Beginning of the Warsaw Uprising; the Red Army’s advance toward Warsaw prompts the Polish resistance to rise up against the Nazi occupiers. The rebels, supporting the democratic Polish government in exile in London, hope to capture the city before the Soviets arrive to “liberate” it. After the poorly equipped insurgents gain an initial advantage, Hitler sends reinforcements. Violent street fighting forces gradually force the Poles to submit to German armaments. Meanwhile, the Red Army occupies a suburb of Warsaw but makes no attempt to aid the rebels. The Soviets also reject a British request to use Soviet air bases to airlift supplies to the devastated population. Civilian casualties number 250,000.
