Warsaw Uprising 1944: August 11 - German Attacks Break Polish Resistance

Polish Defenders of Warsaw

Units of Armia Krajowa continue to fight fiercely against the German troops from the area of Wola to the Old Town. The last Polish units from Ochota have left their posts for City Centre. At dawn Reinefarth's units under the cover of heavy artillery, aircraft, tanks and mortars have attacked insurgent positions in the Old Town. The raw force of German fire power has not diminished the will of the Polish insurgents to fight despite enormous odds. In an effort to quash the Uprising, the Germans have engineered a new weapon in their arsenal – the Goliath. It is a small remote-controlled demolition vehicle which the Allies have dubbed the "beetle tank" owing to its small size - just 11.4 centimeters. However there are indications that this contraption is not without obvious limitations. It advances at a snails pace of just above 6 mph (or 9.5 km/hr) and its thin armour and exposed command cables make it vulnerable to anti-tank fire.

Allied planes made another airdrop of weapons and ammunition over Warsaw during the night but due to poor visibility and inaccurate co-ordinates the containers landed in enemy territory. Insurgents were able to recover only about 20 percent of the containers. Over the past two weeks several previous missions ended disastrously as allied planes carrying supplies for Warsaw were shot down by enemy fighter planes. Most of the missions are being flown by Polish squadrons, in particular No. 1586 the Polish Special Duty Squadron, as well as teams of Canadian, British and South African squadrons.

Goliath

German units launched a direct general attack at Okopowa Street, amid the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto and sprawling cemeteries. German fire power is relentless and insurgents have had to retreat. Troops commanded by Lt. Col. Jan Mazurkiewicz "Radoslaw" retreated towards Stawski Street amidst very heavy losses.

Graves of Polish fighters line the streets Warsaw Aug 1944

German troops attacked the Old Town from Mariensztat and the ruins of the Castle, and from Teatralny Square.  In addition to daily air bombing, the Old Town is being hit hard by German artillery fire from the Praga bank of the Vistula.  Ochota was the last point of Polish resistance. The “Wawelska Redoubt” has collapsed.

Troops commanded by Sec. Lt. Jerzy Gołembiewski(pseudonym “Stach”) have retreated through the sewers and are heading for Srodmiescie and Mokotow. Units of the RONA have captured Ochota and are advancing down Aleje Jerozolimskie Street towards Starynkiewicza Square.


Lt. John Ward, a British soldier and member of the AK is reporting on the daily events during the Uprising. In a dispatch sent to London today, this is what he wrote:

Despite all efforts of AK the Germans are continuing their ruthless terror methods. In many cases they have burnt whole streets of houses and have shot all the men belonging to them and turned the women and children out into the street, where battles are taking place, to find their way to safety. In Krolewska Street many private houses have been bombed out. One house was hit by four separate bombs. In one house where lived old, retired professors of Polish universities, the SS troops forced an entrance and killed many of them. Some succeeded in escaping through the cellars to the other houses. The morale of AK and the civil population is of the highest standard. The watch-word: Death to the Germans.

The German tank forces during last night made determined efforts to relieve some of their strong-points in the city. This is no light task, however; on the corner of every street are built huge barricades mostly constructed of concrete pavement slabs torn up from the streets especially for this purpose. In most cases the attempts failed, so the tanks' crews vented their disappointment by setting fire to several houses and shelling others from a distance. In many cases they also set fire to the dead, who litter the streets in many places. They have begun to have a great respect for the Polish barricade, for they know that behind each one wait determined troops of AK with petrol bottles. The same petrol bottles that have caused the destruction of so many of their comrades.

Weapons of special types are badly needed inside the area limited by Jerozolimska Avenue – Emilia Plater – Noakowski – August 6th Street – Mokotowska – Three Crosses Square – Bracka. Anti-tank weapons-grenades, rifles, machine guns, pistols, ammunition. Note: Anti-tank weapons are specially important. At the moment there is no means of engaging tanks at a distance greater than 15 yards.

