Himmler’s order for the destruction of Warsaw

9 październik 2023 | Aktualności

The Warsaw Uprising was the last such major Polish uprising, in a specific area and in a relatively short period of time, to take place during the Second World War. Unfortunately, the attempt to recapture the Polish capital from German hands did not bring the results expected by the Home Army command. On the contrary. The Polish Underground Army suffered defeat, although for more than two months it fought heroically for every scrap of Warsaw soil.

Shortly after the outbreak of the uprising, Reischfüfrer SS Heinrich Himmler – one of the most important men in Nazi Germany – was to say to Adolf Hitler: „My Commander, the time is not very auspicious for us. From a historical point of view it is [however] a blessing that the Poles are doing this. After five or six weeks we will be out of it. And after that Warsaw, the capital, the head, the intelligence of this former Polish nation of 16-17 million will be destroyed, this nation that has been blocking the East from us for 700 years and has been lying in our way since the first battle of Tannenberg. And then, historically, the Polish problem will no longer be a big problem for our children and for all those who will come after us, yes, even already for us.”

These words, if they were indeed spoken, convinced Hitler very quickly. The German dictator then decided that the Polish capital should be razed to the ground, while all its inhabitants, were to be murdered. At the beginning of August 1944, Hitler informed both Himmler and General Heinz Guderian, who was then Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Land Command, of his decision. At the same time, the SS chief was given a 'free hand’ in the Warsaw affair.

How Himmler actually used the plenipotentiary powers he received from his boss was shown by the two months of fighting that lasted in the Polish capital. The Germans were not only trying to crack down on Home Army soldiers. The destruction of individual edifices and buildings had already begun, and the civilian population was being murdered, on a massive scale. These criminal operations were carried out by 'soldiers’ commanded by German officers such as Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, Oskar Dirlewanger, Heinz Reinefarth, and the Soviet traitor Bronislaw Kaminski.

It was a kind of, although hurriedly implemented, execution of the so-called Pabst Plan. This plan, prepared during the Second World War, envisaged reducing Warsaw to the level of a provincial city. Above all, its population was to be reduced. From 1.3 million, it was decided to reduce the population of the Polish capital to around 130,000. Furthermore, it was intended to demolish a large part of the buildings of the time, although the Old Town was to remain intact as evidence of the „continuity of German settlement”. In addition, while the Germans were still enjoying military success, they wanted to erect several monumental-totalitarian buildings in Warsaw to symbolise Germanic power. One of these was to be the People’s Hall or NSDAP Congress Hall. In order to build such a huge edifice, it was decided to demolish the Royal Castle. All of the above, but only some, elements of Pabst’s plan were to be crowned by the renaming of the Polish capital. The Germans wanted the city to be called 'Die neue Deutsche Stadt Warschau’, i.e. 'The new German city of Warsaw’.

Fortunately, the Nazis never got around to implementing their plans during the Second World War. The terrible realisation of some of the postulates, from the above-mentioned plan, came about accidentally, through the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. This was the Germans’ revenge for the actions of the Polish underground, which wanted to liberate the capital of their country from criminal occupation.

When the fighting in Warsaw was practically dying down, there was no indication that the city would become one big rubble in a few months. In the last days of September 1944, representatives of the Home Army command began negotiations with the Germans, concerning an armistice and then talks about capitulation. The latter ended on the night of 2 to 3 October 1944 with the signing of the so-called honourable act of surrender.

In spite of a number of agreements concerning actions against the Home Army, the civilian population and Warsaw as such, the Germans very quickly broke some of the provisions. Firstly, thousands of Varsovians were sent to the notorious Pruszków camp, and then deported to concentration camps and forced labour deep into the Third Reich. Secondly, in the capitulation agreement, the Nazis guaranteed: 'The German leadership will endeavour to protect the public and private property remaining in the city’. However, these guarantees proved to be empty words.

9 October 1944. Himmler decided to carry out Hitler’s decision and give the order to destroy Warsaw. An excerpt from his decision read: „The city is to disappear completely from the face of the earth and serve only as a reloading point for Wehrmacht transport. Not a stone should be left on a stone. All buildings are to be demolished down to their foundations. Only technical facilities and railway buildings will remain”.

With this, the Germans began the gradual destruction of the Polish capital, which lasted over three months. After the insurgents and civilians had left the city, special units set fire to and then blew up individual buildings. It was then, for example, that the collections of all Warsaw’s archives and libraries were destroyed. In addition to the devastation of edifices of culture, science, art, religious places, including churches and monasteries, and residential homes, the Germans also focused on looting property – both public and private. This was the aftermath of decisions made by Hitler, Himmler and one of the executors of that policy, namely the German governor of Warsaw and another war criminal, Ludwig Fischer. The latter stated on 11 October 1944: „Warsaw must be pacified, that is, it must still be razed to the ground during the war, insofar as military necessities, connected with fortifications, do not prevent this. All raw materials, textiles and furniture must be removed before demolition”.

To sum up, during that terrible period Warsaw became the most destroyed city of the Second World War. It is estimated that the Germans annihilated 60-80% of the city at that time, destroying, looting and, before that, murdering.

The Warsaw Uprising was the last such major Polish uprising, in a specific area and in a relatively short period of time, to take place during the Second World War. Unfortunately, the attempt to recapture the Polish capital from German hands did not bring the results expected by the Home Army command. On the contrary. The Polish Underground Army suffered defeat, although for more than two months it fought heroically for every scrap of Warsaw soil.

Shortly after the outbreak of the uprising, Reischfüfrer SS Heinrich Himmler – one of the most important men in Nazi Germany – was to say to Adolf Hitler: „My Commander, the time is not very auspicious for us. From a historical point of view it is [however] a blessing that the Poles are doing this. After five or six weeks we will be out of it. And after that Warsaw, the capital, the head, the intelligence of this former Polish nation of 16-17 million will be destroyed, this nation that has been blocking the East from us for 700 years and has been lying in our way since the first battle of Tannenberg. And then, historically, the Polish problem will no longer be a big problem for our children and for all those who will come after us, yes, even already for us.”

These words, if they were indeed spoken, convinced Hitler very quickly. The German dictator then decided that the Polish capital should be razed to the ground, while all its inhabitants, were to be murdered. At the beginning of August 1944, Hitler informed both Himmler and General Heinz Guderian, who was then Chief of the General Staff of the Supreme Land Command, of his decision. At the same time, the SS chief was given a 'free hand’ in the Warsaw affair.

How Himmler actually used the plenipotentiary powers he received from his boss was shown by the two months of fighting that lasted in the Polish capital. The Germans were not only trying to crack down on Home Army soldiers. The destruction of individual edifices and buildings had already begun, and the civilian population was being murdered, on a massive scale. These criminal operations were carried out by 'soldiers’ commanded by German officers such as Erich von dem Bach-Zelewski, Oskar Dirlewanger, Heinz Reinefarth, and the Soviet traitor Bronislaw Kaminski.

It was a kind of, albeit hurriedly implemented, execution of the so-called Pabst Plan. This plan, prepared during the Second World War, envisaged reducing Warsaw to the level of a provincial city. Above all, its population was to be reduced. From 1.3 million, it was decided to reduce the population of the Polish capital to around 130,000. Furthermore, it was intended to demolish a large part of the buildings of the time, although the Old Town was to remain intact as evidence of the „continuity of German settlement”. In addition, while the Germans were still enjoying military success, they wanted to erect several monumental-totalitarian buildings in Warsaw to symbolise Germanic power. One of these was to be the People’s Hall or NSDAP Congress Hall. In order to build such a huge edifice, it was decided to demolish the Royal Castle. All of the above, but only some, elements of Pabst’s plan were to be crowned by the renaming of the Polish capital. The Germans wanted the city to be called 'Die neue Deutsche Stadt Warschau’, i.e. 'The new German city of Warsaw’.

Fortunately, the Nazis never got around to implementing their plans during the Second World War. The terrible realisation of some of the postulates, from the above-mentioned plan, came about accidentally, through the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. This was the Germans’ revenge for the actions of the Polish underground, which wanted to liberate the capital of their country from criminal occupation.

When the fighting in Warsaw was practically dying down, there was no indication that the city would become one big rubble in a few months. In the last days of September 1944, representatives of the Home Army command began negotiations with the Germans, concerning an armistice and then talks about capitulation. The latter ended on the night of 2 to 3 October 1944 with the signing of the so-called honourable act of surrender.

In spite of a number of agreements concerning actions against the Home Army, the civilian population and Warsaw as such, the Germans very quickly broke some of the provisions. Firstly, thousands of Varsovians were sent to the notorious Pruszków camp, and then deported to concentration camps and forced labour deep into the Third Reich. Secondly, in the capitulation agreement, the Nazis guaranteed: 'The German leadership will endeavour to protect the public and private property remaining in the city’. However, these guarantees proved to be empty words.

9 October 1944. Himmler decided to carry out Hitler’s decision and give the order to destroy Warsaw. An excerpt from his decision read: „The city is to disappear completely from the face of the earth and serve only as a reloading point for Wehrmacht transport. Not a stone should be left on a stone. All buildings are to be demolished down to their foundations. Only technical equipment and railway buildings will remain”.

With this, the Germans began the gradual destruction of the Polish capital, which lasted more than three months. After the insurgents and civilians had left the city, special units set fire to and then blew up individual buildings. It was at this time, for example, that the collections of all Warsaw’s archives and libraries were destroyed. In addition to the devastation of edifices of culture, science, art, religious places, including churches and monasteries, and residential homes, the Germans also focused on looting property – both public and private. This was the aftermath of decisions made by Hitler, Himmler and one of the executors of that policy, namely the German governor of Warsaw and another war criminal, Ludwig Fischer. The latter stated on 11 October 1944: „Warsaw must be pacified, that is, it must still be razed to the ground during the war, insofar as military necessities, connected with fortifications, do not prevent this. All raw materials, textiles and furniture must be removed before demolition”.

To sum up, in that terrible period Warsaw became the most destroyed city of the Second World War. It is estimated that the Germans annihilated 60-80% of the city at that time, destroying, looting and earlier murdering.

 

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The photo shows the ruins of the Saski Palace, which was destroyed by the Germans after the fall of the Warsaw Uprising – with the only surviving fragment of the Palace’s facade – the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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