A Brief History
On August 12, 1944, German Nazi troops finished off a massacre of between 40,000 and 50,000 Poles, many of them Jewish. The excuse for this massacre was to put down the Warsaw Uprising and to discourage any further resistance to the occupying forces.
Digging Deeper
After the Germans took over Poland in 1939 (with the Soviets coming in through Poland’s back door, stabbing their neighbor in the back), the conquered Poles were treated like subhuman slaves. Finally in 1944, partisan forces rose up and fought back against the Nazi overlords in an attempt to kick the Germans out of Poland. The Polish resistance forces (known as the Polish Home Army) had expected to work in conjunction with a Soviet advance, with each side receiving support from the others’ actions. The Soviets thought otherwise. Believing the Polish Home Army (PHA) was too closely related to the exiled Polish Government and that the PHA would not likely welcome communism in Poland (the Soviet’s after-war plan for Europe), the Soviets sat back and waited for the Germans to annihilate the Polish forces. After crushing the unsupported Poles, the Nazi troops went on a spree of vengeance and reprisals, punishing the Poles for having the temerity to resist. Over the course of a week, thousands of captured partisan soldiers and thousands more random civilians were gathered up and executed until the numbers of the dead reached staggering proportions. The city of Warsaw was then razed to the ground and almost totally destroyed when Polish resistance continued on despite the massacre.
No Germans were ever prosecuted for the Wola Massacre, which is beyond comprehension! The events are remembered at the Warsaw Uprising Museum located in the Wola district of Warsaw which was opened in 2004 on the 60th anniversary of the uprising. As said many times before, anyone with any nostalgia for the Nazi period or any misguided respect for the Nazi regime does not know history. The same can be said for the Soviets. If you disagree, tell us why.
Question for students (and subscribers): Do you disagree? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Richie, Alexandra. Warsaw 1944: Hitler, Himmler, and the Warsaw Uprising. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Szczebrzeszynski of a Wola massacre victims memorial, is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3703 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3703">74 Comments
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Thank you so much for mentioning the Soviets. People who lived under both occupations always say that they were way worse than Germans but many (mostly Western) historians used to leave them out. The myth that they were the “lesser evil” is finally crashing down. He attacked Poland on September 17 and not sooner because he needed to secure the peace with Japan first.
You’re welcome! You might also enjoy http://www.crackedhistory.com/10-reasons-stalin-might-worse-hitler/
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I completely agree with the disgust at what the Nazis and Soviets did to civilians.
Why would anyone even consider taking the Nazis’ and Soviet’s side? Extremely disturbing.
Truly unthinkable… people are cruel! — DAVID WARDLE
It’s hard to believe killing all of those people was suppose to accomplish something.
I don’t understand how they thought that would accomplish what they wanted to
The number of people killed by their government in the 20th century is absolutely staggering.
I guess the Soviets could care less about the Polish being defeated, except it would probably make Poland easier to conquer with Polish rule rather than Nazi rule.
The nazis were such terrible people.
Its crazy that Hitler was able to brainwash a whole army and country into believing that the mass killings he was committing were justified. While he was one of the worst leaders of all time, he was not dumb. He was able to play on the fears of the German people and use that fear to his advantage.
A bunch of crazy madness.
I completely agree with your opinion in that anyone with disregard for these events does not know history. Even worse though is those who try to argue that the these events did not happen or the schools that refuse to teach their students about this time period.
Holy crap that’s a lot of people to kill. I do not know how these people could just go around killing innocent people.
It’s terrible that the Nazis believed that horrible acts such as this one were somehow justified.
How could no Germans be prosecuted for this? It is unbelievable.
Its crazy that no justice was served for such a horrible act
innocent people dying, and a horrible act that did not have any justice.
Poland almost had a fighting chance if Russia would have just helped but no since Poland refused communism they let them die and get punished by the Germans. Cruel cruel world we live in.
It still amazes me how much the Nazi’s did to people. Poland never had a chance with both attacking them.
The Nazi’s were absolutely terrible. I cannot believe that no Germans were ever prosecuted for the Wola Massacre.
Germany is like big brother who beats up on the little brother and never gets in trouble for it. The fact that no German soldiers were ever prosecuted is far beyond terrible. The Germans did what ever they were told to do with no regard for human life and it is sickening to read about.
Like it said in the article before, during this time period the amount of brutal massacres and killings happened, seemed like regularly and this seems to add to that list. It’s very hard to comprehend the fact that with nearly 40,000 to 50,000 people murdered and that not one of those soldiers was ever prosecuted or convicted of this horrific crime.
I agree with Mikayla in that it was awful that no one was persecuted in Germany for this massacre! In addition to this, I think the Soviets were at fault too. They just sat back and let it happen because they thought that the PHA wasn’t going to accept communism.