German advance

German SS in Old Town District of Warsaw

Polish Insurgents Warsaw Uprising

Warsaw Uprising 1944: August 8 - POLISH GENERAL DEMANDS WEAPONS

General Sosnkowski

The Polish Supreme Commander in Chief in England, General Kazimierz Sosnkowski has issued an order that allied pilots fly irregardless of the weather and possible losses. He sent a wire to Colonel Hancza, Commander of a Polish liaison base in Italy. Part of this message reads as follows: "Because of the situation of the capital and general policy considerations, today's operations to Warsaw (must get through). English maintain that the difficulties indicate impossibility of dropping supplies over Warsaw. We must demonstrate that Polish flights get through. This may have great impact on the prompt initiation of assistance. I told the English: Poles took Monte Cassino, Poles will do impossible in order to help their brothers who fight alone.Signed Supreme Commander Sosnkowski.”



Today Squadron 1586 is flying two Halifax and one Liberator flew to Warsaw with desperately needed supplies. There is no confirmation by AK units on the ground that supplies were retrieved. The pilots have reported that the city of Warsaw is on fire, making it next to impossible to find the find drop zones. Visibility is close to nil as planes had to fly through thick clouds of smoke. Air drops had to be made at very low altitude putting the planes at great risk of being shot down by German anti-aircraft fire. Meanwhile insurgents attempted to destroy a German armoured train but failed. Heavy German artillery fire has destroyed Polish strongholds in Wola, Old Town and Zoliborz. The Old Town district of Warsaw is under heavy fire from every direction and major fires have been set by the Germans destroying many historic buildings. But by evening the Germans have retreated to their original positions.   

 

German Flakvierling 38 anti-aircraft gun Warsaw Uprising

Polish fighters from "Chrobry II" group have captured the building of the Waterworks and Sewage Headquarters in Starynkiewicza Square. Gen. Reinefarth’s units attack the area of the cemeteries.  Reports indcate that insurgents in the Zoliborz district have taken control of the area around the Institute of Chemistry and barracks on Gdanska Street. However in the Ochota district, the situation is grim and desperation is increasing by the hour:  Polish insurgents have had to retreat and have dug a passage from the basement of the building to the sewers. A new Polish regiment has been formed in Kampinos under the command of  Lt. Adolf Pilch “Dolina” called the "Palmiry -Mlociny” regiment.  Among its ranks are troops from the Nalibocka Forest, units of VIII Area of VII District “Obroza”.  The commander of the AK forces in Kampinos, Captain Jozef Krzyczkowski “Szymon” has ordered his unit to retreat westward toward the Janowek-Brzozowka-Roztoka area in order to avoid getting cut off by enemy fire.  
 

German tank enters Wola suburb of Warsaw

German Brennkommando set fire to buildings in Warsaw

The radio station "Błyskawica" began broadcasting today. Its first message was spoken by Zbigniew Swietochowski in which he said,"Hallo, here is Blyskawica speaking! A radio transmitter of the Home Army in Warsaw, on 32.8 and 52.1 meter bands. The spirit of Warsaw is wonderful. The women of Warsaw are wonderful. They are everywhere, in the front line together with soldiers as nurses or liaison officers. Even children are animated by a wonderful spirit of bravery. We greet all freedom-loving people of the world! Polish soldiers who fight in Italy, Polish pilots and mariners." The radio station is located in the building of PKO (Pocztowa Kasa Oszczędności), that is the Postal Savings Bank on 9 Jasna Street. The transmitter was constructed by Antoni Zebik pseudonym "Biegly". Its signal is the melody of Warszawianka. General Bor, Monter and other AK officers have sent a radio message to Soviet Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky's headquarters asking for assistance. As yet there is no reply.  

Warszawianka (00:02:00m)


 

Rokossovky was born in Warsaw when it was part of the Russian Empire. His family comes from the szlachta, that is, Polish nobility - and a long line of cavalry officers. His father was inspector of the Warsaw Railways and his Russian mother had been a teacher. Rokossovsky was orphaned at the age of 14. During the First World War, he had volunteered to enlist in the Russian Army.

A famous incident occurred between Rokossovsky and Stalin during the planning of Operation Bagration. From June 22, 1944 to August 19, 1944 Soviet forces were engaged in the mission to clear German forces from Belorussian SSR and Eastern Poland.



