Lwów Uprising
Encyclopedia
The Lwów Uprising was the armed struggle started by the Polish resistance movement
organization Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) against the Nazi occupiers in Lviv
, during World War II
. It began on July 23, 1944 as a part of a plan of all-national uprising codenamed Operation Tempest
. The uprising lasted until July 27 and resulted in liberation of the city. However, shortly afterwards the Polish soldiers were arrested by the invading Soviets and were forced to join the Red Army or sent to the Gulag
s. The city itself was occupied by the Soviet Union
.
In late December 1943, the Red Army
initiated yet another offensive. Already on January 4, 1944, the first Soviet units crossed the pre-war Polish border in Volhynia
. By the end of March most of Tarnopol Voivodeship
lay in their hands, with the Germans preparing to retreat behind the Bug River
. Under such circumstances the Home Army
devised a plan of a gradual uprising that was to break out before the advancing Soviets, defeat the withdrawing Germans and allow the underground Polish authorities
to appear in newly-liberated areas as their legitimate governors. The plan, code-named Operation Tempest
, was put into action and by early July 1944 the local Lwów Home Army branch prepared specific orders for all Polish partisan units in the area.
According to the order of July 5, 1944, the forces of the Home Army within the city were divided onto five districts, each with its own centre of mobilization and different tasks. On July 18, the German civilian authorities and pro-Nazi Ukrainian militias withdrew from the city. The following day, the forces of the Wehrmacht
left Lwów, leaving only a token force. This left large parts of the town practically in Polish hands. However, at the same time, several new divisions of the Wehrmacht appeared at the city's outskirts, causing the Polish headquarters postpone the uprising. It was not until the afternoon of July 21 that the first reconnaissance
units of the Red Army arrived to the area. The following day the Soviet 29th Tank Brigade of the 4th Tank Army
reached the city's limits. At that moment, the Polish Home Army decided to commence the battle against German fortified outposts.
The German forces withdrew from the city's outskirts and fortified themselves in the city centre. In the early hours of the following day, what started as a series of skirmishes resulted in an outbreak of heavy city fights
. The first to join the fight was the 14th Home Army Uhlans' Regiment, clearing the suburb of Łyczaków and pushing towards the old town along Zielona and Łyczakowska streets. In the western area, the Polish forces outnumbered the Germans and were able to capture the Main Train Station terminal. The southern area was almost abandoned by the Germans and the Polish forces were able to capture the 19th century citadel
with large military supplies depots. This success allowed the supply of the Polish troops with badly needed arms.
On July 23 the heaviest fighting ensued in the city centre and the northern district, where the Poles were able to capture only the Gas Works, preventing their demolition by the German troops. In the city centre, the partisans were aided by the entire Soviet 10th Tank Corps that was gradually joining the fights. The Soviets advanced in three wedges. One of them aimed at the southern area, already cleared from any German resistance by the Polish units. The two others reinforced the Polish units attacking along the Zielona and Łyczakowska streets. By the end of the day, the last column reached the Old Town Square and the Poles captured the Old Town Market.
(...)
Afterwards, the civil and military authorities were summoned for a meeting with Red Army
commanders and captured by the NKVD
with guarantees of safety for all attendees provided. Despite these guarantees, the Soviets arrested some 5000 Polish soldiers who were sent to "Miedniki" gulag. The remaining forces of col. Władysław Filipkowski
were forcibly conscripted to the Red Army, sent to Gulag
or escaped to rejoin the underground.
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
organization Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) against the Nazi occupiers in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It began on July 23, 1944 as a part of a plan of all-national uprising codenamed Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
. The uprising lasted until July 27 and resulted in liberation of the city. However, shortly afterwards the Polish soldiers were arrested by the invading Soviets and were forced to join the Red Army or sent to the Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
s. The city itself was occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
In late December 1943, the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
initiated yet another offensive. Already on January 4, 1944, the first Soviet units crossed the pre-war Polish border in Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
. By the end of March most of Tarnopol Voivodeship
Tarnopol Voivodeship
Tarnopol Voivodeship was an administrative region of interwar Poland with an area of 16,500 km², 17 counties, and capital in Tarnopol...
lay in their hands, with the Germans preparing to retreat behind the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
. Under such circumstances the Home Army
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
devised a plan of a gradual uprising that was to break out before the advancing Soviets, defeat the withdrawing Germans and allow the underground Polish authorities
Polish Secret State
The Polish Underground State is a collective term for the World War II underground resistance organizations in Poland, both military and civilian, that remained loyal to the Polish Government in Exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were put in place in the final days of the...
to appear in newly-liberated areas as their legitimate governors. The plan, code-named Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest
Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....
, was put into action and by early July 1944 the local Lwów Home Army branch prepared specific orders for all Polish partisan units in the area.
According to the order of July 5, 1944, the forces of the Home Army within the city were divided onto five districts, each with its own centre of mobilization and different tasks. On July 18, the German civilian authorities and pro-Nazi Ukrainian militias withdrew from the city. The following day, the forces of the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
left Lwów, leaving only a token force. This left large parts of the town practically in Polish hands. However, at the same time, several new divisions of the Wehrmacht appeared at the city's outskirts, causing the Polish headquarters postpone the uprising. It was not until the afternoon of July 21 that the first reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
units of the Red Army arrived to the area. The following day the Soviet 29th Tank Brigade of the 4th Tank Army
4th Tank Army (Soviet Union)
The 20th Guards Army, , is a field army, since 1991, part of the Russian Ground Forces.-1st Formation :It was first formed within the Stalingrad Front from July 1942 and...
reached the city's limits. At that moment, the Polish Home Army decided to commence the battle against German fortified outposts.
The German forces withdrew from the city's outskirts and fortified themselves in the city centre. In the early hours of the following day, what started as a series of skirmishes resulted in an outbreak of heavy city fights
Urban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
. The first to join the fight was the 14th Home Army Uhlans' Regiment, clearing the suburb of Łyczaków and pushing towards the old town along Zielona and Łyczakowska streets. In the western area, the Polish forces outnumbered the Germans and were able to capture the Main Train Station terminal. The southern area was almost abandoned by the Germans and the Polish forces were able to capture the 19th century citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
with large military supplies depots. This success allowed the supply of the Polish troops with badly needed arms.
On July 23 the heaviest fighting ensued in the city centre and the northern district, where the Poles were able to capture only the Gas Works, preventing their demolition by the German troops. In the city centre, the partisans were aided by the entire Soviet 10th Tank Corps that was gradually joining the fights. The Soviets advanced in three wedges. One of them aimed at the southern area, already cleared from any German resistance by the Polish units. The two others reinforced the Polish units attacking along the Zielona and Łyczakowska streets. By the end of the day, the last column reached the Old Town Square and the Poles captured the Old Town Market.
(...)
Afterwards, the civil and military authorities were summoned for a meeting with Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
commanders and captured by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
with guarantees of safety for all attendees provided. Despite these guarantees, the Soviets arrested some 5000 Polish soldiers who were sent to "Miedniki" gulag. The remaining forces of col. Władysław Filipkowski
Wladyslaw Filipkowski
Władysław Filipkowski was a Polish military commander and a professional officer of the Polish Army. During World War II he was the commanding officer of the Armia Krajowa units in the inspectorate of Lwów and the commander of the Lwów Uprising...
were forcibly conscripted to the Red Army, sent to Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
or escaped to rejoin the underground.