The Director of the Katyn Museum paid tribute to the Warsaw Insurgents
On the 82nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, as in previous years, Sebastian Karwat, Director of the Katyn Museum, lit candles at the memorial plaque commemorating the soldiers of the Home Army who fought for the Warsaw Citadel. This gesture was a tribute and an expression of remembrance for the participants of the Warsaw Uprising and all members of the independence underground movement who, in the face of German occupation, took up the fight for the freedom of the capital and the independence of the Republic of Poland.
The plaque is located on the outer part of the wall of the Avenue of the Absent, leading to the Katyn Epitaph. It commemorates the heroic attempt to capture a German stronghold undertaken on 1 August 1944. On that day, the Warsaw Citadel, occupied by the Germans, was repeatedly attacked from Krajewski Street by soldiers of the Home Army from the Żoliborz-based “Żaglowiec” Group, commanded by Second Lieutenant Stefan Szuba, codename “Leszcz”. Despite their great determination, the insurgents had very limited weaponry at their disposal. The unit, numbering several dozen soldiers, had only a few rifles, handguns, grenades and a PIAT anti-tank grenade launcher. The heavy fire from the Citadel’s ramparts prevented the German defences from being breached. Several insurgents were wounded during the fighting, and the assault was halted. The unit suffered significant losses, losing around 30% of its personnel during the attack.
Photo: Robert Kotecki
