Warsaw ghetto uprising remembered 15 Apr 2008 (00:01:21m)
Mark Edelman passed away on October 2, 2009.
Today marks the 68th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The final Jewish action took place on April 19th, 1943 on the eve of Passover. In a desperate attempt to prevent the Nazis from making further deportations of Jews to the death camps, young Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto fought against overwhelming odds - to their death.
With few weapons the Jewish fighters were able to resist for 11 days, until German reinforcements were called in an effort to put an end to the Uprising. Over 2,000 SS and and German troops backed by Panzer and police units converged in the Warsaw Ghetto, and pummeled the Jewish resistance with the full force of Nazi firepower.
There were only 500 Jewish fighters from the ZOB, and approximately 250 from other Jewish fighting groups. The Jews were found to have had only 7 Polish rifles, 1 Russian rifle, 1 German rifle, 59 pistols, several hundred home-made grenades, several hundred incendiary explosives, and ammunition. Despite the formidable power of the Nazi arsenal, German troops could not quash the Jewish Uprising and after 2 days of vicious fighting, Stroop ordered that the Ghetto be burned to the ground.
The Nazis systematically razed the Ghetto to the ground building by building, block by block, and rounded up or executed any Jew that they could capture. The Jewish resistance all but ceased on April 23rd and the Nazi operation officially ended in mid-May, culminating in the complete destruction of the Great Synagogue of Warsaw on May 16th. More than 56,065 people were killed on the spot, according to Nazi reports, and most were deported to concentration camps and the death camp at Treblinka.
The Great Synagogue in Warsaw, circa 1910
Stroop, observing the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto
The Aftermath of the Destruction of Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was one of the largest ghettos in Poland during World War II. It was created on October 16, 1940, and located within the territory designated by the Nazi's as the "General Gouvernement". Governor-General Hans Frank was appointed this region in which he instituted the deportations and deaths of millions of Jews from Warsaw, and outlying districts. The total population of the Warsaw Ghetto quickly reached over 400,000 Jews, and comprised about 30% of the population of Warsaw. A month later the Ghetto was sealed by brick walls, topped with barbed wire, and armed guards deployed at all entrances. Any Jews caught while trying to escape were shot on the spot. Typhus and starvation took the lives of over a hundred thousand Jews, and many more were deported to labor camps and worked to death. Between July 23 and September 21, 1942 over 254,000 Jews were deported to Treblinka death camp and exterminated.
The Judenrat was appointed by the Nazis to deal with the daily administration of the Ghetto. Among the members were 24 Jews, headed by Adam Czerniakow. Their duties included was the selection of Jews for deportation to the "work camps". They passively complied with Nazi directives not knowing the true fate of their compatriots. When Czerniakow finally became aware of the purpose of these transports, he could not bear the fact that he had been complicit in the murder of his own people. He committed suicide in July 1942.
On July 28, 1942 a meeting took place in the Warsaw Ghetto among the divisions of the youth movements, Ha-Shomer, Ha-Za’ir, and Dror with the objective of forming a resistance to fight the Nazis. They were known as the Jewish Fighting Organization; in Yiddish - the YKA or Yidishe-Kamf-Organizatsie; in Polish it was called ZOB: Zydowska Organizacja Bojowa. The members signed proclamations, written in Polish. Command leaders consisted of Bresler, Cukierman, Zivia Lubetkin, Mordecai Tenenbaum and Josef Kaplan. They organized a delegation of young Jewish members, which included Tosia Altman, Plotnicka, Leah Perlstein, and Arie Jrek Wilner, to be sent to the Aryan side (that is, outside the ghetto), with the mission of contacting the Polish underground for assistance, and for the procurement of weapons.When the ZOB was created, the only weapon in the ghetto at the time was merely one pistol. Among various other splinter Jewish fighting groups in the Warsaw Ghetto was the ZZW (Zydowski Zwlazek Wojskowy), the Jewish Military Union. Over the following two years this group formed cells throughout Poland including Lwow, Lublin and Stanislawow.
The ZOB took their first action against the Nazis on January 18, 1943 when the Germans entered the Ghetto to set up another deportation. The ZZW also fought, using weapons supplied to them from the Safety Corpus of the Polish Home Army. The weapons consisted of 3 heavy machine guns, 15 automatic guns, 750 grenades, 7 rifles, and 100 handguns. At the start of the Jewish Uprising, an additional cache of weapons were obtained which included 4 machine guns, 1 light machine gun, 11 automatic guns, 50 handguns, and 300 grenades. When the Germans entered the Warsaw Ghetto to round up more Jews for "deportation" they were surprised by the attack and retreated. The Jews were a force to contend with.