I can not believe that nobody was held accountable for this massacre! The Polish had been so much, it is sad to see that they killed so many random, innocent people, just to punish them for sticking up for themselves.
Its horrible the Nazis killed so many civilians and none of the Nazis were ever held responsible for this horrible event! Its unbelievable that anyone would thing it justified to killed 30 thousand people in cold blood because they revolted against an oppressive regime. The crimes the Nazis committed were numerous and unspeakable and every time I learn of one Im just baffled that these events actually took place in history.
What the Nazi’s did, massacring 40,000 to 50,000 captured partisan soldiers and civilians in one week’s time, is unimaginable. It is horrible. What the Soviets did, however can be looked at as even worse. The Poles were under the impression the Soviets would back them in their confrontation with the Nazi’s, but the Soviets never planned on helping. Sometimes giving false hope is worse than physically hurting someone.
Add this to the list of horrific actions done by the Nazis during WWII. It is also yet another event no one was held responsible for! While life after the war must have been terrible for the Nazis I truly feel that it should have been much worse.
It is terrible that the Soviets turned and betrayed the Polish army, especially after the other atrocities that Poland suffered during the war. These people had the courage to try and stand up to the Nazi’s, and as a result, thousands of innocent people were murdered. The soviets only did this because they wanted to reintroduce communism to Poland after the war.
Poland was the first country Germany invaded to start World War II. They had suffered from the beginning and when they finally rose up against the German forces the casualties were extensive. 40,000 to 50,000 people were massacred and even after that people kept fighting.
What the Nazis did, and continued to do throughout the war, was absurd and incomprehensible. Millions of people died from all backgrounds all because of a misguided ideology. I find it hard to believe the soldiers who continued to perform these acts time and time again had what seems like no remorse. What the Soviets did was just as bad.
It is no surprise that after the Germans extinguished the PHA’s attempt at overthrowing the Germans that they went on a killing spree to set an example and punish the Poles for attempting what they had.
I remember learning how Warsaw was one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and yet the Nazis so callously destroyed it. I think that the Poles rebuilt a lot of the beauty back into the city but of course some things were probably irreplaceable.
How could Germany never face prosecution for such a crime. It sickens me that people could give an order such as this that could cause the deaths of so many people.
I cannot believe there were not any Germans prosecuted for the Wola Massacre! It still amazes me how many people the Nazis had killed. The Soviets should be at fault for this as well for leaving Poland to fend for itself because they would not accept communism.
This massacre is sickening to read about. War is one thing, but there is no way to justify killing thousands of innocent people like the Nazis did to the Polish people.
What Nazi Germany did during World War II was inexcusable. They took the lives of so many innocent people, and invaded so many countries including Poland. Unfortunately for Poland, they did not have the support they thought they were going to have from the Soviets.
This is so disturbing to read. The Nazis took so many innocent lives during WWII its sickening. This incident was the fault of the Soviets for not keeping up their end of the bargain. The Polish were expecting support but it never came and it led to the annihilation of their people and towns.
It gets more and more disturbing, the Nazis killed so many innocent people and I do not understand even they could live with themselves knowing they are killing people that were innocent.
It’s stories like these that are a reminder of just how harsh WWII was within Europe. There was really an uncanny amount of civilian involvement in combat, leading to torturous conditions for civilians and horrible deaths for thousands of innocent people.
It is bad enough what the Nazis did all throughout WWII, but to not be accounted for this massacre is comprehensible. A massacre of 40,000 to 50,000 people is horrific for the Polish, plus the lack of support they expected from Soviets did not help.
The fact so many Nazis were able to do these horrific acts is unbelievable they could live with this.
This massacre of the Poles seems a bit disturbing especially because they were killed due to resistance. Being Polish, I would have resist the nasty Germans too!
The most interesting/ shocking thing for me from this article is that no Germans were prosecuted, while on the opposite side, thousands of Poles were executed in a span of a week. I wonder if the massacre would have ended differently had the Polish people had more support by other Soviet nations.
I am still not surprised that these actions happen.
This has to go down in history as one ugly horrific massacre. Tens of thousands of Polish people were killed by the Nazi’s towards the end of World War Two.
The Soviet army makes my stomach churn. They had no honor. They allowed the massacre of thousands of innocent people just so to push their political will? Sickening.
It is shocking that no Germans were prosecuted for this, but again it was the Nazis and they got away with a lot of horrible things. A massacre of 40,000 to 50,000 people is devastating and cruel.
There was some justice, however not enough: Oskar Dirlewanger was captured in France in June 1945 and few days later beaten to death – most probably – by polish guards. Probably some SS men and other collaborators recruited after 1941 from Ukrainian soldiers of Red Army were extradited after the war to the Soviet Union and simply shot after arrival – however not for any atrocities but just for renegading.