 

Stalin,Vasilevsky and Rokossovsky

 

During the planning stages Rokossovsky had disagreed with Stalin, a move that was considered by many as suicidal. Despite pressure from Stalin to "go and think it over" Rokossovsky refused to cave in and insisted on "two break-throughs, Comrade Stalin, two break-throughs." After a third attempt, Stalin remained silent, walked over to Rokossovsky and put a hand on his shoulder. There was considerable tension in the room as everyone expected Stalin would rip off the epaulettes from Rokossovky's uniform. Uncharacteristically, Stalin supported his decision, and appeared visibly impressed with Rokossovsky's sound judgement. Stalin gave the order to attack according to Rokossovsky's plan. The battle was succesful. Rokossovsky's armies are now making their way towards Warsaw.


 

Warsaw Uprising 1944: August 1 - POLISH HOME ARMY ATTACKS!

At 1:50pm today in Warsaw, Polish insurgents launched an Uprising in Zoliborz in a desperate attempt to liberate the capital city from German hands. Skirmishes broke out simultaneously in various boroughs including City Centre Sector and Wola. Within moments after the first shots were fired, the Poles had broadcast their first radio telegraph message to London stating emphatically “We Are Fighting!”

Plans for the Uprising had been in the works since German and Soviet troops had invaded and partitioned Poland in September 1939. These heroic Polish soldiers have come from every level of society, representing all political ideologies. They are men, women, and even children as young as 8 years old. They share one common goal: to oust the hated Nazi Germans out of Poland. In addition to the Armia Krajowa (the Polish Home Army) there is massive civilian mobilization among Polish engineers, draughtsmen, technicians, scientists, university professors, students, former government officials, artists, priests, manual labourers, and even known criminals. The youngest and the oldest are actively serving as well, albeit doing voluntary guard duty. There are reports of 16 year old insurgents doing guard duty in front buildings. One was bearing only a scythe for a weapon while another young guard was carrying a blunderbuss.

Warsaw 1944: Warsaw Uprising Part I (00:05:28m)

Polish insurgents have been able to destroy one building that was being held by the Germans.  Working in cooperation with the fire-brigade, the insurgents used the motor pumps of the fire-engine to spray flammable liquids on the building, quickly envelopping it in flames. There are no reports on the number of German casualties. Morale among the civilian population and the soldiers of the Armia Krajowa (AK) is at an all-time high. The Polish people of Warsaw have rallied together to assist the AK in building barricades, and anticipate Soviet intervention in a very few short days from now. 

There is every reason to believe that with Soviet assistance, Warsaw will be liberated from the Nazi scourge. Polish fighters launch aggressive attacks against the Germans. Of the major objectives, the insurgents manage to capture the food and uniforms warehouse on Stawki Street, the barracks located in the building of St. Kinga School on Okopowa treet, the Military Geographic Institute on Aleje Jerozolimskie Street, the building of the Municipal Transport Company on the corner of Swietokrzyska and Marszalkowska Streets, the city's highest building, the Prudential, in Napoleon Square, and the Railway Head Office building at Targowa and Wilenska Streets in Praga.  The largest area cleared of enemy forces is the Old Town.  

Unidentified Polish Fighter (Red and White AK armband)

Just days earlier, Radio Moscow had broadcast to Warsaw, calling for a general Uprising. The following is a translation:  
 

Appeal to Warsaw: Fight The Germans!  
 

No doubt Warsaw already hears the guns of the battle which is soon to bring her liberation. Those who have never bowed their heads to the Hitlerite power will again, as in 1939, join battle with the Germans, this time for decisive action. The Polish Army now entering Polish territory, trained in the Soviet Union, is now joined to the People's Army to form the Corps of the Polish Armed Forces, the armed arm of our nation in its struggle for independence. Its ranks will be joined tomorrow by the sons of Warsaw. They will all together, with the Allied Army pursue the enemy westwards, wipe out the Hitlerite vermin from Polish land and strike a mortal blow at the beast of Prussian Imperialism. For Warsaw, which did not yield but fought on, the hour of action has already arrived. The Germans will no doubt try to defend themselves in Warsaw and add new destruction and thousands of victims. Our houses and our parks, our bridges and our railway stations, our factories and public buildings will be turned into defence positions. They will expose the city to ruin and its inhabitants to death. They will try to take away all the most precious possessions and turn into dust all that they have to leave behind. It is, therefore, a hundred times more necessary than ever to remember that in the flood of Hitlerite destruction all is lost that is not saved by active effort; that by direct, active struggle in the streets of Warsaw, in its houses, factories and stores, we not only hasten the moment of final liberation, but also save a Nation's property and the lives of our brothers.  


