In 1945 – in theory – Soviet forces “liberated” the city of Warsaw. In reality they marched into a huge pile of rubble where an ancient and historic capital had once stood. Few countries in the war suffered as much as Poland, and Russian occupation would bring the survivors of Warsaw little relief.
Brutal occupation
Poland payed a pivotal role in World War 2 right from its opening moments. On 1 September 1939 Germany launched a brutal air raid on Warsaw which devastated much of its ancient architecture, before an equally heavy-handed siege which left a quarter of the city in ruins.
The eastern part of the country was signed off to Stalin – then an ally of Hitler – as part of the Nazi-Soviet Pact – and Poland was divided and occupied – a common theme in the history of the country sandwiched between rival empires.
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