List of Polish cities damaged in World War II

As the German army retreated during the later stages of the Second World War, many of the urban areas of what is now modern day Poland were severely damaged as a result of military action between the retreating Nazi forces and advancing Soviet Red Army. Other cities were deliberately destroyed by the German forces. One of the most famous of these planned destructions was the razing of Warsaw, the capital of Poland.^[1] While extensively damaged by the failed Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Warsaw Uprising, the city later underwent a planned demolition by German forces under order from Adolf Hitler and high officials within the Nazi government. On 17 October 1944, SS chief Heinrich Himmler famously stated, "The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht."^[2] Before they were stopped by the advancing Red Army, 85% of the city had been taken out.^[3] Warsaw was far from the worst off after the Nazi retreat; 97% of Jasło^[4] and 100% of Polanów were reduced to rubble.^[5] Other towns such as Wałcz fared better, with only a quarter of the city being destroyed.^[5] Ancient historical buildings in Polish cities were not spared; for example, Trzemeszno's Romanesque basilica of 1130-45 was burnt down in 1945.^[5]

See also

• Planned destruction of Warsaw

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Free Europe Committee. East Europe, Volumes 19-20 (1970 ed.). East Europe Pub. 
• Nowak, Margaret Collingwood. Two who were there: a biography of Stanley Nowak (1989 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0814318835.  - Total pages: 276
• Krystyna Wituska, Irene Tomaszewski. Inside a Gestapo prison: the letters of Krystyna Wituska, 1942-1944 (2006 ed.). Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0814332943.  - Total pages: 127