Prior to
World War II, “there were three million Jews in Poland. Three to four hundred
thousand lived in Warsaw” [1]. After five years of Nazi military occupation in
Warsaw, opposition forces in the form of the Polish Resistance Army planned an
organized uprising against occupying forces and had received promises for
assistance from the Allied forces: Stalin’s Red Army, Great Britain, and the
United States.
One of the
friction points among the Allied Forces and Polish resistance forces could be
found in the opposite forms of government represented between capital democracy
and Soviet communism. While Germany was the main enemy to the USSR and the
Capitalist-democratic forces of the West, resulting in all Allied parties
involved making promises of support to the Polish opposition forces, a sub-level
concern for the Polish opposition (and also a concern for the U.S. and Britain)
was the possibility that the Soviets would institute a communist government over
areas of Poland if they were able to force Germany out of Warsaw. After all,
the democratic Polish government had, for the most part, taken exile in Britain
and pro-democratic.
As the Red
army approached Warsaw at the beginning of August of 1944, the Germans launched
a fierce counter-attack with reinforcements, and several ground units within the
Soviet military advance had their orders modified to move in a different
direction or to halt advancement into Warsaw altogether. This reluctance in
pursuing an all-out assault on German forces occupying Warsaw is debated by
historians, with one of the main arguing theories being that the Warsaw
insurgents supported an anti-Soviet exiled government and Stalin may have wanted
that faction destroyed.
In the
historical documentations below, we can see the coordinating efforts of the
allied forces, similar to Western support for opposition uprisings in Syria and
Egypt today, in attempting to arm the Warsaw Uprising.
Message
dated August 4, 1944 from Winston Churchill to Stalin:
“At urgent
request of Polish Underground Army we are dropping, subject to weather, about
sixty tons of equipment and ammunition into the southwest quarter of Warsaw,
where it is said a Polish revolt against the Germans is in fierce struggle. They
also say that they appeal for Russian aid, which seems to be very near. They are
being attacked by one and a half German divisions. This may be of help to your
operation.” [2]
Message
dated August 15, 1944 from Soviet Foreign Affairs Commissar to U.S. Ambassador
to the USSR, William Harrison Standley in Moscow:
“The Soviet
Government cannot of course object to English or American aircraft dropping arms
in the region of Warsaw, since this is an American and British affair. But they
decidedly object to American or British aircraft, after dropping arms in the
region of Warsaw, landing on Soviet territory, since the Soviet Government do
not wish to associate themselves either directly or indirectly with the
adventure in Warsaw.” [3]
The
correspondence to the U.S. Ambassador shows Stalin’s refusal to allow U.S. or
British supply planes to land (and refuel) in Soviet territory.
Message
dated August 16, 1944 from Stalin to Winston Churchill:
“After the
conversation with M. Mikolajczyk I gave orders that the command of the Red Army
should drop arms intensively in the Warsaw sector. A parachutist liaison officer
was also dropped, who, according to the report of the command, did not reach his
objective as he was killed by the Germans. Further, having familiarized myself
more closely with the Warsaw affair, I am convinced that the Warsaw action
represents a reckless and terrible adventure which is costing the population
large sacrifices. This would not have been if the Soviet command had been
informed before the beginning of the Warsaw action and if the Poles had
maintained contact with it.” [4]
The message
from Stalin basically shows his abandonment of support to the Warsaw
uprising.
[1] Dale,
Jon. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, 1943. Socialism Today, Issue 75, June 2003.
Accessed from http://www.socialismtoday.org/75/warsaw43.html
[2]
Churchill, Winston. Letter to Stalin Dated August 4, 1944, Public Domain.
Accessed from http://www.warsawuprising.com/doc/Roosevelt_Churchill_Stalin.htm
[3]
Vyshinsky, Andrey. Letter to Ambassador Harrison Dated August 15, 1944. Public
Domain. Accessed from http://www.warsawuprising.com/doc/Roosevelt_Churchill_Stalin.htm
[4] Stalin,
Josef. Letter to Winston Churchill Dated August 16, 1944. Public Domain.
Accessed from http://www.warsawuprising.com/doc/Roosevelt_Churchill_Stalin.htm
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