Warsaw, rise! Do you remember when, when the Nazis forced their rule on Poland 1939 and the allies turned away From the underground rose a hope of freedom as a whisper City in despair, but they never lost their faith Women, men, and children fight, they were dying side by side And the blood they shed upon the streets was a sacrifice willingly paid Warsaw, city at war Voices from underground whispers of freedom 1944 help that never came, calling Warsaw, city at war Voices from underground, whispers of freedom Rise up and hear the call, history calling to you Warszawo, walcz! Spirit, soul, and heart in accordance with the old traditions 1944 still the allies turn away Fighting street to street in a time of hope and desperation Did it on their own and they never lost their faith All the streetlights in the city broken many years ago Break the curfew, hide in sewers, Warsaw, it’s time to rise now
The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie) was a major World War II operation by the Polish Resistance home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union’s Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces. However, the Soviet advance stopped short, enabling the Germans to regroup and demolish the city while defeating the Polish resistance, which fought for 63 days with little outside support. The Uprising was the largest single military effort taken by any European resistance movement during WW2. The uprising began on 1 August 1944 and the Poles initially established control over most of central Warsaw but the Soviets ignored Polish attempts to establish radio contact and did not advance beyond the city limits. Intense street fighting between the Germans and Poles continued. Although the exact number of casualties remains unknown, it is estimated that about 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed and about 6,000 badly wounded. In addition, between 150,000 and 200,000 Polish civilians died, mostly from mass executions. Jews being harboured by Poles were exposed by German house-to-house clearances and mass evictions of entire neighbourhoods. German casualties totalled over 8,000 soldiers killed and missing, and 9,000 wounded.