On 1 August 1944, the Warsaw Uprising began as the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) launched a major operation to liberate the Polish capital from German occupation during the Second World War.
The uprising came almost five years after Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, an event that marked the beginning of the Second World War in Europe. Following the invasion, Warsaw endured years of occupation under Nazi German rule.
The operation was organised by the Polish Underground State and involved around 40,000 resistance fighters. Their objective was to regain control of Warsaw before the advancing Soviet Red Army entered the city, allowing Poland to restore its own independent authority after years of occupation.
Although the resistance initially captured parts of the city, German forces quickly mounted a determined counter-offensive using tanks, artillery and air power. Fierce fighting spread through Warsaw's streets as civilians joined the effort by constructing barricades, carrying supplies and caring for the wounded.
The battle lasted 63 days, making it the largest military operation undertaken by any European resistance movement against German occupation during the Second World War. Despite repeated appeals for assistance, the uprising received only limited Allied support. Soviet forces, which had reached the eastern bank of the River Vistula, did not launch an immediate operation to assist the resistance—a decision that has remained the subject of historical debate.
The uprising ended on 2 October 1944, when the remaining Polish forces surrendered after exhausting their ammunition, food and medical supplies.
Following the defeat, German forces systematically destroyed much of Warsaw before withdrawing in early 1945. Historians estimate that between 150,000 and 200,000 civilians lost their lives during the uprising and its immediate aftermath, while much of the city's historic centre was left in ruins.
Today, the Warsaw Uprising is remembered as one of the defining acts of resistance against Nazi occupation during the Second World War. Each year, Poland commemorates the courage and sacrifice of those who fought in the hope of restoring their nation's freedom.