back...The 81st anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising

1 August 2025 marks the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. This unequal, 63-day struggle against the occupier resulted in thousands of deaths and the near-total destruction of the city. The aftermath saw further reprisals from the German authorities, who imprisoned both active and passive participants of the Uprising in concentration camps.

Fighting on the streets of the occupied capital were not only native Varsovians but also individuals who had lived in other cities before the war, including Łódź. While it is currently impossible to determine the exact number of Łódź residents who took part in the fighting in Warsaw, it is worth remembering at least a few of their stories.

Noteworthy is the story of the daughters of Bolesław Tadeusz Wocalewski, a teacher, and Anna (née Zakrzewska). The elder, Maria (b. 1885), held the rank of Scoutmaster of the Republic of Poland. During World War II, she lived in Warsaw. When the Uprising broke out, she was at
a dormitory in 6 Sierpnia Street, which served as the temporary headquarters for the Girl Guide Emergency Service. Her younger sister, Jadwiga Szletyńska (b. 1895), was with her. Both women were likely used as “human shields” in front of tanks attacking insurgent positions and were killed during the first days of the fighting. Jadwiga's children were also participants in the Uprising: Zofia (b. 1925, d. 2012) and Jerzy (b. 1927, d. 2015). Both survived and were taken into German captivity.

Another participant in the Warsaw Uprising was Barbara Maria Nazdrowicz, code-named “Wiewiórka” [“Squirrel”], born in Łódź in 1929. She was the daughter of Marian Nazdrowicz, an economist of the Leliwa coat of arms, and Helena (née Krupecka). During World War II, her family moved to Warsaw due to persecution by the German occupiers. Barbara was a member of the Gray Ranks and served in the 6th Warsaw Girl Scout Troop. She was killed on duty near the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw University of Technology on 19 September 1944.

We must also remember those who became residents of Łódź by choice, such as Maria Turowska (née Pawłowska), code-named “Myszka” [“Little Mouse”]. The same age as “Wiewiórka”, she was born in Brześć Kujawski, one of the five children of Władysław Pawłowski and Pelagia (née Pańka). During the war, the Pawłowski family was first sent to
a resettlement camp in Łódź, and from there to Chełm Lubelski. In 1940, after illegally crossing the green border, they reached Warsaw. During the Warsaw Uprising, “Myszka” was assigned to the Scout Field Post and served as a runner in the Śródmieście district. Her two sisters were also involved in the fighting. After the war, in 1948, Maria Turowska began her studies at what was then the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Łódź, an institution with which she would remain associated for years – first as a chemistry student and later as a researcher.

These are just a few of the stories of people from Łódź involved in the Warsaw Uprising. The fates of many others have yet to be discovered. Let us remember them – not only on 1 August.