12 World War II Moments (That Hardly Anybody Ever Talks About)

Poland got a raw deal at both ends of the war. It had only been re-established as an independent state in 1918, having been partitioned by the Russian, Prussian and Austrian Empires for the 146 years prior to that. By 1939, the Russians and the Germans had eyes on a split again and they annexed roughly half of the country apiece.

Germany eventually conquered Russia’s half when they turned on their new neighbours, only to be pushed back closer and closer to their home after their eventual failure on the Eastern Front. As the Russians entered Poland once more, the Polish Resistance decided to instigate an uprising against their German oppressors. The Red Army swept swiftly through the country, but decided to stop dead as they reached the Warsaw city limits, spitefully leaving those inside, who had already risen up, on their own.

The reason? The Soviets were keen to establish a communist satellite state in Poland after the war, allowing the pro-capitalist resistance to be crushed. Stalin ignored personal pleas from Churchill and Roosevelt to assist, his air force being stationed just five minutes of flight time away from the city.

Up to 200,000 civilians and 16,000 members of the Resistance were murdered and 85% of the city was mercilessly destroyed in reprisal. The Soviets sat where they were for another four months, finally liberating the ruined city in early 1945 and absorbing the nation as a whole into their sphere of influence for the next 45 years.