And at precisely 4:10 this morning the Soviet commander of the Second Armoured Army ordered that by noon today, troops were to take defensive positions outside Praga (a suburb of Warsaw. This occurred an hour before the Poles even fired the first shots.

Polish patriots in Praga District

Soviet plans began as early as July 7, 1944, when the Supreme Headquarters of the Soviet Army had issued an order to Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, commander of the First Byelorussian Front. to begin the advance towards Poland from the north and south and to then surround German forces at Brzesc. From there, they were to continue toward Warsaw. However, a new order was issued by the Soviet Supreme HQ on July 28 calling for an attack in the "general direction" of Warsaw, to be followed by occupation of Praga on August 8 at the very latest. Other orders have been dispatched to the other fronts stationed around Polish territories. Nine Soviet armies including the Soviet-backed 1st Polish army are ready to cooperate in the liberation of Poland. The 1st Polish Army, under the command of Major-General Zygmunt Berling, is now just 11 miles south-east of Warsaw in the area between Deblin and Palawy, and has already established two bridgeheads on the western shore of the Vistula, near Magnuszew. The Soviet forces possess 3 times more soldiers and 5 times more artillery and tanks than the Germans. 

Sources indicate that the 6th Soviet Air Army has about 1,465 combat planes in its fleet. Moreover, just the left wing of the Byelorussian Front has 1,750 tanks as well as self-propelled artillery, 7,600 artillery and mortars and 416,000 soldiers. The total strength of the First Byelorussian Front is estimated to be at 1.5 million soldiers. General Tadeusz Komorowski pseudonym “Bor”, Commander-in-Chief of the Armia Krajowa. has issued the order for the Uprising to begin at 5pm today however because of miscommunication among field units, the Uprising started too early. The Commander of the District of Warsaw, General Antoni Chrusciel, pseudonym Monter, while subordinate to General Bor, has complete command over the activities of the AK, including its logistics and intelligence. The Polish forces are confident that with Allied help, victory is within reach.  

 

General Tadeusz Komorowski

The Germans anticipated just such an Uprising, and made plans to link the 9th and 2nd armies in an effort to quash the Polish resistance. The Armia Krajowa is estimated to have between 36,000 to 40,000 soldiers, however only 2,500 of them are properly armed. By contrast, German troops are under-manned but heavily armed: regular German troops number just 5,000, with an additional 2,000 from the Sentry Regiment Warsaw, and 350 men of the SS reconnaissance regiment. There is an additional 4,000 of Luftwaffe personnel, consisting of 1,000 at Okecie airport, 700 at Bielany, 1,000 in Boemerowo, 300 at Sluzewiec, and 1,000 in anti-air artillery stationed throughout Warsaw.     

The Polish Underground has been stockpiling massive quantities of weapons and ammunition long before the Uprising began, and rely on 4 main storage areas. Two in Warsaw and 2 in Praga. But just a couple of weeks ago German soldiers came across two enormous secret caches of weapons hidden in basements, one stockpile containing over 70,000 hand-grenades, and the other had 450 flame-throwers. According to AK Command, this was only a small portion of their supplies, there being an additional 320,000 grenades hidden in numerous other locations throughout Warsaw. German soldiers immediately flooded the basements destroying all weapons and drowning any Polish insurgents that may have been hiding there at the time.    
 

Polish Resistance - Production of Grenades

Five months ago, during a secret meeting of the Polish Council of National Unity, General Bor, when asked about the military preparedness of the Armia Krajowa, replied tentatively, “Ten percent of the membership.” The AK Commanders are faced not only with lack of sufficient number of soldiers, but a severe shortage of weapons and ammunition. Despite these enormous setbacks, the Poles still hope to defeat the Germans in a few days – a week at the most. At the root of this optimism is the knowledge that the allies will be intervening with military support and armaments. Until then, the AK is confident that it can hold out. An estimation of current reserves reveals that there may be only enough to last for two or three days of fighting. While the Polish insurgents are waiting for military assistance from Great Britain and the Soviet Union, they are making due with the following supplies:: 1,000 guns, 1,750 pistols, 300 submachine guns, 60 assault rifles, 7 heavy machine guns, 20 anti-tank guns, 25,000 hand grenades, 35 bullets per pistol, 300 bullets per machine pistol, 190 pieces of ammunition per carbine, 500 rounds of ammunition for light machine gun, 2,300 rounds of ammunition for heavy machine guns and 50 shells for anti-armour cannon - but there is no cannon.  
 

