Blaring sirens and tolling church bells. Exactly at 5 pm, at the "W" Hour, Warsaw stood still. Residents of the city stopped to remember and pay homage to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising. Busy streets of the Polish capital froze for a short moment, including cars, buses and trams.
The "W" Hour was the central point of the commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. Seventy five years ago, exactly at 5 pm the insurgents grabbed their weapons to fight for their city, occupied by the Germans. Each year, the Polish capital stands still for a short while to pay tribute to the heroes who had faced the overwhelming enemy forces.
Hundreds gathered at the Krasinski Square, in front of the Warsaw Uprising Monument. The central point of Warsaw, the Dmowski Roundabout, stood motionless. At the Castle Square, hundreds formed a living "Kotwica", the symbol of Polish resistance movement. All around the city, passers-by and bikers gathered on sidewalks. The traffic came to a standstill, however, in this case, deliberately.
"Gloria victis"
In front of the Gloria Victis Monument (in Latin: Glory to the vanquished) at the Powązki Cemetery, the Warsaw city authorities, including mayor rafał Trzaskowski paid homage to the insurgents. The ceremony was also attended by war veterans, scouts and regular residentsof the city. Also present were President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
The ceremony at the cemetery are the central point of the observances. After the moment of silence, Polish national anthem was played. Next, the Bishop to the Forces, Józef Guzdek lead a prayer. "You are the guiding light to us. Your heroic act makes us sure that a nation that was ready for such sacrifice shall never perish," Bishop Guzdek said.
The memory of the heroes was also marked by a gun salute. In the end of the ceremony, various delegations laid flowers in front of the Gloria Victis Monument.
Tragic aftermath
At the moment of the Uprising's outbreak, the Home Army had 40-45.000 soldiers, organised in 8 sub-districts reporting to the District of Warsaw command (Śródmieście, Żoliborz, Wola, Ochota, Mokotów, Praga, Powiat and Okęcie) and in remote sub-districts.
The insurgents had at their disposal about 2.500 pistols, 1475 rifles, 420 submachine guns, 94 light machine guns and 20 heavy machine guns.
The Uprising, expected to take only a few days, lasted more than two months. The fighting in Warsaw left around 18.000 dead insurgents, and around 25.000 wounded. The civilian casualties were extremely high, with some 180.000 deaths. All the other residents, around 500.000 people, were expelled from the city, which soon after was burned and razed to the ground.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: tvn24