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RISING '44 |
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Norman Davies (inside of the book cover) In August 1944, Warsaw appeared to present the last major obstacle to the Soviet army's triumphant march from Moscow to Berlin. When the Wehrmacht was pushed bach to the Vistula River, the people of Warsaw believed that liberation was at hand. So, too, did the Western leaders. The Polish Resistance poured forty thousand (40,000) armed fighters into the streets to drive out the hated Germans, but Stalin condemned the Rising as a criminal adventure and refused to cooperate. The Wehrmacht was given time to regroup, and Hitler ordered the city and its inhabitants to be utterly destroyed.
For sixty-three days, the Resistance battled the SS and Wehrmacht – in the cellars and sewers. Tens of thousands of defenseless civilians were slaughtered week after week. One by one, the city’s districts were reduced to rubble as Soviet troops watched from across the river. Poland’s Western allies expressed regret, but decided that there was little to be done. The sacrifice was in vain. Hitler's orders were executed. Poland was not allowed to be governed by Poles. Largely sidelined in history books and often confused with Ghetto Uprising of 1943, the 1944 Warsaw Rising was a pivotal moment both in the outcome of the Second World War and in the origins of the cold war. Now on the sixtieth anniversary of the Rising, Norman Davies's extraordinary book brings it vividly and movingly to life. This well argued book is the first in any language to put the Warsaw Uprising in its full historical context. In its range and depth it is a fine contribution not just to Polish history but to the history of Europe. - Stefan Wagstyl, Financial Times “An extraordinary story…fairly and honestly told here. Davies is an intelligent and balanced guide through its intricacies, and he is alwaysentartaining. - Adam Zamoyski, The Spectator |
The Warsaw Uprising of August 1, 1944 is one of the most important events in
modern Polish history. Consequently, this year’s 60th Anniversary
celebrations will have a special meaning for all Poles around the world. The Warsaw Uprising was a heroic and tragic 63-day struggle to liberate World War II Warsaw from Nazi/German occupation. Undertaken by the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK), the Polish resistance group, at the time Allied troops were breaking through the Normandy defenses and the Red Army was standing at the line of the Vistula River. The uprising was a part of a nationwide uprising, Operation Tempest, and lasted until October 2. The Warsaw Uprising was probably the largest single operation organized and executed by a partisan organization in WWII. It lasted two months, and when it was over, 200,000 people were dead, and the entire city was in ruins. In trying to achieve its goals, the uprising was a terrible failure. In showing the courage and the dedication of the Polish nation, it was a remarkable success. The uprising failed due to limited Soviet assistance. Soviet assistance to the Home Army was limited to collaboration only on a tactical level and then shooting or sending the Home Army soldiers to Siberia. /More information about uprising can be found at Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia./ Before the Warsaw Uprising it is believed that some 25,000 Jews were hiding in Warsaw after Getto uprising. The vast majority of them died together with other Polish civilians. Many Jews (maybe as many as 1000), including those released by AK from Warsaw concentration camp (Gesiówka), joined the Home Army.
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RISING '44 The Battle for Warsaw
