Warszawa w Walce 1939 – 1945 [Warsaw in the Fight 1939 – 1945]

Documenting the destruction of Warsaw during World War II.

“Warsaw lost a total of about 800,000 inhabitants in the years 1939-1945. In the fighting in 1939, about 50,000 soldiers and civilians died. During the occupation, in the fighting, and as a result of the criminal activities of the Nazis, more than 500,000 inhabitants died in the city and in extermination camps. During the Warsaw Uprising, about 200,000 people died.”  – Text, upper right

This densely informative map of Warsaw pinpoints numerous locations of violence and heavy fighting endured by the city during World War II. A legend in the upper right is organized into two sections – Fight Against the Nazi Invader (top) and Nazi Crimes (bottom). Each presents a variety of symbols used to identify sites of intense fighting, sabotage, mass executions, and ‘places of martyrdom.’ The rail lines to various concentration camps – Majdanek, Stutthof, Treblinka, Ravensbruck, and Auschwitz – are shown around the city limits.

The actions of the Red Army on the approaches to the city are generalized with large arrows, while different tones of red denote stages of the Warsaw Uprising. The images and corresponding narrative absolve the Soviets from any blame for the heavy casualties endured, instead presenting the Red Army as a force for liberation and largely relegating the actions of the Polish People’s Army. Apart from the airdrop symbols, no significant Allied participation is shown.

An inset in the lower left titled ‘Destruction of Warsaw by the Nazis’ uses shades of color to highlight the physical devastation to the city. Accompanying text indicates that approximately 85% of the developed area was totally destroyed. A second inset, upper right, highlights the Old Town District. The verso of the sheet presents a plan of Powazki Military Cemetery (renamed the ‘Communal Cemetery’ by the Communists in 1964).

The map was edited by Janusz Lopatto and Janusz Supernat. Published in Warsaw in 1984 by the Polish National Cartographic Publishing Company (PPWK), with financial support provided by the Council for the Protection of Combat and Martrydom.

Several different versions are listed in WorldCat as of February 2025, including those printed in 1966, 1969, 1970, and 1984. All are uncommon and listed in only a handful of institutions globally, with the 1984 being the most common with eight entries.

Sources: OCLC# 13217161; United States Holocaust Memorial; Illinois Holocaust Museum; Yad Vashem;