Polish Greatness (Blog) is devoted to promoting Polish History, and gives tribute to the Polish Armed Forces past and present for their Courage, Honour and Sacrifices.
At dawn today, without preliminary artillery fire, German troops made a surprise attack on Polish positions located in Zoliborz, and have seized the "Zgoda", a large housing cooperative situated on Slowackiego Street. The attacks were followed by another barrage of strong artillery fire against Gdanska Street and Wilsona Square. Amid the maelstorm insurgents managed to establish contact with members of the 1st Army of the Polish Armed Forces. By midday fierce battles ensued for control of individual houses along the lower part of Mickiewicza and Krasinskiego Streets. Meanwhile several Polish troops were scheduled to evacuate to the right bank of the Vistula in the afternoon and had begun their retreat upon the orders of their commander, Lt. Col. Mieczyslaw Niedzielski "Zywiciel". However bad weather has made it impossible for them to make the crossing. Some Polish troops attempted to force their way through but were stopped.
Col. "Wachnowski"
Amid the fighting negotations have been underway since early this morning for a cease-fire and the evacuation of civilians. Upon the orders of General Komorowski "Bor", Col. Karol Ziemski “Wachnowski” and Lt. Jerzy Kaminski “Scibor” have been appointed to negotiate with General Erich von dem Bach, and General Kaellner, the commander of the 19th armored division regarding the cessation of operations in Zoliborz.
At 5:00 p.m. Col. “Wachnowski” relayed the terms of capitulation to Lt. Col. “Zywiciel” and at around 6 p.m. the district of Zoliborz surrendered. For the next five hours members of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army) troops have laid down their weapons, and marched to Pionier Park in Powazki under German escort.
Polish emissaries have been negotiating with General Bach in his headquarters in Ozarow for the past couple of days concerning the terms of capitulation and the issue of evacuation of civilians from Srodmiescie. The Polish delegation was able to obtain consent for a cease-fire between 5:00 am and 7:00 pm on October 1st and 2nd during which over 200,000 Polish civilians will be evacuated. The Germans have established five specific points as the evacuation routes - at the western entries of Grzybowska, Panska, Piusa and Sniadeckich Streets at the Institute of Technology, and also in Aleje Jerozolimskie Street.
Since the Uprising began, General von dem Bach Zelewski had approached the Poles on three occasions with surrender proposals, terms which included guarantees and assurances of formal status of combattant rights to the insurgents. Despite the agreement, about 150 insurgents were shot today when they emerged from the sewers. They had been travelling underneath Warsaw and as fate would have it mistakenly merged in the district of Mokotow Sector, which is now in German hands.
Eric von dem Bach
Throughout the Uprising, hundreds of thousands of Poles have been killed, many of them civilians. Upon Himmlers orders, General Geibel had carried out mass murder of countless men, women and children. German soldiers of the Kampfgruppe Reinefarth would routinely surround houses, blocks and streets with the objective of killing as many people as possible. They shot through windows, entrances to houses, and threw grenades. Nobody was spared, all the young, the old, the sick and wounded were massacred on the spot. Houses were set on fire and people were burned alive in their own homes. Gasoline was poured on piles of corpses in the streets and set on fire. In one area, 18 women, all of whom were nurses, were taken and shot. One woman who had just given birth to her child was raped by 8 SS men. She died from the brutal trauma.
Polish Intelligentsia Rounded Up and Blindfolded by Nazis before Execution 1940 Photo taken secretly by Polish Underground (in Palmiry)
Insurgents Executed - Warsaw Uprising
German soldiers conducted mass execution of Polish hostages in Palmiry in retaliation for an attack on a Nazi police station by the underground organization "White Eagle"
Today, SS Senior Colonel Dirlewanger was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross for his action against Warsaw, in particular for horrendous massacre of Poles in the districts of Wola and Ochota on August 4th. In the span of a few days the infamous SS Dirlewanger troops and SS RONA brigade slaughtered from 40,000 to 100,000 civilians and POWs, many of them women and children. Although German Command publicly disapproved of the barbaric methods used by Dirlewanger and his troops, he was nevertheless awarded with the highest of honours. German Command also bestowed honours to SS Heinz Reinefarth who received oak leaves to his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Reinfarth participated in the Wola Massacres and has been responsible for many other atrocities recently committed in the districts of Powisle and Czerniakow including the murder of POWs and wounded insurgents in hospital.
General "Bor"
At the end of September General Bor sent this message simultaneously to the Polish Prime Minister and the Commander in Chief in London, “The food situation for the army and civilian population is catastrophic. For some time we have not been eating enough, and within a few days the rest of the stock will be exhausted. We are facing famine, complete exhaustion, and epidemic. Mortality among the children is still on the upswing, case of death from starvation are occurring among adults. The Uprising will collapse for lack of food...”
