I am still in Poland and a lot is happening
here but I was sidetracked by some health issues so I am writing with some
delay about a very complex Polish historical issue. I am not quite sure if I
managed to sort it out for myself already but my thoughts are a bit more clear.
I am talking about the Warsaw Uprising of the first of August 1944. This year
is a big anniversary and a big discussion on the subject. I was brought up on
literature, films and propaganda presenting images of those horrible times.
There were many years when communistic propaganda did not allow true
presentation of the events and their meaning. Home Army was the Polish
resistance movement in German-occupied Poland in allegiance with Polish
Government-in-Exile. They organised and fought in the Warsaw Uprising. The
communistic regime was on the other side
of political spectrum and very critical about anything related to the Home
Army. This is putting it very mildly as there were times when people associated
with the Home Army were considered an enemy of the communistic system and were savagely
persecuted after the war the same as by Germans
during the war.
The uprising started at 5pm (W Hour) on the 1st
of August 1944. Every year sirens of Warsaw joined by hooting cars lament in
memory of the tragic times. Actually more and more towns freeze for one minute
to remember and pay respect to those who so willingly gave their lives in
attempt to free Poland.
For many years I just thought it was patriotic,
tragic and unsuccessful but I did not judge. Later I became angry that the
Uprising was called at all. It was doomed to fail and the young people,
children really, were called to form an unarmed army. They were sent to a
certain death by politicians in London and Home Army superiors. I was angry
that 200,000 people died in the senseless fights, that they were so young, many
in their teens, that Warsaw was destroyed in carpet bombing to punish the
nation. I was angry at the willingness of Poles to die in romantically
patriotic senseless uprisings. There were many of them in Polish history. All
but one lost.
I still am angry at that, but I have learnt to
see the need to pay tribute to the people who gave their lives and I do not
protest any more that there is so much fuss over the anniversary of the 1st
of August.
