| WARSAW UPRISING |
On August 8 and 9, Churchill pressured Air Marshal Slessor to resume flights, but this time using only Polish crews. The drops were successful and throughout the next week 90 more Polish, British, and South African crews flew over the Warsaw area dropping supplies and ammunition. But by the end of the week it was too late. The Germans had reinforced their anti-aircraft defenses. Seventeen of the ninety planes were shot down, others were severely damaged. Many of the supplies that were air dropped, landed in German-controlled areas. Britain denied further requests by Polish airmen to fly to Warsaw. (Incidentally, the RAF, for reasons unknown, had made a recommendation that the Distinguished Service Order, Britains highest military honor) be withdrawn from Zumbach, beause he was so jaundiced in his view of Britain.) The fiercest battle took place in the Old Town (Stare Miasto), where German troops used rail-mounted howitzers. In only two weeks of battle, more than 4,000 tons of German bombs were dropped on an area no larger than 3/4 square mile. From August 19 onward, Germans attached the Old Town, but were not able to recapture it until September 2. During this hell fight, the AK tapped out urgent radio messages to the Allies for weeks asking for help. There was no reply The Polish Underground put up a fierce battle but could not hold off the enemy for long. Thousands of soldiers and civilians were mowed down in a hail of bullets. But German casualties were as high as Polish casualties. According to German sources, in the 33 day battle in the Old Town, 150 German soldiers were killed by the AK evey single day - well past 50% in total losses. Polish fighters suffered 77% of casualties. The remaining 1,500, as well as 3,000 - some of them wounded, scrambled frantically to escape into the city sewers at Srodmiescie. The Germans, hearing the echo of voices emanating from the sewers below, often dropped grenades or poured gasoline in the open manholes, and then ignited it, which erupted into a fireball underneath the city streets. Nearly 2,500 Polish soldiers were so gravely wounded that they could not be evacuated and were left behind. The hospital staff volunteered to stay with them to the end. News of the devastation on Warsaw and its people did not reach the West. While the Poles were in the midst of the most hellish of battles, the world was celebrating the liberation of Paris. Churchill had put a publicity ban on all media during the uprising. Later, he denounced the press for having maintained silence. He lied to the public about the true nature of the Soviet Union, and promoted the Polish people as trouble-maklers, and the Soviets as good-natured saviours. Roosevelt was equally deceptive. Of the nine press conferences that he held, he did not mention one word about the uprising. When the news about the uprising leaked out near the end of August, Roosevelt claimed that he didn' t know much about it. ( Read Jan Karski ) Messages from the Home Army were more frequent and more desperate, as they demanded that its Allies supply them with more ammunition, food, medecine. The supplies that the Allies had promised were delayed, largely because of Stalin's unwillingness to allow them landing rights to refuel on Soviet territory. Churchill and Roosevelt both made several attempts to obtain Stalins permission for British and US planes to land on Soviet airfields. However, their telegrams were couched in mild language - indicating no sense of urgency. It was reported that upon reading it, Stalin threw a tantrum. Despite constant pressure from the US and Britain, Stalin continously denied them permission. But by mid September, he finally conceded ( since Warsaw's defeat was immiment), and permitted them only one air drop over Warsaw. Food and water was near to depletion, while thousands of Poles were crammed into makeshift hospitals. Typhoid was rampant. Over 100 American planes dropped 1,350 canisters over Warsaw, filled with ammunition, food and medecine but many of the canisters drifted into German occupied zones and were confiscated by the Nazis. The AK managed to receive only 20% of the supplies. Britain and the U.S. treated this so-called "rescue mission" as a great success and praised Stalin for his collaboration. The public was not aware of the situation. Stalin also sent supplies to Warsaw albeit for propaganda purposes. The canisters however were hurled out of the planes without parachutes so that when they hit the ground, its' contents were smashed to pieces. It was deliberate sabotage of the worst depths of human depravity. Stalin even airdopped leaflets over German positions calling for their surrender. Radio Moscow, which had weeks earlier, implored the Poles to rise up against the Germans, were now condemning the Polish insurgents. The Soviet armies did nothing to help the Poles. No military reinforcements were dispatched. The British continued to stone-wall, claiming that " no transports could be spared ". They did have transport available but they sent the Parachute Brigade to fight in Operation Market Garden - a battle that turned out to be a suicide mission in the very heartland of Germany. It resulted in the slaughter of the Parachute Brigade. General Sosabowski had previously warned the Alllies not to embark on this mission, but it fell on deaf ears. He turned out to be right. Irregardless, the British Command targeted Sosabowski as a scapegoat and blamed him for the debacle. He was then released from command. On September 19, the Russian troops began firing on the Germans, driving them westward. As the Germans retreated, they used flamethrowers to destroy whatever was left standing in Warsaw. Within days the Red Army captured Warsaw. |
| CONTINUED |
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| On October 3, 1944, at 8:00 p.m., General Bor Komorowski signed the surrender at German headquarters. The Warsaw uprising, which lasted for 63 days, came to an end. The Soviets arrested 20,000 AK soldiers and officers and deported them to POW camps in Germany. The remaining population of Warsaw was evacuated and sent to work on German farms and in German factories. General Bor was arrested and sent to prison. He was replaced by Soviet- appointed General Okulicki. Though the surrender had been signed, fighting continued in central Poland until January 1945. On January 19, all of Poland was under Russian control, and Okulicki dissolved the AK. |
| The total number of AK killed in the Warsaw Uprising was 62,000. From 200,000 to 300,000 civilians were massacred. Ninety per cent of Warsaw was in complete ruin. The combattant strength was almost at par - 40,000 men on each side. German casualties were 26,000 and Polish casualties, 22,200. The Germans lost 310 tanks armored cars and artillery, and 340 trucks and cars |
| GENERAL BOR KOMOROWSKI SURRENDERS |