Exactly 76 years ago to the minute, the Polish Underground State staged an uprising in the Polish capital Warsaw aiming to gain Polish independence and Sovereignty from the Germans before the Red army could ‘Liberate’ the country. This would come to be known as the Warsaw Uprising. On the 1st of August, 1944, roughly 30,000 Polish civilians and in hiding soldiers fought against the 25,000 German soldiers garrisoned at Warsaw, in the first few weeks casualties on both sides wore great as the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) secured much of the city west of the Vistula River as the Red Army closed in from the east. In the first few days of the war the Polish Resistance captured three Panther tanks that wore stationed in Warsaw, these tanks would help greatly against the German tanks now heading for the city. Two days later a pair of Hetzer tanks preparing to assault the Polish held Post office split up with one being ambushed and captured, though damaged and rendered Immobile under it’s own power it would help defend Napoleon square from many German attacks. By the 14th of September the Red army had secured the east bank of the Vistula but refused and ignored all radio contact with the Home Army, offering no assistance. The USSR aimed at installing a Communist government and a free democratic Polish state would not do. The Polish divisions fighting on the Russian side however abandoned the safety of the Russian lines and crossed over to join the Home Army. These soldiers would prove vital in supplying the woefully under equipped Home army with weapons, ammunition and military tactics. As the Russians completely halted their advance into Poland at the Vistula River, Britain and its allies pleaded with Stalin to allow them clearance for an aerial resupply. Stalin refused but the RAF proceeded anyway attempting to supply the Polish via air. America also joined in this time with Russian clearance dropping guns and ammunition from high altitude bombers, this turned out as massive failure as miss calculations saw much of the supplies landing in German controlled areas. None the less the Poles fought on managing to secure a brewery from the Germans providing vital supplies. The city fighting was intense seeing thousands of civilian casualties as SS divisions went house by house clearing out the inhabitants. The civilians also joined in throwing molotovs into the open top German half tracks and tossing Flaming turpentine covered mattresses into the tanks. By September food shortages became apparent as the Home army expected to be relieved by the Red army only a few days after the Uprising, though tough German resistance and Soviet negligence forced the Poles to continue fighting. By late September the Home army was being forced from the Old Town of Warsaw as German SS troops under direct order from German high command destroyed the buildings, water pipes, sewers, electrical lines and bridges in revenge attempting to make the areas of Warsaw they controlled no use to the Home army if re captured. As the Home army retreated to several strongholds throughout the city using what was left of the Sewers, the Germans leveled the city destroying 35% purely in revenge, along with damages in the 1939 Invasion and the Uprising as a whole, a total of 85% of the city was destroyed, killing an estimated 200,000 Civilians. On the 2nd of October 1944 the Home army surrendered, those who wore caught wore killed with many discarding their weapons and joining the remnants of the Civilian population. The Warsaw Uprising managed to withstand the might of Germany for two months while subsequently halting the soviet invasion into Western Europe. This may have prolonged the war by a few months but this delay prevented the Red Army from advancing further into Germany in the late war ensuring more of Europe gained their independence, if not only a small portion. Late in October the Red army crossed the Vistula too little German resistance as troops wore withdrew to defend the Eastern German lands.

I just wanted to post thing about this here as the Warsaw uprising is relatively unknown and really shouldn’t be, its really sad when you read more in depth about it, the stuff I’ve said here doesn’t even scratch the surface. Since this is a Simple planes website not ‘look at these atrocities’ website Imma give some suggestions of some cool weapons and vehicles used by the Polish Resistance that you might want to build, in no particular order.

-The captured German half tracks, these are kind of cheaty though as there aren’t really any changes apart from Polish flags being painted on the sides, but if your building a Half track consider slapping a Polish flag on the side and make it a tad more interesting. Most of these Half tracks wore either destroyed in the fight or re captured after the Home Armies capitulation.

-The captured Panthers, also kind of cheaty since their the same apart from the flags but these panthers have some good history which I suggest you check out in this video. That video also mentions some other tanks but for the sake of Brevity I didn't include them.

-If you like paneling you’ll love this one, the Kubus (pronounced Kubush) was an armoured car built for the Home army and used for two weeks until it broke down and was abandoned. It was recovered after the war and restored to working condition, now being on display in the Polish Army Museum with a replica in the Uprising Museum. Yeah have fun building this thing with its painful angles.

-Ok this one is a gun, the Blyskawica (pronounced Bwyskavitsa, yeah that probably doesn’t make it easier) was a Polish submachine gun based on the British Sten gun. It was the only covertly mass produced gun in Europe with most units made in Warsaw for the uprising. 640 wore built in total with some guns surviving and being on display in the Uprising Museum.

-The captured Hetzer tank used in the Uprising. Nicknamed ‘Dare devil’ it had no differences from a normal Hetzer, kind of, but its interesting none the less. After its capture, a truck was used to tow the Hetzer into a barricade protecting the culturally important Napoleon square from German attacks, it being Immobile due to engine problems it served as a bunker. It managed to knock out several Panzer Iv’s and many armoured cars before it was buried under a collapsing building becoming un reachable in September. In late 1946 it was recovered and initially placed in storage though later it was ordered to be scrapped by the soviets which definitely sucks since the Hetzer is one of my favourite tanks and I would of loved to see this thing still operational today. It especially makes me angry that this thing was recovered and stored in a museum only to be destroyed later, and somehow that dumb angular car thing survived? Ok the dumb angular car thing is cool but c’mon, it’s a Hetzer with some really cool history don’t destroy it.

Don't really know what else to put so do some of your own research if your interested, Bye.