World War II began in 1939 and was completed 1945. Over the entire period of fighting killed a lot of people, even more were wounded, many missing.In each period of confrontation had its heroes and controversial personality.All the nations of the coalition fought each for their homeland, not sparing lives.It was no exception and the liberation struggle in Poland.An important aspect of this period was the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.There have been discussions about the present day.The causes and consequences of this event have a very different interpretation.
Brief History of pre-war Poland
After World War in Poland, there is intense struggle for power.Only until 1926 there was a change of Government 5.The post-war economy was very weak, popular discontent grew.Against this background, there was a coup J. Pilsudski.As a result, he became chief of the army, and was elected president Ignacio Mostsitsky.In fact, the country has established a military dictatorship.The next few years in Poland, there was a process of development.In 1935, under the new constitution, most of the rights transferred to the president.And 1938 saw the dissolution of the Communist Party.
Germany in 1938, has put forward a number of demands Poland, it limits the autonomy.After their rejection, September 1, 1939, German troops started the war.Already September 27 the German invaders entered Warsaw.A week later surrendered the last major Polish military unit, and the whole territory of Poland was under occupation.The lands occupied countries there were several rebel movements.These include: Army Ludowa, Home Army, various independent guerrilla movement.They organized the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
position of troops before the Warsaw Uprising
Soviet army in 1944, led the offensive on all fronts.Within a few days the soldiers walked about 600 kilometers.Get ahead of the were virtually cut off from the supply.Air forces have not been able to relocate to the nearest airports to the front.According to the plan, the liberation of Warsaw was to be held on the two flanks of the 1st Byelorussian Front.Until the beginning of August the soldiers came to the suburbs of Warsaw - Prague.It did get ahead 2nd Guards Tank Army.Soon, she was faced with the counter-offensive of the German army, which has gained significant strength - according to some sources, there were five German armored divisions.The Soviet Army was forced to stop and start the defense.Some historians argue that the Soviet offensive stopped because of this event, plus the soldiers were exhausted 600-kilometer long shot.Other investigators of military history assert that the leadership of the army in the face of Stalin did not wish to provide assistance to the Polish resistance, who began the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.
uprising began
August 1 in the capital of Poland uprising began.Organized by his rebel National Army.In the history of Warsaw are present as well as black and white days.Which of them attributed this period of time, an ambiguous question.After hitting a bell at one of the churches have begun fighting for the liberation of the city from the German invaders.Occupants have missed the beginning of the Warsaw Uprising and at first were absolutely not ready for him.Within a short time the insurgents managed to break into the city center and fully establish control over it.At the same time the Poles could not capture the barracks, the airport, and most importantly, the bridges over the river.Oklemalas Germans threw significant resistance forces and drove the rebels from most areas.
Although Following the mobilization of the army Regional highly enriched, to arm the people had nothing.During the first phase of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 it was captured 34 important sites released 383 prisoners from a concentration camp.Since then, the rebels have started to play.I must say that on the first day of the uprising guerrillas lost about 2,000 fighters.So many perished and civilians.They took to the streets and supported the rebellion as they could: barricades, passing the rebels through the underground tunnels, provided medical aid to the wounded soldiers.Since all of these people had no combat experience, they were the first victims of the bombing and shelling.
few words about the Territorial Army
military groups operating in Poland during the Second World War, was the name of Territorial Army.It is subordinate to the Polish government, which in 1939 left the country and continued their activities in London.Resistance AK extended to the whole territory of Poland and its main aim is to fight against the German occupiers.Often there were cases of its collision with the Soviet army.Some accuse the AK of trying to destroy the Ukrainian patriotic forces.
greatest number of soldiers in the military units were in 1944 - about 380 thousand. Man.In its structure, it is divided into ransacked - the combined districts and provinces.The structure consisted of AK intelligence, sabotage squads.When the Warsaw Uprising Territorial Army task was to liberate the city from the Germans before the arrival of Soviet troops.
little about the Warsaw
Warsaw - the capital of a European country with a rich and tragic history.The town has its origins somewhere in the middle of the XIII century.Just then there was the first major fortified settlement on the territory of the future of Warsaw.In 1526, after the death of the last Prince Mazowiecki city it was annexed to the Polish kingdom and got right on par with all the settlements.At the beginning of the end of XVI XVII centuries Warsaw became the capital of Poland.It happened because of the convenient geographical location of the city, as well as for purely political reasons.
