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Summary: The second Warsaw Uprising
Review: The author of this work is very correct: most people think that the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 was the one and only in that city. Of course, the rising in 1944 was of much more consequence to the history of Eastern Europe, even if both were tragedies. This extremely well-written book outlines the history both before, during and after the '44 rising, and the great detail shows that there was a deliberate ignoring of the plight of the Polish patriots by their Western allies, with a stalling on the part of the Soviets until the rising was crushed by the Nazis. There were many political reasons for why both East and West acted as they did in relation to Poland, but knowing that does not excuse what was done to a brave little country that had the guts to stand up to the Germans, when all about them were caving in to pressure. The Western betrayal is the same as we read in the other recent book about Polish fighters in the war "A Question of Honor", and the harsh glow of history shines on what was not done, and what might have been done. There are vignettes inserted into the book which go into more intimate detail of the many aspects of the rising, from the point of view of participants on all sides. My one quibble was that the author used nicknames and such, rather than the real Polish names of the participants. I can understand why he did that, because Polish names are not the easiest to read or pronounce, but having grown up and gone to school with my fellow second and third generation Polish friends, I can surely pronounce them, and would have liked to see them set out in full. That, of course, does not detract from the impact of this work, and the genuine admiration the author shows for Poland and its people. I am proud to be of 100% Polish descent, and books such as this only reinforce that pride!
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Summary: Interesting Perspective on Historiography of WWII
Review: This is an outstanding work of history. Davies rescues the Home Army from the shadow of the equally brave and desperate gamble of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.
What makes this a must read is the focus on the dynamics of the Allied Coalition and inter- and intra-agency politics in Britain and the U.S. along side the decisions of the Polish Government-in-Exile and the Home Army's leaders. It is difficult to walk away with the interpretation that the Poles were unwarranted in initiating the Rising. It is also difficult not to condemn the Roosevelt Administration and the British Foreign Ministry for taking a short-sighted and overly benign view of Stalin and Soviet intentions and methods. It is up to an historian of the Pacific War to make the case for whether Soviet aid looked and was so essential to the defeat of Japan so as not to upset the Allied Coaliton by asserting the rights of Eastern European nations in the Red Army's path. I don't know that Davies' approach would have been possbile at a time when the West claimed ignorance of Stalin's methods and relegated the Poles to the role of romantic and ill-fated cavaliers.
Davies is also to be commended for putting the Rising is a larger context of Polish-Russian and Polish-Soviet relations. However, the book could have used a slightly fuller description of Poland's inter-war government as this government was likely to color Western perspectives on the London Exiles.
I found Davies' adaptations of Polish names and the use of pseudomyms helpful given the difficulties facing a native English speaker of approaching Polish. I know enough Polish not to find him doing the principals a disservice.
An eye-opening exercise is comparing coverage of the 60th anniversary of the Rising by the BBC with that of the New York Times or Washington Post. At least the BBC addresses the issue of whether the Western powers may have shared some culpability for the Rising's fate.
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Summary: Fine Depiction of a Tragedy
Review: This very good and sometimes powerful book is the latest product of the distinguished historian of Poland, Norman Davies. While passionately engaged with Polish history, Davies is able to maintain a critical stance towards his subject. In this long but well written volume, Davies presents a basic narrative of the Rising, places it in historic context with very good discussions of events leading up to and after the Rising, and addresses some of the controversies surrounding the Rising. Davies does a better job on the latter two than of basic narration. Davies' presentation of the events of the Rising is certainly adequate but not outstanding. The actual events of the Rising occupy a minority of the book and while a day by day account would have been exhausting, more actual narration and detail about the events of the Rising itself would have been desirable. Davies really shines in discussing the complex politics of the Polish Government in Exile and its relations with the other Allies. Davies' careful analysis of the controversy over the Rising is also excellent. Davies deals well with many of the criticisms levelled against the leaders of the Rising. He also develops the very interesting thesis that the Rising may not have been doomed from the start. Many have assumed that nothing would have altered the outcome because Stalin was determined to let the Germans extirpate the Rising. Davies suggests that Stalin might actually have been uncertain about his policy towards the Poles and that a firm stance in support of the Poles by the Western allies might have tipped events in their favor. Its impossible to say whether or not this might have been true but it is clear that the leaders of the Home Army, stuck between the Germans and the Soviets, faced a set of horribly difficult alternatives and while their decision might have been wrong, it wasn't irrational. What is clear is that the Home Army in Warsaw and many of the citizens of Warsaw behaved with remarkable valor. It is also clear that the Poles were treated shabbily by the Western Allies, particularly the Americans. The British record is mixed, some British leaders, including Churchill, were sympathetic to the Rising. Others were definitely not. RAF bomber crews, often with mixed crews of Brits, Poles, Canadians, and South Africans, performed heroically in efforts to supply the Home Army. On balance, however, the British failed their Polish Allies. The final impression left by this book is one of tragedy.
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Summary: An essential history with a few flaws
Review: This wonderful new tome covers the hitherto undocumented Polish Uprising of 1944. Planned to coincide with the Soviet liberation of Warsaw the Poles fought for 63 days until, their city reduced to rubble, they were forced to capitulate. The Soviets purposely allowed the Nazis to crush the rebellion so that any vestiges of Polish independence would be destroyed. This book opens the lid on this previously unstudied subject. Meticulous research and analysis covers Polish-German relations from the 1600s through 1939. Then the book follows up with separate sections on the actual rebellion and the post rebellion settlement. Excellent character studies are made of leading officials such as General Boor. The story is punctuated throughout with personal accounts by actual individuals involved, giving the book a very personal feel and contributing documentary evidence to the narrative. This is a much needed account of an uprising that has frequently either been overlooked or confused with the earlier Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Yet it is the books attempt to differentiate its narrative from the more famous Warsaw Ghetto Uprising which actually is its major drawback and flaw. In 1939 Warsaw had been the second largest Jewish city in the world, and in many professions such as Academics Jews were the dominant force in Poland. Yet this book attempts to downplay this in order to place attention on the other portion of Polish history under the Germans, namely the Catholic and nationalist Polish resistance movements. This is why although the history meticulously covers the period 1939-1944, it never once mentions the Ghetto uprising, totally ignoring an event that would have been on the resistance's minds and an event that some members of the Polish resistance actually participated in, to rescue the remnants of the Ghetto fighters. IN refusing to cover this separate incident, even in a marginally manner, one wonders how much other information might simply have been left out because it didn't play to the tune of the Polish nationalist feel of the book. So while this book fills an essential gap in history it is by no means a full history of the resistance of the Poles to the Nazi occupation.
Nevertheless because of its meticulous research into the Allied relationship with the Russians and the Polish Home Army, one is given an extraordinary insight into the foundations of modern Poland. Seth J. Frantzman
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