Wola massacre

The Wola massacre () refers to the mass murder of ethnic Poles by Nazi German troops in Warsaw, occupied Poland in August 1944. 





Background

In occupied Poland, the Nazi Germans saw Warsaw as the center of resistance. The start of the Warsaw Uprising on August 1, 1944 made the Nazi Germans decide to destroy Warsaw. Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler said:


Events

Beginning

Men formed the majority of the massacre's victims. On August 5, 1944, thousands of soldiers from the Wehrmacht, "Dirlewanger" SS regiment, and the 608th infantry regiment started the mass murder by shooting civilians in their houses, and on the streets when they fled the houses being set on fire by the Nazi Germans.

Mass executions 

Mass executions happened near the railway workshop halls in Moczydło Street (as many as 12,000 were killed), in the "Ursus" plant (as many as 7,500 killed), in the Franaszek factory (as many as 6,000 killed), in Sowiński Park (about 1,500 killed), and the Orthodox Christian cemetery (hundreds killed).

Later development

The massacre was scaled down General von dem Bach-Zelewski took charge and stopped the murder of women and children. On August 6, more mass murders happened, especially in the Kirchmajer and Marczewski farming machinery store at 79/81 Wolska Street, where 2,000 deaths were recorded.


Lieutenant Colonel Jan Mazurkiewicz, codenamed Radosław, wrote in an August 6 report to the Polish Home Army's Colonel Antoni Chruściel:


Casualties

The exact death toll remains unclear. Experts put the toll at 38,000–65,000.


Related pages

 Volhynia massacre
 NKVD prisoner massacres
 Genocides by the Soviet Union
 Mass murders by Nazi Germany

References

Category:Massacres
Category:World War II
Category:1940s in Poland