At the end of the XVIII century Warsaw came under the beginning of Prussia.There she stayed a short time, and already in 1807 after the defeat of Napoleon, the Prussian army was formed Duchy of Warsaw.But in 1813 it ceased to exist.It happened after the victory of Russian troops over Napoleon.Thus began a new history of Poland.Briefly, this period can be characterized as a stage of the struggle for independence.But the uprising in 1830 and 1863 ended in defeat and the loss of even illusory autonomy.
After World War I Poland, finally, again found their own state.A period of development of the country as a whole and Warsaw in particular.We build new homes and entire neighborhoods.During this period, the map of Warsaw, has increased significantly.
In 1939, the first country which has attacked Germany, was Poland.Warsaw as many as four weeks led the unequal struggle against the invaders, but the forces were unequal, and the capital fell.Almost immediately, the city is formed underground movement to fight the invaders.Gathering his strength, the Protestants of the Regional Army, as well as several hundred people from the Army Ludovit decided in 1944 to revolt.
armed parties
Warsaw Regional District Army numbered about 30 000 soldiers, which was almost twice as much as the Germans.But good weapons have virtually no Protestants.They had only 657 machines, about 47 guns, 2,629 rifles, 50,000 grenades and a little more than 2500 pistols.For such a large number of army that was very little.We can say that the militia decided to fight with bare hands with a powerful regular army of Germans.
Germany, start again to retreat under the pressure of Soviet troops, and then changed its decision and set a goal of retaining defense of Warsaw by pulling for it in the city and outskirts of a large number of weapons.Thus, the German group consisted of 600 self-propelled guns and tanks, about 1158 guns and mortars, and somewhere 52 thousand soldiers.
In Warsaw itself with Protestants fought policemen company:
- Cossack battalion as part of 69;
- Cavalry 3rd Battalion;
- Russian 29th Division of the SS;
- division Muslim regiment;
- Ukrainian battalion of policemen;
- Russian Liberation People's Army (RONA) Kaminski;
- Regiment Azerbaijanis.
political situation
While in Poland, there were two opposing political camps.The first - the Lublin Committee, which was set up by the Soviet authorities in the town of Chelm at the end of July 1944.It was assumed that in the course of hostilities Poles, who supported this government, subject to the general military command.After the war, the committee had to take control of the country itself.
an opposite force was acting the Polish government, which from the beginning of the war, emigrated to London.It considers itself the only legitimate authority.Poland's brief history says that this government is the coordinator of the Polish insurgency, including the Territorial Army.The main aim of S. Mikolajczyk was to liberate Warsaw from the home before the arrival of Soviet power, that after the war there was an independent Poland.1944 was decisive for these purposes.
Each of the camps wanted, in fact, one and the same - the liberation from German occupation.But if the committee saw the future of Lublin in Poland under Soviet protectorate, the London government has focused more on the West.
Counterstrike Germans and the defense of the old town
After the Germans oklemalis and received reinforcements, began a large-scale and ruthless suppression of the Warsaw Uprising.The invaders threw the barricades, the rebels who helped build civilians, tanks and equipment.Ahead of the occupants were forced to go unarmed people, and themselves stood behind them.House, where presumably entrenched guerrillas blew up with the tenants are there.According to preliminary estimates in the first week of the uprising, killing about 50,000 civilians.It can be said that the map of Warsaw, was less than in the two regions, as they razed.
militia were driven back to the Old City, where they were the main force.Due to the narrow streets, basements and tunnels Poles desperately fought for each house.On the south side of the outpost was the cathedral, which lasted two weeks, while using his bomber completely destroyed.In the north, 10 days were fighting for hospital Yang God.Krasiński palace that was located to the west of the local defense region, lasted the longest, so that about 5,000 rebels using the underground tunnels of the palace, moved to other districts of Warsaw.
