Polish-Jewish Relations: 1,300 Keyword-Phrase-Indexed Book Reviews (by Jan Peczkis)

The Warsaw Rising: A Selection of Documents, by Andrzej Pomian. 1945. (no publisher listed), London

A Diary of the Soviet-Betrayed Warsaw Uprising: British Eyewitness Testifies

This work includes some of the radio messages of John Ward, a RAF officer who was a POW of the Germans, and who became part of the Polish Home Army at the time of the Uprising. I begin with his insights into the German occupation of Poland.

CONTINUOUS GERMAN TERROR. SYSTEMATIC GENOCIDE OF THE POLISH INTELLIGENTSIA

John Ward commented, “I myself have been in Warsaw for over three years and can be a witness to many acts of savagery which would scarcely be credited for any civilized people. Manhunts in the streets of Warsaw were a daily occurrence. The usual method was for SS troops to block a street and take all men and women between the ages of 14 and 50 years to special concentration camps. Here they were sorted–people who showed any sign of intelligence were then sent to permanent concentration camps where mostly they died after a few months. The rest were sent to forced labor in Germany. Any people who tried to escape were shot in the street.” (p. 46).

This reminds us that the German destruction of educated Poles was a long-term project (as opposed to the destruction of the Jews.) But it was no less genocidal.

For other examples of Polish intelligentsia murdered, even when the Poles were originally arrested by the Germans for unrelated reasons, see:

https://www.jewsandpolesdatabase.org/2019/11/04/gassing-poles-at-auschwitz-pilecki/

GERMAN-IMPOSED STARVATION GENOCIDE OF POLES

John Ward wrote, “Another problem that is facing the population today is the shortage of food. Warsaw is a city that has been starved by the Germans for nearly five years. The quantity of food in the city at the outbreak of hostilities was small.” (p. 43).

POLES CAPTURE ARMS DURING THE WARSAW UPRISING

With reference to the first weeks of the insurrection (August 13^th), John Ward said, “Despite lack of weapons the Polish forces continue to hold the initiative in the battle of Warsaw. In some places they have broken into German strongholds and captured much-needed arms and ammunition. On August the 12^th were captured 11,600 rounds rifle ammunition, five machine guns, 8,500 small arms ammunition, 20 pistols, 30 anti-tank mines, three hand machines and motor-cars.” (p. 40).

THE POLES, FOR ONCE, VALUED AS ALLIES

John Ward commented, “Poland is our oldest ally in this war. Despite all she has suffered at the hands of the German invaders, she has remained always an active power against the enemy…The Home Army in Poland itself has now risen and is also fighting openly as it has fought under cover during the whole war. Poland is a country which I, as an Englishman, am proud to call an ally. She produced no government to cooperate with the Germans.” (p. 46).

Hear that, Churchill?

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OPERATION BURZA (TEMPEST)

Andrzej Pomian, a historian and participant in the Uprising, describes the insurgency of the A. K. weeks before the Warsaw Uprising. He writes, “In March and April 1944, units of the Home Army in Volhynia fought many battles against the Germans, thereby facilitating the Red Army’s advance and contributing to the capture of Kowel, a big railway center…After hard street fighting lasting six days, in which Home Army units inside the city also took a hand, Vilno [Wilno, Vilnius] was captured.” (pp. v-vi).