Originally posted by
Michel Van
Not commenting the Warsaw Uprising in august 1944 !
This Uprising let massive loses of Polish forces weakened the Polish Underground State
Had they stay on guerrilla warfare and attack Nazi and Soviet they could had survived WW2
if the Polish Underground State survived Cold War is another question
depending Communist (polish and Soviet) are able to track them down and obliterate it.
The Warsaw Uprising wasn't the only one that weakened Polish Underground State. Polish partisants helped the Red Army in Vilnius and Lvov and in some other places. Then the Soviets repeated the same scenario: the Home Army units were surrounded by NKVD forces, disarmed, officers generally arrested and sent to Siberian gulags nad the soldeirs forced to join pro-communist Berling's Army.
Now, the problem the Home Army had to face was that the Soviets and Polish communist kept accusing the Home Army of avoiding fighting the Germans. They even claimed the Home Army collaborated with the Germans against Soviet and communist partisants. Polish resistance and government-in-exile had poor chance against powerful propaganda machine of the Soviets and their sympathizers in the West. And Home Army soldiers also wanted to fight.The Home Army indeed tended to avoid large battles against German forces believing them to be useless. Poorly armed partisants couldn't deal with well equipped German troops. Polish resistance was prepared to rise in face of liberation, to help their allies and then to create a regular army to finish the Germans.
It doesn't mean the Home Army was iddle. Polish intelligence sent invaluable info to London. They even managed to intercept and deliver to the allies pieces of V-2 missiles. Polish partisants, if possible, attacked German transport network; special groups of the Home Army conducted operations against German occupying forces, especially assassinations of Germans known for their cruelty towards the Poles (see Franz Kutschera).
When the Red Army arrived, Polish partisants tried to help them. AFAIK they had pretty good relations with regular troops. But when the NKVD would arrive, the game was over.
When the Soviets arrived the Home Army HAD to act. If they remained hidden, if they did nothing they would confirm Soviet propaganda, which would not help the Polish cause in any way. Also, by staying hidden, they would give free hand for the communists to act - to organize civilian administration, communist administration. Poles hoped the western allies would help them and tried to streghten Polish position by actively fighting. Stalin didn't care and the allies didn't care enough.
Not to mention it would be very hard to explain the soldiers why they would not fight. And the civilians might be disappointed enough to turn to the communists who claimed they were only Polish force willing to fight.