The ZOB also had some support from the Polish resistance, having received a number of munitions. A few Polish resistance fighters from the AK even entered the ghetto and joined their Jewish compatriots in the battle against the Nazis. Initially, the Jewish resistance was successful because the Germans had stopped deportations after four days. The Jews had taken control of the Ghetto, built bunkers and fighting posts and battled against the Jewish collaborators, including the Jewish Ghetto Police.
HEROES OF THE WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING
Mordechai Anielewitz
Commander of the ZOB, Jewish Fighting Organization
Commander of the ZOB, Jewish Fighting Organization
Aharon Bryskin
Tosia Altman
Icchak Cukierman
Maurycy Orzech
Ester Altenberg
Simcha Rotem
Berl Braude
Malka-Mania Alterman
Genia Bar
Israel Moshe Bojm
Avraham Blum Abrasza
Hirsh Berlinski
Pola Ester
Dvora Baran
Emmanuel Ringelblum
Itzhak Katzenelson
Shmuel Braslav
Yitzhak Blaustein
Zivia Lubetkin
Yitzhak Gitterman
Yakov Chaim Meir Aleksandrovic
Tama Schneiderman
Frumka Plotnicka
Suggested Links:
Jews Under Occupation by Stefan Korbonski (selected excerpts of book The Polish Underground State)
was one of the most ferocious, bloodiest battles in history. It marked the final major offensive of World War II which lasted from April 16, 1945 to May 2, 1945, Soviet troops advanced towards the German stronghold from the east. south and north annihilating everything in their path. More than 2.5 million Soviet troops, 6,250 tanks, 7,500 aircraft, 41,600 artillery pieces pounded German defensive positions into oblivion. On the German
defensive were 1 million troops, 1,500 tanks, 3,300 aircraft, and 10,400 pieces of artillery. By the end of the fighting the Soviets had killed over 458,080 German soldiers and taken another 479,298 as prisoners. By comparison, the Soviets lost 81,116 KIA, or MIA, and 280,251 WIA. Soviet materiel losses amounted to 3,300 tanks, 2,108 artillery pieces and 917 aircraft.
's 2nd Belorussian Front, which would position itself on the northern flank, and thereby protect Zhukov
's 1st Belorussian Front
, which was to spearhead the attack on Berlin itself, in conjunction with Konev
's 1st Ukrainian Front located just to the south. The 4th Ukrainian Front
and 9th Armies
in the north, and Army Group Centre consisting of the 4th Panzer
and 12th Armies in the south. Within Berlin itself were about forty Volkssturm
Battalions, the 1st 'Berlin' Flak Division, a few engineer Battalions and 'Police' Battalions.
which covered a distance of approximately 50 miles. 
were three towers located at Friedrichshain, Humboldthain and the Zoo, each having elevated platforms for the anti-aircraft Batteries. Each tower had the capacity to contain 8 gun Batteries of 128mm each, and were completely bomb and shell proof.
planned the demolition of all 483 bridges within Berlin in order to slow the Russian advance however the plan was undertaken only in stages to allow themselves some degree of maneuverability.
crossed the autobahn ring headed towards the northeastern part of the city; the 3rd Shock Army reached the suburb of Weissensee and the 5th Shock Army headed for Hohenschönhausen. In the meantime, the 56th Panzer Corps had retreated to the Köpenick-Marzahn area and as a result lost lines of communication with the 9th Army to its southeast. By the evening of the 21st of April, the encirclement of Berlin was complete. Elements of the 3rd Guards Tank Army
, Wenck, to leave its positions behind the Elbe. Despite the order, Wenck considered that his primary task was to assist any other German forces which were bidding a hasty retreat westwards.
was attacking Oranienburg, while the 61st Army crossed the Oder-Havel Canal at Friedrichsthal and the 47th Army crossed the Havel at Hennigsdorf and then veered southwards enveloping the western perimeter of the city.
