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(Monday, October 2, 1944, 8:00 p.m. Central Euroopean Summer Time; during the Warsaw Uprising, part of Operation Tempest on the Eastern Front of World War II) — German troops today crushed the two-month-old Warsaw Uprising, a major World War II operation by the Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation during which nearly a quarter of a million people were killed.
The primary objectives for the Polish resistance are to expel the German occupiers from Warsaw and to support the Allies in their quest to defeat Germany.
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Additionally, the Polish Underground State aims to assert Polish sovereignty over the capital before the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation can take control.
The uprising was driven by a confluence of factors: the imminent threat of German round-ups of able-bodied Poles, encouragement from Radio Moscow’s Polish Service, and a deep-seated desire among Poles for justice and revenge after five brutal years of occupation.
However, as the Red Army approached the eastern suburbs of Warsaw, they unexpectedly halted their advance. This pause allowed German forces to regroup and mount a fierce counterattack against the Polish resistance.
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The lack of Soviet support — no reinforcements or air cover — has sparked controversy and speculation about Soviet intentions.
Declassified documents suggest that Joseph Stalin’s decision to halt his forces was a calculated move to weaken the Polish Home Army and facilitate Soviet political dominance in Eastern Europe.
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Casualties during the Warsaw Uprising were catastrophic. Although the exact number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that about 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed and about 6,000 badly wounded.
In addition, between 150,000 and 200,000 Polish civilians died, mostly from mass executions.
Jews being harbored by Poles were exposed by German house-to-house clearances and mass evictions of entire neighborhoods. The defeat of the Warsaw Uprising also further decimated urban areas of Poland.
