US, German Embassies honour 1944 Uprising fighters

The German Embassy in Warsaw lowered the flags to half-mast on Sunday, while the US Embassy remembered the heroic 1944 struggle of Poles against occupying Nazi German forces in a statement posted on Twitter.

The Fighting Poland symbol at the Warsaw Uprising Mound in Czerniaków, Warsaw. The mound was formed from the debris of the old city of Warsaw in 1945.

Photo: PAP/Andrzej Lange

Germany’s Ambassador to Warsaw Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven said that as "a sign of profound grief and shame because of the cruel crimes committed by the German occupiers against the people of Warsaw," flags were flown at half-mast at the country's diplomatic buildings in Poland.

Dziś flagi 🇩🇪 przedstawicielstw w Polsce opuszczone są do połowy masztów-na znak głębokiego bólu i wstydu z powodu okrutnych zbrodni niemieckiego okupanta w walce z ludnością Warszawy podczas #PowstanieWarszawskie. Wraz z premierem @landnrw uczciliśmy w Warszawie pamięć ofiar. pic.twitter.com/IHKObRFY8g

— Arndt Freytag von Loringhoven (@Amb_Niemiec) August 1, 2021

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Warsaw said in a Twitter post that "on August 1, 1944, Poles heroically took up arms to fight for their beloved city and homeland. (...) We are paying our tribute to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising."

1 sierpnia 1944 roku Polacy stanęli do heroicznej walki o ukochane miasto i ojczyznę. Razem z żołnierzami z Wielonarodowej Grupy Bojowej NATO w Orzyszu pod przewodnictwem Armii USA @BG_Poland_eFP oddajemy hołd bohaterom Powstania Warszawskiego. #Pamiętamy @USArmy @terytorialsi pic.twitter.com/QrjCuERqCz

— US Embassy Warsaw (@USEmbassyWarsaw) August 1, 2021

Some 20,000 fighters of the Polish Home Army took up arms against the Germans on August 1, 1944, launching what would be a 63-day uprising which was eventually quashed by the better-armed Nazis.

About 200,000 Poles – mostly civilians - died in the insurgency, while much of Warsaw was razed to the ground.

(ał)

Source: PAP