Sirens wailed across Poland at 5pm on Wednesday, startling visitors and raising painful memories amongst elderly locals.
The Warsaw Uprising, an armed revolt against the occupying Nazi forces, began in the afternoon of August 1st 1944. The Russians - technical allies of the Poles against the Germans - had arrived at the gates of Warsaw, and Red Army tanks transmitted calls for the Poles to rise up.
A plan was already in the pipeline, but back-up from the Soviet forces proved unforthcoming, and what was intended to be a one week action, became a hellish conflict that lasted over two months.
Most of the Polish underground soldiers that fought were amateurs, including women and children. After initial Polish successes, German reinforcements arrived. All in all, 200,000 Poles perished in the eight week battle. 150,000 of these were civilians. The Red Army did not enter the city until the Uprising was utterly snuffed out - and with it a large proportion of Poland's officer class. Soon afterwards, Stalin installed his puppet socialist government, which reigned for almost fifty years.
For more information on the rising, please click here
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