Poland marks 1944 Warsaw Uprising anniversary
Poland is commemorating today the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising against the city's Nazi German occupiers 76 years ago. The main ceremonies in Poland's capital will be attended by top officials.
A series of anniversary events started on Thursday with a special memorial service held at the Warsaw Rising Museum, attended by President Andrzej Duda, Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski and numerous insurgents.
This year, due to the epidemic-related restrictions, the main commemorations on Saturday will have a more intimate character. Most of the ceremonies will be broadcast live online.
The Warsaw Uprising was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe. On August 1, 1944, around 40-50 thousand insurgents took part in the fighting. Planned to last several days, the fighting eventually lasted over two months.
During the fighting in Warsaw, about 18,000 insurgents lost their lives and 25,000 were wounded. Losses among the civilian population were huge and amounted to approx. 180,000. After the Warsaw Uprising was crushed about 500,000 surviving residents were forced to evacuate and Warsaw was almost completely razed to the ground. (PAP)
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