On the other hand, the other main perpetrator of these mass murders, Heinz Reinefahrt, was also captured but then released by a West Germany court – due to lack of evidence.
And this is really sad and sick: after USA and UK sold Poland and the whole Central and East Europe to Soviets many war criminals were taken into custody and then- as they knew a lot and that’s way were very useful for inteligence – discharged.
And for those interested in the Warsaw Uprising here a few sites kept also in english:
– http://www.warsawuprising.com/
– http://www.sppw1944.org/index_eng.html
Too many Nazi’s and collaborators escaped justice after the war.
Nazi is such a sleazy, politcally correct and overused phrase. Main perpetrators were Germans: some of them were members of NSDAP, some – not. And after the war they just dissolved into thin air and those who couldn’t do that magical trick kept saying they had to execute orders.
Please remember that also the opposition in the army wanted only an armistice with the Western Allies and continuing the war and occupation in the East. Take that “super hero” Von Staufenberg and his statement about Poland: Die Bevölkerung ist ein unglaublicher Pöbel, sehr viele Juden und sehr viel Mischvolk. Ein Volk, welches sich nur unter der Knute wohlfühlt. Die Tausenden von Gefangenen werden unserer Landwirtschaft recht gut tun (Harry Horstmann: Operation Walküre: Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. Books on Demand, 2008, s. 23. ISBN 3837062953). And this was said in 1939, before Germany moved even more to east. More about his plans (or even offers done to the West): the eastern border of Reich should be as in 1914 and no war criminals should be handed over.
When we say Nazis in regards to World War II military actions by Germany, we do not mean every single soldier was a Nazi party member. What we mean is the Nazi regime was in charge of giving the orders to those soldiers. We do not accept “following orders” as an excuse for murder and atrocities. You make an excellent point about von Staufenberg, which shows that even Germans that became disenchanted with Hitler and his henchmen were often still ardent nationalists that held other countries and ethnic groups in contempt. To be sure, a great many German civilians and military people that were not party members still share in the responsibility for the outrages committed by Germany before and during World War II. It seems many Germans were plenty happy about Hitler and the Nazis when things were going good for them, and later when ruin was imminent these same people retroactively decided they had “never” supported the Nazi regime!
I would still say: Germans.
Maybe your point of view doesn’t imply that without Hitler and his acolytes there would be no war but still I feel like using Nazi instead of Germany is unfounded because it focuses on just a few elements of German policy of these times, mainly racism and mass extermination of people.
As to the first thought a war was only a matter of time. After the defeat in the Great War, massive reparations and territorial losses and a forced permanent disarmament (a full one in some vital areas) many Germans, including the highest ranks in – in their own opinion -an invicible army were simply full of rage. Take Rappallo treaties: officially it was to straighten out relationships with Soviet and not so officially to start a military cooperation And it was signed just a year after disarmament treaties. Four years after Rappallo another bunch of papers was signed in Locarno. This time it was to confirm western borders of Germany and simultaneously to assure that its eastern borders can renegotated. And – as far as it concerned Poland – it could mean only war.
And as to the second concern: above I wrote “an invicible army” because the defeat of 1918 (or even 1919) was by many explained as a stab in the back, betrayal of jewish bankers, industrialist, soldiers and anyone who was Jew. And what some Germans thought about Poles (and – assuming – all nations leaving to the east) can be read from Staufenbegrs letters.
And one more thing: Bundesrepublik Deutschland officialy accepted its legacy and continuity after Drittes Reich. So if there was Nazi Germany (abbreviated just to Nazi) then why when talking about USA of these times don’t use a word “racist”? It was an openly racist country then, officialy segregating own citizens according to their etnicity and color of their skin and thus limiting their basic rights. And Japs were simply Japs.
The reason we do not refer to the USA as a slave nation is because it no longer is, and has not been for over a century and a half. We do not call modern Germany “Nazi” either, for the same reason. We refer to “Nazi Germany” only during the years 1933-1945.
I didn’t write “slave” but “racist” and wasn’t referring to such a bygone time but to the exactly same period of 1933-1945. A period when a Nazi (from Naziland, supposedly?) POW had more rights than a black US citizen.
I still believe that if one wants to call Germany of the mentioned period “Nazi”, one should always use the whole phrase “Nazi Germany” and speaking about people one should say “Germans” as Nazi was not a nation and not all Germans were Nazi (as you pointed out).
I mentioned slaves because you referred to them. Of course, perhaps you are correct that we should say “Nazi Germany” as a more precise way of describing the people we are referring to. Not all Americans believe in democracy, but this is still a democratic nation. Not all Germans were Nazis, but the country was run by that party and it had overwhelming popular support of a large majority of the public. Not every person in Iran is Muslim, but it is an “Islamic” nation nonetheless. Not every person in Israel is Jewish, but it is a Jewish state. World War II Germany was a Nazi nation, just not 100% all inclusive every single last person. It is a valid generalization.