Despite appeals for assistance, and the frequency of urgent radio message, there was no action taken by Britain or United States. Throughout the Uprising, there have been over 6,600 messages either received or transmitted. It amounts to 104 messages per day. Most of the demands have been for allied air assistance. However, sources indicate that a second relief flight coded Operation Frantic 8 is being planned by the Americans. Clearance was received just today from the Russian authorities, and cargo is in its last stages of preparation. The flight is scheduled for October.
General Bor, as the commander of the Armia Krajowa has fought tirelessly to defend Warsaw and Poland from the German onslaught, but with the battle now having been lost, the next most grave concern is the future of Poland's independence and sovereignty. It will be a fight to the very last hour. Bor also stated his message that “The fighting insurgents and the community expect concrete decisions; not only assistance for Warsaw, but also a clear statement on ways of recovering Poland’s independent existence and sovereignty threatened by the aggressive policy of the Soviet Union...”There has been no comment by either American or British officials.
The BBC in London has reported that Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski has resigned, and that the Polish President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz has appointed General Tadeusz Komorowski “Bor” Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces.
In Zoliborz last night another group of soldiers of the 6th infantry regiment crossed the Vistula, strengthening the beachhead seized in Kepa Potocka (“Potocki Woods”). But only today did the commander of Zoliborz, Lt. Col. Mieczyslaw Niedzielski “Zywiciel” learn of the presence of soldiers from the 6th infantry regiment on the left bank of the Vistula. Cut off, the decimated defenders of the Czerniakow Beachhead continue to repel enemy’s attacks. Fierce battles continue for individual houses on Wilanowska, Idzkowskiego and Solec Streets.
Mieczyslaw Niedzielski Zywiciel
Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army General “Bor” has given the order to reorganize the insurgent units of the Home Army into regular units of the Polish Army. The Warsaw Corps of the Home Army (Polish: Warszawski Korpus Armii Krajowej) was created under the command of Brigadier General Antoni Chrusciel "Monter". Monter was promoted to General on September 14, 1944). His second-in-command is Col. Karol Ziemski “Wachnowski.”
The three infantry divisions have joined the Corps: the 8th infantry division, called the “Romualda Traugutta”, formed from units fighting in Zoliborz and in the Kampinowski Forest, under the command of Lt. Col. “Zywiciel”; the 10th infantry division, called the “Macieja Rataja”, formed from units fighting in Mokotow, under the command of Lt. Col. Jozef Rokicki “Karol”; and the 28th infantry division, called the “Stefana Okrzei”, formed from units fighting in Srodmiescie, under the command of Col. Franciszek E. Pfeiffer “Radwan.” Initially Polish troops were divided into eight areas of Warsaw, but General Monter has consolidated them into the three zones still held by Polish insurgents. Individual regiments have retained their numbering from 1939as well as the regiment names that have long been established.
The Home Army Headquarters and District Headquarters has released the names of Polish officers in an effort to abandon any secrecy and thus save them from execution after capitulation. The names will be reported in tomorrow's insurgent press.
During the day fighting continued. Polish insurgents obtained additional supplies from allied airdrops as well as having captured valuable material from the enemy (including several armoured vehicles, most notably two Panther tanks and two SdKfz.251 APCs. Despite the shortage of weapons and ammunition, insurgents' workshops have been producing home-made makeshift weapons since the start of the Uprising: weapons include submachine guns. K pattern flamethrowers, grenades, mortars, and even an armoured car, named Kubus.
POLISH INSURGENTS CAPTURE GERMAN TANK
PRODUCTION OF GRENADES
ASSEMBLY OF MACHINE GUNS
POLISH HOME ARMY DISARMS UNEXPLODED GERMAN BOMB
Lt. John Ward
Lt. John Ward is a British solider, and member of the Armia Krajowa. Since the start of the Uprising he has been dispatching secret radio messages to London in the hopes that the Allies would provide them not only with arms and ammunition but military assistance as well. Despite several supply missions to Warsaw most of the containers fell into German hands.
A large formation of Liberators flew over Warsaw yesterday afternoon and dropped many containers with arms, ammunition and food. Unfortunately a large proportion fell outside the Polish lines and fell into German hands. The first direct help that they had seen from the Allies evoked enormous enthusiasm amongst the civil population and the armed forces. Disregarding the shrapnel bursts over the city, people ran out into the streets and courtyards to get their first view of Allied aircraft. It must be borne in mind that previous deliveries had been during the night so that the planes had been invisible.
