The World Stands Still For 1 Minute – every year!
Here I am, the 1st of August – standing in Warsaw, the Capital of Poland. It is getting closer and closer to 5 PM and I feel the rush of people gathering… preparing… waiting for the magic to begin!
Each year on the 1st of August the City of Warsaw stands still for a minute. Every year, on the exact same day, at the exact same hour, at 5 PM, people stop – no matter what they do and no matter where they are located – and stand still for a full minute. Buses, trams, cars… they all stop on the great crowded streets and the people inside the cars usually come out and stand straight for that minute – from 5:00 to 5:01 PM.
Thousands of people stand still and think about the year of 1944 and pray for the heroes that fell that day. They remember them and pay their respects, from their heart. But why, you might ask…
The “W-hour” – “WYBUCH”
They all stand still to commemorate the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising that started at 5 PM on the 1st of August 1944. In Polish, it’s known as the ‘W-hour’ (where ‘w’ stands for the Polish equivalent of the word explosion – ‘wybuch’).
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation led by the Polish resistance Home Army (PL: Armia Krajowa), to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. The uprising was timed to coincide with the retreat of the German forces from Poland ahead of the Soviet advance. While approaching the eastern suburbs of the city, the Red Army temporarily halted combat operations, enabling the Germans to regroup and defeat the Polish resistance and to destroy the city in retaliation. The Uprising was fought for 63 days with little outside support. It was the single largest military effort taken by any European resistance movement during World War II.
Fighting With Their Hearts For Their Country
Some people, some historians, might call the Warsaw Uprising as the biggest mistake they could make. I call it bravery and love for their own country, for their Motherland. It is true, they did not have military equipment, their opponent was stronger, but their hearts were pure and brave and they did the best they could – considering the circumstances…
Of course, one of Warsaw Uprising’s results was infuriating even more the Nazi’s and that resulted also to the bombings that took place that month – ruining the city, rendering it inhabitable in proportion of almost 90%!
Although the exact number of casualties is 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.
Brutal Facts about The Warsaw Uprising
- Stalin wanted the Uprising to fail, this is why he never answered to Warsaw’s Underground Army call for help! Soviet Army was on the banks of the Vistula river and they waited until Nazi Germany rained down bombs upon Warsaw, grazing it to the ground.
- The fighting lasted for 63 days!!! – that is a long time, considering the Polish resistance Home Army (PL: Armia Krajowa – AK) calculated the weapons and ammo to last only for 1 week! It was supposed to be a shock operation but it bled through… no help was coming…
- Sewers were important during the Warsaw Uprising – the water was cut out by the Nazis so the sewer system drained and the AK made great use of it as a network to travel between districts.
- Nazi Germany used their newest machines in the Uprising combat – Tiger, Panther guns, and… The famous Goliath tracked mine (robotic weapons)!
- Nazi Germany send over to Warsaw their most brutal Commanders to stop the unrest – Oskar Dirlewanger had over 40.000 people (some sources even say 50.000 Polish people) rounded up and shot in the Wola Massacre. Most of the victims were the elderly, women, and children.
- Operation Tempest (PL: Akcja “Burza”) – AK was the largest and the best equipped Underground Army at that time, in Europe! They attempted to liberate Warsaw, to coordinate it all with Stalin’s Army… but we all know how that ended up…
Ending today’s post (in order to get ready for the 5 PM celebration), I leave you with this song I absolutely love.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug In Love With History
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