# Canonical recap data for Warsaw Uprising (1944)
# Source: https://recap.at/1944/warsaw-uprising
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: warsaw-uprising
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1944/warsaw-uprising"
title: Warsaw Uprising
aliases:
- August Uprising
- Battle of Warsaw
- Powstanie Warszawskie
subtitle: Warsaw Uprising
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1944-10-02
datePrecision: day
year: 1944
decade: 1940
country:
name: Poland
slug: poland
summaryShort: The Warsaw Uprising, sometimes referred to as the August Uprising, 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. The uprising was timed to c
summaryLong: The Warsaw Uprising, sometimes referred to as the August Uprising, 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. 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. It was the single largest military effort taken by any European resistance movement during World War II. The defeat of the uprising and suppression of the Home Army enabled the pro-Soviet Polish administration, instead of the Polish government-in-exile based in London, to take control of Poland afterwards. Poland remained part of the Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc throughout the Cold War until 1989.
lede: "On August 1, 1944, the Polish Home Army launched an armed uprising to liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation, betting that Soviet forces advancing from the east would arrive in time to help. The gamble failed catastrophically: the Soviets halted their advance, leaving the insurgents isolated. By October, after 63 days of street-by-street fighting, the uprising was crushed-and Warsaw itself was systematically destroyed."
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Warsaw_Uprising.png/1280px-Warsaw_Uprising.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Warsaw Uprising"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Start date
  value: August 1, 1944
- label: Duration
  value: 63 days
- label: Estimated deaths
  value: Approximately 200,000 (mostly civilians)
- label: Insurgent forces
  value: Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa)
- label: Home Army commander
  value: General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski
- label: German occupation force
  value: Wehrmacht and SS units under General Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski
- label: Soviet position
  value: Halted advance on eastern bank of Vistula; declined to assist
- label: Percentage of Warsaw destroyed
  value: Approximately 85% of the city
timeline:
- date: 1944-08-01
  title: Uprising begins
  description: Home Army launches coordinated attacks across Warsaw at 5 PM, seizing key positions and expecting Soviet support within days.
- date: 1944-08-02
  title: German reinforcements arrive
  description: General von dem Bach-Zelewski consolidates Nazi forces and launches systematic counteroffensive with tanks, artillery, and Luftwaffe support.
- date: 1944-08-05
  title: Soviet halt
  description: Red Army forces stop their advance on the eastern bank of the Vistula River. Stalin's decision to withhold support becomes clear.
- date: 1944-08-13
  title: Wola massacre
  description: German forces systematically execute approximately 40,000 civilians in the Wola district over five days.
- date: 1944-09-17
  title: Airdrops begin
  description: British and American aircraft begin attempting to deliver supplies to insurgents, with limited success and heavy losses.
- date: 1944-10-02
  title: Uprising ends
  description: Bór-Komorowski signs surrender agreement. German forces systematically destroy remaining buildings and deport survivors.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Uprising"
  title: Warsaw Uprising (1944)
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Warsaw Uprising stands as one of World War II's bloodiest urban uprisings, killing an estimated 200,000 people-mostly civilians-and reducing the Polish capital to rubble. Its failure, enabled by Stalin's deliberate refusal to support the non-communist Home Army, fundamentally shaped Poland's postwar trajectory and remains a defining trauma in Polish collective memory.
categories:
- war
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- insurgency
- occupation
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- mobilization
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: "The 1944 Warsaw Uprising: Polish resistance's doomed fight for liberation from Nazi occupation."
wikidataQid: Q1402078
geo:
lat: 52.23
lng: 21.010833333333
place: Poland
significance: 50
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Warsaw population
  thenValue: ~1.3 million
  thenYear: 1944
  nowValue: ~863,000
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Pre-WWII Warsaw was one of Europe's largest Jewish centers; demographic shifts reflect Holocaust casualties and post-war migration patterns
- metric: City buildings destroyed or severely damaged
  thenValue: ~85%
  thenYear: 1944
  nowValue: ~0%
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Systematic German destruction during and after the uprising; Old Town largely reconstructed by 1960s
- metric: Uprising duration
  thenValue: 63 days
  thenYear: 1944
  nowValue: Commemorated annually on August 1
  nowYear: 2024
  note: August 1, 1944 start date observed as Warsaw Uprising Anniversary; W-hour (5 PM) marks moment of insurgence
- metric: Estimated Polish casualties
  thenValue: ~200,000
  thenYear: 1944
  nowValue: Documented in museums and memorials
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Includes fighters and civilians; precise figures debated by historians
consequences:
- title: Systematic destruction of Warsaw
  year: 1944
  description: Following the uprising's suppression in October 1944, German forces under Heinrich Himmler's orders demolished the city block by block. An estimated 85% of Warsaw's buildings were destroyed, making it one of WWII's most devastated European capitals.