Addressed to Colonel P… Sir, owing to loss of personnel due to enemy action and the destruction of the radio station I have been unable to send messages during two days. I believe that from now on work will go forward normally. The food situation in Warsaw is critical. The only water available is from freshly dug wells. Epidemics are beginning to appear. An enormous percentage of the population is wounded, and many killed. I am, Sir your obedient servant.... Am officially informed that Home Army forces captured written orders giving the number of armed forces that were to be used against the Old Town area in Warsaw on the 19th August. Details as follows: Ten battalions of infantry, two battalions of engineers, one company of nine 'Tiger' tanks, twenty 75 mm. self-propelled guns, fifty 'Goliath' mobile tanks, six 75 mm. guns, two mortars 280 mm. calibre, two 380 mm. guns, one 600 mm, mortar, one platoon of mine-throwers and a number of flame-throwers, one armoured train with eighteen heavy machine guns and a battery of 105 mm. guns.
These forces were used to begin the attack on the Old Town on August 19th and that district was defended until September 2nd. It should also be borne in mind that German planes bombed the district from five to twelve times daily.
The Germans are showing greater activity in the north riverside district end. The German positions in the city have been bombed by Soviet planes as has also the Okecie airfield on the outskirts of the city, where the runway was completely put out of action by heavy Soviet bombs, some German planes destroyed and some hangars set on fire. One Soviet plane was observed to be shot down over Warsaw today by German anti-aircraft artillery. Polish Home Army forces destroyed twenty-four enemy tanks during the period September 13th to 16th.
Reinefarth’s SS units continue their murderous rampage in Wola while Polish insurgent battalions Parasol and Zoska continue to put up a very strong defense against German fire power. The citizens of Warsaw have endured unimaginable persecution. Reports have come in that the gangs belonging to the SS Dirlewanger have arrested and shot Polish families, including the elderly and children, in house to house searches. They have stormed into hospitals killing patients and medical staff. Several patients were burned alive in their beds. More than 15,000 civilians have been slaughtered in the past two days. The scenes are horrific and macabre. But the brutal Nazi suppression has not deterred the AK, and the Poles are as determined as ever to free their beloved city. Meanwhile, Polish civilians have set up a barricades in City Centre Sector, an area which remains the only connecting passage between the northern and southern parts of Warsaw.
Lao Che - Barykada (Wola) (00:04:03m)
Kutschera Dead
The Parasol battalion is famous for its many military actions in the years 1943-1944. Among their missions they have organized several assassinations targeting high-level Gestapo officers and Nazi German officials. Many of their attempts were successful. Their most famous plan, called Operation Kutschera, called for the execution of Franz Kutschera, SS and Police leader in the Warsaw District. He was gunned down in February 1944 right in front of Warsaw SS Headquarters. Kutschera was given a death sentence by the Court of the Polish Underground State for crimes committed against the Polish nation, in particular the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of Polish civilians. The execution order was given by Polish Brigadier General Emil August Fieldorf (pseudonym Nil) the commander of KeDyw Battalion and was approved by the Polish government in exile in London. The execution was carried out by members of the Szare Szeregi.
Nazi Bulletin announcing Death of 100 Polish hostages
The Germans have tightly reinforced their positions on the avenue linking Old Town and Centre City Sector and the entire zone is heavily fortified with machine guns, artillery and armoured trains. The Old Town is cut off from Zoliborz sector, and the open fields between these two sectors are under German command. The Old Town sector, still in Polish hands has been reduced to approximately a two square mile zone and has been completely encircled by Germans forces. In the afternoon Polish units under the command of Maj. Stanislaw Steczhowkski (pseudoynm Zagonczyk) launched a counterattack on Mirowski Square but by evening enemy forces had pushed them back to Grzybowska Street and Grzybowski Square. Meanwhile, Col. Karol Ziemski "Wachnowski" commander of the North Group has organized the defence of the Old Town. Faced with fierce enemy fire his unit was unable to get through to Zoliborz.Insurgents began construction today of a trench and barricade to cover the crossing of Aleje Jerozolimskie from the north to the south, that is from the house at No. 20 to that at No. 17. It will provide secure contact between troops from the two parts of Srodmiescie, as well as an escape route for civilians. German fire is very heavy coming from the Gospodarstwa and the Main Rail Station.
Soldiers from Gustaw Battalion use trench crossing Aleje Jerozolimskie 1944
Lt.John Ward, a British soldier and member of the Armia Krajowa has dispatched the first of what will be a series of special secret to London reporting on conditions in Warsaw. Here is what Ward had to say:At 5 p.m. yesterday German tanks of 'Tiger' type came through streets of Warsaw with women captured in houses specially for purpose tied on to prevent action from Polish troops. One tank was destroyed by means of petrol bottles owing to lack of anti-tank guns. Warsaw has excellent chances and the greatest part of the City is in Polish hands. Please send us weapons and ammunition as soon as possible.
Polish insurgents listening to Underground radio reports
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.