If Israel is a Jewish state even if not all living there people are Jewish then if most in III Reich were Germans why not to call them simply Germans?
On the other hand if politics are so valid why not to describe all nations exactly according to their actual politics?
And just for the record: asking why not to call USA of ’30 and ’40 of the last century a racist country I did reffer to segregation – not slaves. Being a citizen of incomplete civil rights doesn’t means being a slave.
And generally, what is the whole fuss about? Why not to call Germans Germans? Because then they were bad and now they are good? But for how long? If in fifteen years today’s alliances revert will you call your former enemies and allies so and so just to do justice to them (or show them their place)?
1. You are correct. The USA of the ’30’s, ’40’s, and ’50’s was indeed a racist state, although after World War II things slowly changed as far as racial policies went. By 1964 it was virtually illegal to have racist policies, those some official and some unofficial racist policies continued to exist, just as did racial prejudice by private citizens.
2. You are also correct, in that who is good and who is bad changes like the direction of the wind. I suspect it will always be that way. 3. One thing, though: I’d hate to have people blame me today for something my ancestors did, so I hesitate to blame today’s people for stuff their ancestors did. How long do you have to wait to differentiate between the people of then and the people of now? There is no answer. The time frame is arbitrary and based on current conditions and biased opinion of whoever is in charge.
4. What I cannot figure out, is what is your point? Are you saying we should all hate Germans? That the German people are stained by their past? Almost anybody has ancestors that were criminal or homicidal, slave owners or thieves. We refer to Nazi Germany because it is correct for the time frame. Of course, we could also just call it Germany anytime. Do you object to the term Nazi because you defend Nazis or because you condemn all Germans? Or are you saying we should never refer to the Third Reich as Nazi Germany? I honestly do not know exactly what you mean.
I don’t blame anybody for what their forefathers did (however you should know that such nice companies like Siemens or Bayer for years tried to avoid paying compensations to slave labourers and started doing it when most of victims was already on the other side – and don’t tell me that CEOs can’t be blamed for deeds of their forerunners because I know that but they can be blamed for not fixing it). I simply want to stress that first there were Germans then (if at all) Nazis.
And for sure I don’t defend Nazis nor Germans (from the past). I thought I was clear enough until now but can rephrase my arguments: Nazi ideology could arise and overwhelm the whole nation (generally) because there was ground for it and now using the word “Nazi” seems like trying to take it out from place and time – yes, there were bombing, demolishing whole cities, gasing and starving people to death but it was done by Nazis. No it was not done by Nazis, it was done by Germans, employing somewhere and sometimes thugs of almost all Europe.
As to calling the country, I already wrote than you (and anyone) can call it Nazi Germany.
And what were you tring to say by “Almost anybody has ancestors that were criminal or homicidal, slave owners or thieves”? That calling Germans from before eighty years Nazis is like saying to today’s Germans “we have nothing to you” and calling them Germans would be an injustice for their descendants?
just simplicity saying the nazis are very bad people in this era how many people or better yet how much of a population did they take off the face of this earth!!!!! i really dont wanna read about anymore killings its horrible. This is not really easy to be okay with.
I always wonder if Germany had not tried to kill off a large majority of its population due to their hate of the jews, I believe that once they split their own nation with racism they were doomed from the beginning. Could they have won the war if they decided against killing people based off of religion/beliefs?
The Nazi regime will be remembered forever due to the face that they wiped out so many generations of people. Any solider that did this was not a good human being they couldn’t say just following orders anybody that would follow this order shouldn’t be human.
The comments about how horrible the soldiers were are not wrong, because they did carry out horrible things. But studies have found that authority and obedience can cause people to do terrible things. Not that that makes any of it okay…
By far one of the worst massacre, can’t believe no one geld the fault. Amazing the things you can get people to do under power.
Crazy to think that people would do such things all just under the orders to do so
They were “just following orders” but really? the soldiers didn’t try to get out of it?
quite odd how obedience works
As said many times before anyone with any nostalgia for the Nazi period or any misguided respect for the Nazi regime does not know history. WOW!!
Sometimes I wonder what goes through the minds of the Nazis when they’re killing many innocent lives.
The people that get swastika tattoos and participate in white supremacy movements should have witnessed an atrocity like this. Maybe then they would understand how wrong it is to support what the Nazis were.
I never heard about this Wola massacre that’s a lot of people he killed.
I can say I honestly hate the Nazi’s and their way of living.. they were such horrible people. I understand they were fulfilling their duty, but it’s still a moral thing in my eyes..