Poland marks Warsaw uprising anniversary

Polish prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and other dignitaries attended wreath-laying ceremonies today marking the 63rd anniversary of the doomed Second World War revolt of Warsaw residents against their Nazi occupiers.

The ceremony, held at the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb in central Warsaw, was part of a week of events to commemorate the insurgency that started on August 1, 1944 and lasted 63 days.

About 250,000 people were killed in the uneven struggle.

The Nazis expelled all the survivors to prisoner camps and razed the city.

Sirens will wail across Warsaw at 5pm (4pm Irish Time), marking the hour the fighters started their ill-fated battle against the four-year Nazi occupation.