Today's disputes over the Warsaw Uprising only seemingly have a high temperature. Really heated discussions took place in August 1944. Their meaning was searched during breaks between fights. And even in the first days of the fighting, many soldiers were not able to find this sense ...
We are waiting for you, the red plague, that you would save us from the black death, that you, having previously torn our country into quarters, would be a salvation welcomed with disgust . This is what Józef Szczepański "Ziutek" from the "Zośka" battalion wrote on Tuesday, August 29, 1944. In his last poem, he clearly expressed the fears of many of his colleagues.
Already during the uprising, participants in the fighting had heated discussions about its legitimacy. The illustration shows a fragment of a painting by Stanisław Żółtowski entitled "Długa Street" (license CC ASA 3.0).
On the one hand, they were convinced of the need to take revenge on the hated enemy, on the other hand, they saw the hopelessness of the situation more and more every day. All thanks to tanks crushing barricades, planes bombing houses with impunity and artillery shelling every square meter of the city. And also because of the lack of real help from the allies. Amid the constant roar of the explosion, the groans of the wounded and the pleading prayers of civilians, the fight became an endless nightmare. Many saw an escape route only in death.
Tragic Prophecy
Both the commanding staff and the rank and file of the Dispatch Unit "A", already at the end of July mentioned in discussions among themselves problems with weapons, the inexperience among other units, and finally that waiting for help from the Red Army is simply naivety .
Józef Szczepański "Ziutek", the author of the tragic and very true poem "Red plague" (source:public domain).
As one of them states, Vilnius experience (...) must have been known to our commanders and should arouse their distrust towards the Russians . Another admitted that he was pleased to see German tanks in Żoliborz in the last days before August 1. I thought that in these strategic conditions the date of the uprising's outbreak would be postponed indefinitely .
She did not stay. The unit, though last-minute informed of its assigned role, performed its task - as one of the few. It did not change people's attitudes. On Friday, August 4, depressed by the development of events, Tadeusz Wiwatowski, "Olszyna", said in an interview with his underground superior: The uprising either succeeds in a few days, or when dragging it, it rains and does not rise .
Even aware of the completely hopeless situation in which the Warsaw insurgents found themselves, they fulfilled their tasks to the end (source:public domain).
He returned to the topic with his people several times. Last time in the evening on August 10. The next morning, he was killed leading the attack. However, his prophecy remained, hanging over Warsaw and its inhabitants.
Is it gold or copper?
Among them was Zbigniew Blichewicz "Szczerba". Enthusiastic about the Uprising, he believed in its meaning and success. By the time. In the first days of August, he joined the "Bończa" battalion fighting in the Old Town. He got there under the orders of a man who completely changed his view of reality, Captain Edward Sobeski "Bończa".
Their professional duties and a quickly established thread of understanding meant that they spent a lot of time together. Briefings, action planning, and finally common work around positions. During one of such night walks, watching the burning cathedral, they began to talk amid the roar of artillery about the meaning of what they were doing. And about hopes for the future.
I didn't lose my faith because I never had it
Sobeski saw no chance. If they are unable to overcome the fire consuming church walls, how can they hope for a positive outcome on the international arena? "Szczerba", shocked, said: I have the impression that ... As if you have lost faith in the purposefulness of everything that is happening? The answer was immediate. And absolute:
No. I didn't lose my faith because… I never had faith. Just. Our case, if anyone wants a coffee on the bench… has been completely lost with Sikorski's death. He died so that we could lose ... Don't you see that, darling?
Anything that follows is just a logical consequence of this death. Today you probably won't want to explain to me that the Bolsheviks are our allies and that it is in their interest to come to our aid ? And the Allies ... - he looked up here - can only throw us false advantages. For show. Enjoy them, if you can. I distinguish the glow of gold from copper .
Collection of the 1st platoon of the 1st team of the "Bończa" battalion on the Old Town Square. The photo and caption come from the book "Insurgent triptych" (Finna 2015).
He was surprised that despite such opinions he did not cease to command the unit, "Bończa" summed up as follows: I am a soldier, my dear, so when an order is given, fighting is my duty and duty. My personal conviction is my private matter, having nothing to do with the essence. That is why you can think your own and do what you do!
Among the optimists
Until the end of the fighting in the Old Town, Blichewicz believed in success, although the words "Boncza" were stuck in him like a scratch. The situation changed when, in the stench and dirt, he walked through the sewers to Śródmieście. Failed defense of Powiśle, problems with the gendarmerie disarming its people, incomprehensible orders All this upset him. And it gave me no hope.
Zbigniew Blichewicz "Szczerba" in Italy. Photo from the book "Insurgent Triptych" (Finna 2015).
Meanwhile, in the middle of September, the command of the Home Army was bursting with optimism. Today we face victory , stated the "Monter" in his order. "Bor" added: Soldiers! Our fight seems to be drawing to an end! The moment of leaving the capital by the German occupant seems to be imminent .
"And the dog shit on them!"
The commander-in-chief of the Home Army only duly assessed the lack of any support from the allies, writing about bitter and strange disappointments . However, what he described with innate politeness became one of the most traumatic experiences for "Szczerba" and his people.
On Monday, September 18, the sky over Warsaw brightened. Before the people could enjoy the blue, a hail of missiles fell over them. Standard. We are hiding, they are shooting. Then picking up the injured and having dinner - if there is any. Suddenly the planes. But not German. They are not stunts! Much, high. They fly. You can hear them more than you can see them, but they are there. Our. Allied. And they started dropping something else!
Blichewicz grabbed the binoculars. I put her to my eyes. These bowls are parachutes. And the oblong shapes hanging beneath them… Landing. Paratroopers. "Szczerba" whispered these words, unable to believe them. However, he was quickly brought to the ground. One of the soldiers, resigned, said: These are containers . First there were the curses. And the dog shit on them!
Generał Bór-Komorowski (second on the left) remained an optimist in mid-September 1944 (source:public domain).
All enthusiasm and hope are gone. What are they after the containers, most of which will be taken over by the Germans, if they can no longer cope? Again that awful feeling of powerlessness ... (...) Regret! Attachment! Attachment! A feeling deadly for a soldier. Quitting is death to the fighting spirit! And these boys have been fighting against their sanity for a long time… Too long!
Continuing and dying
They lasted two more weeks. When the first rumors of surrender spread, many did not believe it. They did not accept it, fell into a state of dementia or looked for oblivion in vodka, like "Szczerba".
Years later, he stated that had been wasted blood and so many young lives, soldiers whose hearts were inflamed with anger and command , and parting with life in faith that with their death they will strengthen the ground for the Freedom and Greatness of their Homeland, for a better, fairer world . This world, however, "made in Yalta", a cynical Anglo-American-Soviet product, turned out to be, according to Blichewicz, much worse than the old one.
When planes appeared over Warsaw on September 19, it was initially thought that Sosabowski's paratroopers were coming to the rescue. It soon turned out, however, that it was only wishful thinking. The photo shows "Flying Fortress" over Warsaw (source:public domain).
Throughout the weeks of the Uprising, “Szczerba” was convinced, others - such as Sobeski and Wiwatowski - understood it earlier. Despite the disbelief engulfing more and more crowds, despite the belief that nothing good awaits them from the Russians, despite bitter reproaches towards the Allies - they continued.
Because, as "Bończa" said, duty and duty, and personal convictions, are two different things. So they waited for the red plague. On and on dying.