Polish insurgents liberate a German forced-labor camp in Warsaw, freeing Jewish prisoners, who join in a general uprising against the German occupiers of the city.

On July 29, the Polish Army, the People’s Army and armed civilians took back two-thirds of Warsaw from the Germans. On August 4, the Germans counter-attacked mowing down Polish civilians with machine gun fire. On August 5, more than 15,000 Poles were dead. The Polish command cried to the Allies for help, Churchill telegraphed Stalin, informing him that the British intended to drop ammunition and other supplies into the southwest quarter of Warsaw to aid insurgents. The prime minister asked Stalin to aid in the insurgents’ cause, Stalin refused and claimed the insurgents were too insignificant to waste time with.

Britain succeeded to getting some air to the Polish patriots, but the Germans also succeeded in dropping incendiary bombs. The Poles fought on, and on August 5 they freed Jewish forced laborers who then join in the battle dedicated solely to repairing captured German tanks for use in the struggle.