Polish soldiers from Kolegium A - Kedyw on Stawki Street Wola District

Warsaw Uprising - unexploded shell

Despite the overwhelming support by Poles of the Uprising, there is discontent among insurgents about the shortage of ammunition and weapons. In response General Monter has threatened court-martial to any soldier who merely expresses dissatisfaction. Monter has made every effort to encourage insurgents that weapons can be captured in battles won against the enemy, and to resort to any means necessary, sticks and bricks if need be. In order to compensate for the drastic shortfall, the Polish Underground has been producing makeshift weapons: petrol-filled bottles, for launching at German tanks; improvised flame-throwers, and the most common weapon – home made grenades that are being produced by the thousands in secret workshops. The Poles salvaged unexploded German artillery shells and bombs to produce their hand grenades. In one shop alone, the Polish underground manufactured over 20,000 hand grenades.   



 

Germans Reach Warsaw

September 8, 1939

German troops reached Wola today in the southwestern part of Warsaw but face strong Polish resistance. In the western section of Warsaw, Polish forces led by General Czuma have received 2 infantry divisions supported by 64 pieces of artillery, 33 tanks, 27 Vickers E 7 T-P and R-35, and 6 TK3  and TKS tankettes.  Commander-in-Chief Edward Rydz-Smigly has ordered the creation of Armia Warszawa (Warsaw Army) under Polish General Juliusz Rommel, consisting of the armed forces which defended Warsaw and Modlin Fortress, as well as all Polish units called in from Narew and Vistula. General Czuma continues to be commander of the Warsaw Defence Force which is now split into two units covering the western and eastern sections of Praga suburb.

Despite the increase of Polish defences, the German XVI Panzer Corps was able to capture the suburbs: Grojec, Radziejowice, Nadarzyn, Raszyn and Piaseczno.  Around 5 pm the Panzer division attempted an assault on Warsaw's western borough of Ochota but met with fierce resistance by Polish infantry and civilians. Germans suffered heavy casualties and lost a considerable number of Panzer I and Panzer II tanks. General Czuma broadcast a defiant Order of the Day to the Germans, saying           " We shall fight to the last ditch!"  Over 100,000 Polish civilians in Warsaw are digging trenches and building barricades in the outskirts of the city.

German Panzer 4th Army Division invading Ochota 1939

Germans hiding from Polish attack Ochota 1939

 
The defence units of Warsaw were joined by additional units from the Prusy Army as well as new units created out of the reserves of the Warsaw-based 8th Polish Infantry Division and 36th Academic Legion Infantry Division. 

The Army Poznan under General Kutrzeba and Army Pomorze under General Bortnowski launched fierce offensive on the left flank of German forces advancing towards Warsaw. In doing so, the Poles were able to buy themselves some time to reorganize their defence of Warsaw. The Germans withdrew the 4th Panzer Division and sent it to counter the Polish positions near Kutno, and replaced the 4th Division with a weakened German 31st Infantry Division.

Meanwhile, the German 10th Army are heavily engaged in Radom about 60 miles south of Warsaw.  German troops have advanced rapidly to the west of Radom, and have completely surrounded the 60,000 Polish troops spread out in the region. The German 14th Army has already reached the San River north and south from the city of Przemysl. Other Panzer Divisions are attacking along the line of the  Bug River just east of Warsaw.

A fleet of 5 Curtiss Hawk fighters of the L'Armée de l'air (French Air Force) spotted 5 Me109 German fighter planes and shot down 2 of them in hot pursuit.

In response to escalating German submarine warfare, the British government announced today the broadening of the blockade. In addition,  protected convoy routes for merchant ships have been revived, 2 from Liverpool, 1 from Thames to the Atlantic, and one from the Thames and the Firth of Fourth (an estuary of Scotland's River Forth, which flows into the North Sea).

U.S. President Roosevelt proclaimed today a "limited national emergency".  He cited the war in Europe "imposes on the United States certain duties with respect to the proper observance, safeguarding, and enforcement of it's neutral status", and ordered for the strengthening of national defense within the limits of peacetime authorizations.  All American military forces have been authorized to increase enlisted manpower strength and to recall reservists to active duty.


Link:
Polish Greatness.com