, Commander of the 3rd Guards Tank Army
Division were added. In the midst of heavy fire in the early afternoon the Soviets were able to construct a pontoon bridge across the canal making it possible for Russian troops to cross. Rapid advancements were made also by the 8th Guards and 1st Guards Tank Army breaking through the outer obstacle belt of the city perimeter defence lines thus reaching the southern districts of Dahlwitz and Rahnsdorf. At this point they ran straight into units of Konev's 3rd Guards Tank Army. Zhukov became aware for the first time that 1st Ukrainian Fronts had also advanced into Berlin.
was appointed as overall commander in charge of the Berlin defence zone. At the same time, armoured columns of the 2nd Belorussian Front were winding their way around the city to the north, while the 1st Ukrainian Front were advancing along the west side of city to meet them. By noon on the 25th of April, tanks from Zhukov's and Konev's units met having completed the encirclement of Berlin
. And with the meeting of American and Russian troops
at Torgau, on the Elbe - Germany was cut in half. 
unit. By nightfall, the 3rd Panzer Army was forced to withdraw from its positions in the west of the city along the Uecker River. The Hitlerjugend Volkssturm
.
managed to hold out to the very end.
winded their way through the backyards and alleys. In the event that the Soviets met with strong resistance from the Germans, the Soviets would mobilize their artillery and demolish the entire building to the ground.
and crossing the Spree they caught their first glimpse of the Reichstag Building.
5th SS Mountain
, 5th Corps and 21st Panzer Division
broke through the Soviet line in a desperate attempt to reach Wenck's 12th Army in the western vicinity. As the Germans retreated
they destroyed all unessential pieces of equipment. They proceeded towards the bridges over the Dahme River, near Prieros and made the crossing together with thousands of refugees.
. A pontoon bridge was assembled across the canal in order to send support weapons.
however their initial assault came under heavy fire. The unit soon after resumed their attack with the addition of several heavy tanks and attempted to break through the heavy barricade set up at the southern end of the bridge but again came under heavy fire from anti-tank guns, as well as a few tanks from the 11th SS Panzer Battalion and guns of the Zoo Flak tower. They succeeded in getting across during the third attack, and set up a bridgehead in the Diplomatic Quarter.
- the 5th Shock Army's 94th Guards Rifle Division captured the Charité Hospital-the 266th Guards Rifle Division had crossed the Spree and captured Museum Island and the Dom Cathedral - units of the 32nd Rifle Corps launched an attack across the Spree while the 60th Guards and 416th Rifle Division's captured Schloss Berlin, the old Royal Palace and the 295th Rifle Division captured the Reichsbank.
had committed suicide
and by 17:00 hours the German Command began to contact Russian Command in order to negotiate a surrender. However fighting still continued elsewhere - the 207th Rifle Division positioned in the area of the Reichstag
had cleared the Kroll Opera House during the morning and attacks continued until almost midday. While the initial attack was repulsed by the Germans it was followed by a second massive barrage in the afternoon accompanied by tanks. But that too was met with fierce resistance from the Zoo flak tower
had fought desperately to reach the environs of the Reichstag
of the 150th Rifle Division's Red Banner No.5 found their way to the rear of the building and took the stairwell to the roof. At about 23:00 hours they hoisted their banner at the pinnacle of the Reichstag, just before the much anticipated May Day festivities in Moscow.
as soon as possible. The 56th Panzer Corps broadcast their surrender by radio, and it was received by the 79th Guards Rifle Division at 22:40 hours. The German envoy was received at the Bendlerstrasse Bridge in the early hours of the morning and taken to the HQ of the 47th Guards Rifle Division. The envoy was instructed that the offer would be accepted and all German troops were to begin their surrender at 07:00 hours on May 2nd. All fighting had to end by 13:00 the same day.
was attacked by elements of the 9th Rifle Corps and captured. Konev's 1st Ukranian Front began to withdraw from the city and move south to participate in the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
left no doubt as to the outcome of the war. The Soviets held an overwhelming advantage and superiority in both numbers and materiel. The victor was evident before the battle ever came to a close however Hitler and his henchmen were incapable of grasping this reality and chose to continue fighting causing undue heavy losses and misery upon German forces and civilians in Berlin.
.
, which led the charge into the Reichstag
" for their actions in Berlin.
marked the end of conflict on the eastern front. Although the Allies won the war, victory came at an enormous cost - the catastrophic loss of human lives and the virtual swath of destruction throughout the greater part of the world. And then, with bated breath, the world watched as eastern European states including Poland, became engulfed behind the Iron Curtain - its people subjected to decades of brutal repression, arrests, and murder at the hands of the Soviet government
.
.
