The lesson of courage, patriotism and love of Freedom that Poland gave to the world in 1944

On August 1st, at 5:00 p.m., the sirens will sound in Warsaw to remember one of the most heroic deeds of World War II.

Warsaw 1944: when Poland rose against the Third Reich ... and Stalin stand idly by
Armia Krajowa: the history of the greatest resistance movement of the World War II

It was at 5:00 p.m. (W-hour) on August 1, 1944, 80 years ago today, when Armia Krajowa (AK, Home Army), the largest resistance organization of World War II, took up arms against Nazi Germany, which had occupied Poland for almost four years. Many of those insurgents were Polish Catholics who had taken a solemn oath when joining the AK:

"Before God Almighty and Mary the Blessed Virgin, Queen of the Polish Crown, I pledge allegiance to my Fatherland, the Republic of Poland. I pledge to steadfastly guard Her honour, and to fight for Her liberation with all my strength, even to the extent of sacrificing my own life."

These insurgents, most of them very young, were poorly armed and wore uniforms captured from the Germans. On their arm they wore an armband with the colours of the Polish flag and the letters "WP" (Wojsko Polskie, Polish Army), which legally identified them as combatants according to the Geneva Convention.

The Warsaw insurgents were outnumbered by the Germans, but they hoped to secure the liberation of their homeland before the Soviets reached Warsaw and imposed a communist dictatorship there. In a formidable display of courage, the Warsaw Uprising resisted the Germans for two months, even fighting them in the city's sewers. Hitler's revenge was terrible, and the Germans left Warsaw almost completely razed to the ground, so much so that at the end of the war there were doubts as to whether it could be rebuilt.

Even despite the defeat, the heroism of the Warsaw insurgents lived on and served as an example to the Polish people to continue the resistance against the country's new occupiers, the Soviets, because contrary to what some claim, Poland was not liberated: the communists took the place of the Nazis, replacing one occupation with another and one dictatorship with another.

A few weeks before the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, a song called "Warszawskie dzieci" (Children of Warsaw) was written. It is one of my favourite Polish songs. I have always found its first verse very inspiring and it symbolises the indomitable spirit that the Polish people have always had:

Nie złamie wolnych żadna klęska,
Nie strwoży śmiałych żaden trud.
Pójdziemy razem do zwycięstwa,
Gdy ramię w ramię stanie lud.

No defeat will crush free men,
no difficulty will frighten the brave.
Let us go together towards victory,
when the people rise shoulder to shoulder.

In 1944, the people of Poland gave the world a lesson in courage, patriotism and love of freedom. Today, there are only a few survivors of the Warsaw Uprising, but their testimony and acts of heroism live on in the Polish people. The world must never forget the sacrifice of those heroes who took up arms to liberate their homeland from some of the worst invaders and criminals history has ever known. The memory of those "children of Warsaw" continues to send a message to the world: courage, honour, love of the homeland and the defence of freedom - values ​​that will never expire because they are part of the very core of our Western civilisation.

Cześć i chwała bohaterom!
Honor and glory to the heroes!

P.S.: You can listen to the song "Warszawskie dzieci" here:

These are the lyrics of the song in Polish:

Nie złamie wolnych żadna klęska,
Nie strwoży śmiałych żaden trud.
Pójdziemy razem do zwycięstwa,
Gdy ramię w ramię stanie lud.

[Refran]
Warszawskie dzieci, pójdziemy w bój,
Za każdy kamień Twój, Stolico, damy krew!
Warszawskie dzieci, pójdziemy w bój,
Gdy padnie rozkaz Twój, poniesieni wrogom gniew!

Powiśle, Wola i Mokotów,
Ulica każda, każdy dom —
Gdy padnie pierwszy strzał, bądź gotów,
Jak w ręku Boga złoty grom.

[Refran]

Od piły, dłuta, młota, kielni,
Stolico, synów swoich sław,
Że stoją wraz przy Tobie wierni
Na straży Twych żelaznych praw.

[Refran]

Poległym chwała, wolność żywym,
Niech płynie w niebo dumny śpiew,
Wierzymy, że nam Sprawiedliwy,
Odpłaci za przelaną krew.

[Refran]

And here you can read the translation of the lyrics into English:

No defeat will crush free men,
No difficulty will frighten the brave.
Let us go together towards victory,
When the people rise shoulder to shoulder.

[Chorus]
We, the children of Warsaw, will fight.
For each of your stones, capital, we will give our blood.
We, the children of Warsaw, will fight.
When your order comes, we will unleash our fury on the enemy!

Powiśle, Wola and Mokotów,
every street, every house.
When the first shot rings out, be ready,
like golden thunder in the hands of God.

[Chorus]

Of the saw, the trowel, the hammer and the chisel,
capital, fame of his children,
who remain faithful to you
on guard obedient to iron laws.

[Chorus]

Glory to the fallen, Liberty lives,
let this proud song flow to heaven,
we believe it is Justice,
to pay by shedding our blood.

[Chorus]