Wola Massacre of August 1944: SS Units Kill Tens of Thousands in Warsaw

During the early days of the Warsaw Uprising, German forces carried out a systematic extermination of civilians in the Wola district. From 5 to 6 August 1944, SS units led by SS‑Obergruppenführer Erich von dem Bach‑Zelewski, including the Dirlewanger battalion, regular SS, Wehrmacht troops and police under Generalmajor Heinz Reinefarth, murdered an estimated 40,000‑65,000 Polish civilians. The operation, ordered by Adolf Hitler and reinforced by Heinrich Himmler’s notes – “Każdego mieszkańca należy zabić, nie wolno brać żadnych jeńców. Warszawa ma być zrównana z ziemią…” – aimed to raze Warsaw and terrorise Europe.

Mass killings peaked on 5 August, known as “Black Saturday”, with large‑scale executions at the railway workshops on Moczydło Street, the Orthodox cemetery, Sowi Park and other sites. After the war only one of the commanders was prosecuted for the atrocities.