On October 2, 1944, the Warsaw Uprising ended after 63 days of fighting against the German occupation. The Polish resistance, left without sufficient weapons, food, and medical supplies, accepted the terms of surrender. The agreement was signed on the night of October 3 in Ożarów-Mazowiecki by the commander of the Home Army, General Tadeusz "Bur" Komorowski, and the German General Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski.
The uprising began on August 1 at 5:00 p.m. Around 45,000 Home Army fighters attempted to liberate the Polish capital before the Red Army entered. In the first days, the resistance took control of parts of the city, but was poorly armed. Against it, German forces used artillery, tanks, aviation, and special forces for street fighting.
The Red Army remains on the Vistula
The decision to revolt was made at a time when Soviet troops were already approaching Warsaw. The Home Army sought to establish control of the capital before their arrival, to show that Poland was liberated by its own underground army, and not by the Moscow-backed communist movement.
In September, the Red Army captured the Praga district on the east bank of the Vistula, but did not launch a large-scale operation to liberate the rest of the city. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states that Soviet troops did not cross the river to intervene in the fighting. The historical dispute over whether the cause was the exhaustion of Soviet units, German defense, or Stalin's political interest remains to this day.
Calls for help reached the Western Allies. In a message to Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged Moscow to provide "what assistance it can" to the insurgents. The Soviet leadership restricted the use of its airfields by British and American aircraft that dropped weapons and ammunition over Warsaw.
The city was destroyed, the population was deported
German actions against the civilian population began in the first days of the uprising. Between August 5 and 7, about 40,000 men, women, and children were killed in the Wola district. After the surrender, the inhabitants of Warsaw were evacuated from the city, with many of them sent to concentration camps or forced labor.
According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the number of victims of the uprising exceeds 180,000 people. Over 11,000 fighters of the Home Army were captured, and much of Warsaw was systematically destroyed. The Royal Castle and the historic center were among the destroyed buildings.
Soviet troops renewed their offensive months later. On January 17, 1945, they entered an almost completely destroyed Warsaw. The city was liberated from German occupation, but Poland fell into the Soviet sphere of influence, and the surviving participants in the uprising were persecuted by the communist authorities for a long time.
Sources: History