Rising '44

The Battle for Warsaw

In 1994, I had watched in amazement how the 50^th anniversary of the Warsaw Rising passed without the publication of a single new work on modern Poland's most tragic and controversial event. It gradually dawned on me that if no-one else would fill the gap, I would have to do it myself.

Research on "Rising '44" took me far and wide. For the first time in my career, I travelled to Moscow in search of documents; Stalin's conduct on the Eastern Front was crucial, yet prior to the 1990s the closure of the Soviet archives prevented historians from examining key issues. I gained access to some fascinating NKVD papers, that suggested Moscow was not so well informed, but I failed to penetrate the "holy of holies” where I had hoped to solve the mystery of why, contrary to the plans of its commanders, the Red Army was halted within view of the Rising. (We know that Stalin did order it to halt, but not what his motives were.) I was also keen to dip into American sources. Polish historians attempt to explain everything in terms of the policies of the Polish Government of its military arm, the Home Army. For my part, I was convinced that the Leaders of the Allied Coalition, especially Roosevelt, played a decisive role and made decisive mistakes.

One of the great joys was making the acquaintance of veterans in Warsaw. They had been persecuted by the Communist regime, and suffered greatly from the Communists’ denunciation of their leaders. After many fruitful meetings, I was eventually made a proud and honorary member both of the Szare Szeregi and of the ZPW.

The launch of the "Powstanie '44" (the Polish edition) was organized in conjunction with the opening on I August 2004 of the Muzeum Powstania. Tens of thousands of enthusiasts turned up; the queues waiting for my signature were impossibly long; and my English publisher wept when she heard the "Warszawianka" (That she had tried to cut out to save space.) At least, the men and women of the Home Army finally gained recognition.