members did not understand why this failed to occur. Historian Marcin Majewski said in an Expatica article on August 3, 2007 that recently released, formerly classified documents by the Russian FSB Security Service, show “the degree of penetration of the movement by the Germans…. their detailed knowledge of the resistance set up enabled them to carry out pinpoint bombing which caused huge losses."
The Polish Government in London frantically sought Allied support prior to the implementation; however, when it was not forthcoming history has questioned the logic of continuing with the plan.
Politics
There were three political objectives with regard to this battle. The first was Poland’s desire to exercise sovereignty in post-war Europe. When the battle failed, so did this objective. The second was Stalin’s desires on post-war Poland; and thirdly, the Soviet Union's wish to deny and keep silent the role of Soviet deserters in the war.
The FSB documents confirm what many Polish survivors speculated for decades with respect to Stalin’s objectives. In the Expatica article many critics felt “Moscow simply let the Nazis do the job of wiping out potential armed opposition to the looming communist takeover of Poland.” In a series of expositions held by the Branch Office of the Public Education Office and the Museum of Warsaw Rising, the Institute of National Remembrance, in an article dated 17 August 2007, discuses exhibits in the show. One promotional statement shows the feeling held by these institutions: “the actions of the ‘ally of our allies’ betrayed Poles and simply waited for the death of Warsaw. “
The collection of documents also unveiled the role of the Waffen-SS "Russian National Liberation Army" (RONA) brigade, made up of deserting Soviet troops. The Nazis attempted to place civilian murders on the RONA while the Soviets saw the entire unit as a potential embarrassment. As a result the information was withheld until August 2nd 2007. But, the documents seem to exonerate the RONA from being the butchers history claimed them to be, according to Majewski.
The Result
The uprising failed, 18,000 Polish fighters were killed (approximately 20,000 Germans died also,) 200,000 civilians were killed, the remaining citizens were relocated and the Gestapo burned the city.
History has left this battle fairly much alone. There is sufficient blame to go around and the victors (the Allies) had to defend their positions. In his diaries, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk the 2nd Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile, comments on the aid given to other national uprisingings during the war and concludes that “only Stalin could put his fist so hard on Churchill’s back.”
The Soviets called it an unnecessary and foolhardy battle and the Western powers did not comment. The release of these documents indicates a softening of relations between Moscow and Warsaw at a time when Russian and EU tensions have been mounting. No matter how the world feels about the conflict, at least now we have a more complete record to honor that time 63 years ago.
Sixty-three years ago this month, a Polish force comprised of 35,000 men and nearly 5,000 women took arms against an initial garrison of 15,000 German troops that would grow to 30,000-40,000 within days. According to Bill C. Biega of the Armia Krajowa (AK), the Polish Home Army had a hodge-podge of weapons - only enough for “about 2,500 fighters” - that went up against a German force of tanks, planes and artillery.
The Plan
The design was to overwhelm the German garrison quickly the first few days of the uprising. Following the battle surviving AK members did not understand why this failed to occur. Historian Marcin Majewski said in an Expatica article on August 3, 2007 that recently released, formerly classified documents by the Russian FSB Security Service, show “the degree of penetration of the movement by the Germans…. their detailed knowledge of the resistance set up enabled them to carry out pinpoint bombing which caused huge losses."
The Polish Government in London frantically sought Allied support prior to the implementation; however, when it was not forthcoming history has questioned the logic of continuing with the plan.
Politics
There were three political objectives with regard to this battle. The first was Poland’s desire to exercise sovereignty in post-war Europe. When the battle failed, so did this objective. The second was Stalin’s desires on post-war Poland; and thirdly, the Soviet Union's wish to deny and keep silent the role of Soviet deserters in the war.
The FSB documents confirm what many Polish survivors speculated for decades with respect to Stalin’s objectives. In the Expatica article many critics felt “Moscow simply let the Nazis do the job of wiping out potential armed opposition to the looming communist takeover of Poland.” In a series of expositions held by the Branch Office of the Public Education Office and the Museum of Warsaw Rising, the Institute of National Remembrance, in an article dated 17 August 2007, discuses exhibits in the show. One promotional statement shows the feeling held by these institutions: “the actions of the ‘ally of our allies’ betrayed Poles and simply waited for the death of Warsaw. “
The collection of documents also unveiled the role of the Waffen-SS "Russian National Liberation Army" (RONA) brigade, made up of deserting Soviet troops. The Nazis attempted to place civilian murders on the RONA while the Soviets saw the entire unit as a potential embarrassment. As a result the information was withheld until August 2nd 2007. But, the documents seem to exonerate the RONA from being the butchers history claimed them to be, according to Majewski.
The Result
The uprising failed, 18,000 Polish fighters were killed (approximately 20,000 Germans died also,) 200,000 civilians were killed, the remaining citizens were relocated and the Gestapo burned the city.
History has left this battle fairly much alone. There is sufficient blame to go around and the victors (the Allies) had to defend their positions. In his diaries, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk the 2nd Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile, comments on the aid given to other national uprisingings during the war and concludes that “only Stalin could put his fist so hard on Churchill’s back.”
The Soviets called it an unnecessary and foolhardy battle and the Western powers did not comment. The release of these documents indicates a softening of relations between Moscow and Warsaw at a time when Russian and EU tensions have been mounting. No matter how the world feels about the conflict, at least now we have a more complete record to honor that time 63 years ago.
Comments