Poles gather to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising

In what has become a tradition, Poles from all walks of life gathered in Warsaw to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. On the night of Aug. 1, 1944, sensing the demoralization of the occupying German forces, that had suffered substantial casualties from the approaching Red Army, Poles decided to launch a surprise attack. On the orders of Adolf Hitler, the Germans in return set Warsaw ablaze. The Soviets stood by on the other side of the Vistula River and were reluctant to intervene as a barrage of German artillery fire levelled the city. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 1, Rzeczpospolita, page A2, Zycie, page 8). S.M.