August 28 made another counterattack, almost all the old guerrilla forces in the area were destroyed.Wounded soldiers Germans ruthlessly crushed by tanks.But those who were taken prisoner, about 2,000 soldiers, killed and burned.September 2nd defense of the old town was completely suppressed.
Aviasnabzhenie
Even before the uprising, the Polish government has requested help to Protestants necessary weapons.So, in early August British aircraft carried out several sorties.A larger number of aircraft were destroyed by invaders, some went back to the base.Only a few managed to transporters fly to Warsaw and lose weight.Due to the high altitude of the ammunition fell to the Germans, and only a small number of protesters reached.Significantly affect the situation it will not be.
US Air Force commanders asked the Soviet Union for permission to land their aircraft in the USSR for further supply of Poles.The request was rejected.Reasons given each party interpreted differently.Stalin declared that the Warsaw uprising - is a gamble, and he does not want to take any part in it.
Soviet aviation began supporting rebels somewhere from 13 September.Due to the release of ammunition from a low altitude, the effectiveness of such assistance has been more significant than the Anglo-American.Since that time, the Soviet planes made more than a hundred sorties over Warsaw.
middle phase of the uprising
September 9 Bor-Komorowski makes the first attempt to negotiate with the Germans to surrender.Those in response to promise to consider Territorial Army soldiers prisoners of war.At the same time, Soviet troops made an offensive by which the Germans had to withdraw beyond the Vistula, burning the bridges behind them.Hoping for the further advance of the troops, the Poles still refuse to surrender and continue their armed uprising.But on September 14 the Soviet troops stopped again.Thus, the rebellion in complete blockade and the limited amount of supplies beginning to fade.
For the rebels in mid-September was fixed just a few areas.Throughout the city there was a struggle for every house and every piece of land.The Polish part of the army attempted to cross the river Vistula, leaving about five battalions managed to get.Unfortunately, the techniques and instruments are not able to ship, so it was kind of a gamble.September 23 superior enemy forces threw the parts back.Loss of Polish soldiers were approximately 4,000 fighters.Later, the soldiers of these parts were marked by the Soviet command awards for heroic struggle.
defeat and capitulation
remaining without the support of the Protestants had long resisted.Since September 24, the German troops launched an attack on Mokotów, which was defended by only three days.September 30 occupiers broke last pockets of resistance in Zoliborz.Bor-Komorowski October 1 ordered a cease-fire, and the next day received the terms of surrender, which was almost immediately breached by the German invaders.Thus ended the Warsaw uprising.
During the fighting Poles rebel army lost about 20,000 soldiers, 15,000 more were captured.Loss of civilians according to various estimates range from 150 000 to 200 000 people.Another 700,000 Poles forced out of Warsaw.German losses were as follows: 17 000 killed, 5,000 wounded, 300 tanks.It was also destroyed several hundred cars and two dozen guns.The liberation of Warsaw was only three and a half months - January 17, 1945.This whole period up to the entrance of Soviet troops the Germans systematically destroyed the historical and cultural heritage of the capital of Poland.Also invaders expelled civilians to concentration camps and forced labor in Germany.
Warsaw uprising with all the ambiguity of different treatments is one of the most tragic events of the Second World War and the difficult period for the Polish people.The brutality of the Germans in the crackdown passed all bounds.German Empire, to feel close to the end, I decided to take it out on the Poles, sweeping Warsaw to the ground, together with a large number of its inhabitants.Unfortunately, serious politicians and people who have the power, never considered with the lives of ordinary people, and especially Bole their opinion.Let each such period of history, like the Warsaw uprising, will teach humanity to negotiate with each other and appreciate the peaceful life.
