5/10/2023 0 Comments Warsow gettoThose at the meeting decided not to redirect Wehrmacht forces from the Eastern Front. That evening, Wehrmacht officers met at the headquarters of General Nikolaus von Vormann, who had recently been made commander of the 9th Army. Loudspeakers warned Warsaw’s inhabitants that “bandits” were operating against the Nazi government and cautioned that any civilian found on the street would be fired upon. When the Nazi governor of Warsaw, Ludwig Fischer, heard news of premature clashes on the afternoon of August 1, 1944, he put 5,000 SS ( Schutzstaffel) police and SD ( Sicherheitsdienst) personnel on full alert, ordering them to secure key positions throughout the city, including the Governor’s Place and the German quarter. The German Response to the Warsaw Uprising While morale among the civilian population was initially high after the outbreak of the insurrection, it gradually declined throughout August and September as German forces massacred entire neighborhoods, razed historic Old Town, and Stalin refused to intervene. Far more civilians had been killed than combatants, yet the fighting relentlessly continued until the first week of October. The opening attack by the AK and the subsequent German counterattack on August 5, 1944, had fallen short of their goals. The Polish Home Army ( Armia Krajowa or AK) had not been able to seize full control of the capital and the Germans had not crushed the insurgents. The first week of the Warsaw Uprising, which was launched on August 1, 1944, brought little satisfaction to either side. Burning down the houses is the most reliable means of liquidating the insurgents’ hideouts.” Frank also noted the indescribable poverty among the millions of inhabitants and promised Hitler that Warsaw would be punished “with complete destruction after the suppression or collapse of the rising.” Despite considerable German losses on the Eastern Front, Frank remained confident that the uprising could be crushed in a few days. ![]() In it, he stated, “For the most part, Warsaw is in flames. On August 5, 1944, Governor-General Hans Frank messaged the Reich Chancellery an update regarding the Warsaw Uprising. Top Image: Sigismund’s Column, originally built in 1644, is demolished by German tanks. Warszawa: Iskry, 1957.
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