BetweenJulyandSeptember1942,theNazisshipped300,000JewsfromtheWarsawghettoto"labourcamps".WhenwordreachedtheghettothatthedestinationwasactuallythegaschambersatTreblinka,thenewlyformedJewishFightingOrganizationZOBpreparedforresistance.
On19April1943,theWarsawghettouprisingbeganafterGermantroopsenteredtheghettotodeportitsremaining55,000inhabitants.TheZOBandguerrillasarmedwithpistolsandhomemadebombsfoughttheGermantroopssupportedbytanksandflamethrowerstilltheirammunitionranout.ManyofthesurvivingZOBfighterstooktheirownlivestoavoidbeingcaptured,butseveraldozenfightersescapedthroughthesewers.Duringthe28daysoftheuprising,approximately7,000Jewswerekilled.Germanlosseswere16deadand85wounded.
一九四二年七月到九月，納粹黨從華沙猶太區把三十萬人送往「苦工營」。但猶太區居民後來聽到消息，說那三十萬同胞其實是送去特雷布林卡毒氣室。新成立的猶太戰團ZOB於是準備反抗。
一九四三年四月十九日，德軍進入猶太區，要把餘下的五萬五千居民送走，猶太區自衞戰就開始了。ZOB以及游擊隊用手槍和自製炸彈，對抗有坦克、噴火器助戰的德軍，直到彈藥耗盡。ZOB戰士沒有戰死的，不少都自殺，以免落在德軍手上，但也有幾十個戰士經陰溝逃脫。自衞戰前後二十八天，約有七千猶太人遇害。德軍則有十六人死亡，八十五人受傷。