The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie; German: Warschauer Aufstand), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (Polish: powstanie sierpniowe), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led by the Polish resistance Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa). The uprising was timed to coincide with the retreat of the German forces from Poland ahead of the Soviet advance. While approaching the eastern suburbs of the city, the Red Army halted combat operations, enabling the Germans to regroup and defeat the Polish resistance and to destroy the city in retaliation. The Uprising was fought for 63 days with little outside support.
German forces begin the mass killing of between 40,000 and 50,000 Polish civilians in the Wola district of Warsaw during
German forces begin the mass killing of between 40,000 and 50,000 Polish civilians in the Wola district of Warsaw during the uprising
Historical Significance
The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie; German: Warschauer Aufstand), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (Polish: powstanie sierpniowe), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation.
Events Before
German officer Claus von Stauffenberg is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel
Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of…
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatmen
Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown and is admitted to the hospital for rest and treatment; he is released in time for preseason training
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Adolf Hitler declares "Total War" against the Allies
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though
Soviets announce they have broken the long siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany by opening a narrow land corridor, though the siege is not fully lifted until a year later
German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrenders to Soviet troops at Stalingrad
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus (23 September 1890 – 1 February 1957) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) during World War II who is best known for his surrender of the German 6th Army…
Events After
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
German air raid on Allied airfields at Eindhoven, Saint-Trond, and Brussels
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt is sworn in for an unprecedented and never-to-be-repeated fourth term as US President
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocau
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps in Poland - now commemorated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day [1]
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three
WWII: US troops under General Douglas MacArthur enter Manila in the Philippines after a month-long battle, ending three years of Japanese military occupation
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Josep
Declaration of Liberated Europe is signed at the Yalta Conference by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin, declaring that liberated nations are to establish democratic governments through free elections
More from the 1940s
D-Day: The Normandy Landings
Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled
World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals
Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…
Omar al-Bashir is born
Omar al-Bashir is born
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on August 5, 1944?
- The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie; German: Warschauer Aufstand), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (Polish: powstanie sierpniowe), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occurred in the summer of 1944, and it was led by the Polish resistance Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa). The uprising was timed to coincide with the retreat of the German forces from Poland ahead of the Soviet advance.
- Why is German forces begin the mass killing of between 40,000 and 50,000 Polish civi... significant?
- The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie; German: Warschauer Aufstand), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (Polish: powstanie sierpniowe), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation.