| A photograph from the Warsaw Uprising depicting Armia Krajowa (AK – “Polish Home Army”) insurgents participating in training in the use of a captured Maschinengewehr 08/15 7.92 millimeter (0.31 caliber) machine gun in the garden at the rear of the property at 7 Mazowiecka Street. The view is northeast. A ruined outbuilding is in the background; chairs taken from the U Aktorek cafe are visible in the background in the upper right corner. It is 1 of a series of photos. The Warsaw uprising began at 1700 Hours on August 1, 1944. Approximately 45,000 members of the AK under the command of AK Chief of Staff General Antoni Chruściel (July 16, 1895 – November 30, 1960) – nom de guerre “Monter” – and Generał Tadeusz Komorowski (June 1, 1895 – August 24, 1966) – nom de guerre “Bór” – joined the combat. They were supported by 2,500 soldiers from other resistance movements, such as Narodowe Siły Zbrojne (NSZ – “National Armed Forces”) and Armia Ludowa (AL – “Communist People’s Army”). Only a quarter of the partisans had access to weapons, fighting against 25,000 German soldiers equipped with artillery, panzers, and Luftwaffe (“Nazi German Air Force”) support. Within the 1st few days of the uprising, Polish forces took over several districts of Warsaw, including downtown and the Old Town. After the initial success of the AK, Nazi German troops gradually recaptured the city. They surrounded the Old Town and other areas. On September 2, after more than 2 weeks of combat, the last Polish soldiers left the Old Town through the sewers. Warsaw’s historical district was turned into ruins. In mid-September, the Soviet Red Army took Praga, the district of Warsaw on the east bank of the Vistula River, but did not cross the river to intervene. Towards the end of September 1944, Nazi German forces took control over further parts of Warsaw, systematically destroying most of the city to the ground. On October 2, 1944, the uprising ended. The number of victims exceeded a 180,000 people. More than 11,000 AK soldiers were captured as Prisoners of War, including “Bór” and “Monter.” Soviet troops resumed their offensive much later, taking over devastated Warsaw on January 17, 1945. This photo was taken by Sylwester Braun (January 1, 1909 – February 2, 1996), nom de guerre “Kris,” who took 3,000 pictures during the Warsaw Uprising. Generally he operated in the Śródmieście district. After the capitulation of Warsaw, he escaped from the city, returning in January 1945 to retrieve his negatives. After that he fled to Sweden, and in 1964 he immigrated to the United States. In 1981, he delivered archives of his photographs to the Historical Museum of Warsaw. Sylwester Braun died in Warsaw. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0771.jpg |
| Image Size | 530.43 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2697 x 1531 |
| Photographer | Sylwester Braun |
| Photographer Title | Armia Krajowa |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Warsaw |
| State or Province | Warsaw |
| Country | Poland |
| Archive | Muzeum Warszawy |
| Record Number | AN 50077 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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