- title: Soviet occupation and Communist rule
  year: 1945
  description: Soviet forces entered Warsaw in January 1945, establishing control that would last until 1989. The uprising's anti-Nazi outcome paradoxically resulted in Soviet domination rather than Polish independence, shaping Cold War geopolitics.
- title: Displacement and demographic collapse
  year: 1945
  description: Survivors were expelled or evacuated; Warsaw's population plummeted from 1.3 million pre-war to approximately 160,000 by January 1945. Postwar migration and the Holocaust's decimation of Polish Jewry permanently altered the city's demographics.
- title: Postwar reconstruction and national symbol
  year: 1950
  description: Reconstruction began under Soviet auspices by the late 1940s. The restored Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage site (1980) and emblem of Polish resilience, though much was rebuilt in approved Socialist Realist style rather than authentic period reconstruction.
- title: Historical reassessment and declassification
  year: 1989
  description: Following the fall of communism, previously suppressed accounts of the uprising emerged. Polish historian Jan M. Ciechanowski and others published detailed analyses; Soviet-era propaganda narratives were replaced with more nuanced historiography.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Warszawianka (The Warsaw Song)
  year: 1944
  note: Revolutionary anthem adopted by Home Army; originally from 1830 November Uprising, repurposed during WWII resistance
  referenceCard:
  status: not_found
  checkedAt: "2026-05-29T09:29:16.816Z"
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: "In 1944, Warsaw represented the final major European armed resistance to Nazi occupation. The uprising embodied Polish determination for independence but occurred amid Soviet advance, creating a tragic paradox: military victory against fascism followed by Soviet annexation. Culturally, it established narratives of Polish martyrdom and resilience that dominated post-1989 national identity and memorial culture."
relatedQueries:
- Warsaw Uprising 1944 Home Army
- General Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski uprising commander
- Warsaw destruction WWII reconstruction
- Polish resistance August 1 W-hour
- Warsaw Uprising Museum exhibitions
- Soviet entry Warsaw January 1945
- Warsaw ghetto uprising vs August uprising differences
- Heinrich Himmler Warsaw demolition orders
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Warsaw_Uprising.png/1280px-Warsaw_Uprising.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Warsaw_Uprising.png/800px-Warsaw_Uprising.png"
  caption: Warsaw Uprising
  credit: Wikipedia · "Warsaw Uprising"
  width: 330
  height: 365
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Soldiers_of_the_101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_complete_World_War_II_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_%28Image_2_of_3%29.jpg/1280px-Soldiers_of_the_101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_complete_World_War_II_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_%28Image_2_of_3%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Soldiers_of_the_101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_complete_World_War_II_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_%28Image_2_of_3%29.jpg/800px-Soldiers_of_the_101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_complete_World_War_II_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_%28Image_2_of_3%29.jpg"
  caption: Soldiers of the 101st Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade complete World War II Warsaw Uprising Memorial 5K (Image 2 of 3)
  credit: 1st Lt. Verniccia Ford
  width: 1724
  height: 1222
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_Soldiers_Participate_in_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_Run_%28Image_3_of_3%29.jpg/1280px-101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_Soldiers_Participate_in_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_Run_%28Image_3_of_3%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_Soldiers_Participate_in_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_Run_%28Image_3_of_3%29.jpg/800px-101st_Resolute_Support_Sustainment_Brigade_Soldiers_Participate_in_Warsaw_Uprising_Memorial_5K_Run_%28Image_3_of_3%29.jpg"
  caption: 101st Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade Soldiers Participate in Warsaw Uprising Memorial 5K Run (Image 3 of 3)
  credit: |-
    1st Lt. Verniccia Ford

    101st Airborne Division (AA) Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs
  width: 1643
  height: 1296
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Warsaw_Uprising_-_Baricade_on_Okopowa_St.jpg/1280px-Warsaw_Uprising_-_Baricade_on_Okopowa_St.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Warsaw_Uprising_-_Baricade_on_Okopowa_St.jpg/800px-Warsaw_Uprising_-_Baricade_on_Okopowa_St.jpg"
  caption: Warsaw Uprising - Baricade on Okopowa St
  credit: "Pictures in the book \"Pamiętniki żołnierzy baonu \"Zośka\"\" were taken by:"
  width: 1705
  height: 1074
