InAugust1944,thePolishHomeArmyroseagainsttheGermansinanattempttoliberateWarsawandreinstatePolishauthorities.TheSovietleaderJosephStalin,however,wantedtheuprisingtofailsothattheSovietoccupationofPolandwouldbeuncontested.Consequently,SovietforceswerehaltedwhentheywerejustafewhundredmetresfromWarsaw.HomeArmydetachmentsfromoutsideWarsawwhichattemptedtogotothecity'saidweresurroundedanddisarmedbytheSoviets.
ThePolesfoughtfor63days.About18,000Polishsoldiersand200,000civilianswerekilled,manyinmassexecutions.OnHitler'sorders,Warsawwassystematicallybombed.TheSovietarmystoodbeforethecity,watchingitburning.Notsurprisingly,the1944insurgentsfacedcommunistpersecutioninpostwarPoland.
一九四四年八月，波蘭本土軍起事，希望從德軍手上解放華沙，恢復波蘭統治。但蘇聯領袖約瑟夫．斯大林不想起事成功，否則蘇聯佔領波蘭會有障礙。於是蘇軍在華沙幾百公尺之外，停步不前。城外的波蘭本土軍支隊要進城救援，都被蘇軍包圍以及解除武裝。
波蘭人奮戰了六十三天，約一萬八千名士兵、二十萬平民被殺，不少是遭集體處決。希特勒下令對華沙展開按部就班式轟炸。波蘭陷入火海，城外蘇聯軍隊作壁上觀。在戰後的波蘭，一九四四年起事者遭共產黨迫害，當然並不奇怪。