Warsaw by Prit Buttar

Warsaw by Prit Buttar

Discover the history of Warsaw’s six-year struggle through the devastation of war and the city’s enduring spirit.

In Warsaw: A City at War 1939–45, historians Prit Buttar and Lottie Taylor bring to light the unparalleled experience of a city caught between two invading powers, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and the resilience of its citizens.

This fascinating history illuminates how Warsaw’s centuries-old fight for identity shaped the course of its wartime experience. For a mere 21 years, Warsaw thrived as the proud capital of an independent Poland, only to be betrayed when Nazi Germany invaded in 1939. Yet the heart of the city – its people – refused to surrender. From the tragic Ghetto Uprising to the heroic city-wide revolt, Warsaw's resistance was fierce as it faced the systematic attempt to erase it from the map. The story does not end with the conclusion of the war, as Warsaw found itself trapped behind the Iron Curtain.

This compelling narrative is not just about battles – it’s about a city and its inhabitants, whose unwavering spirit defined them in the darkest of times. Drawing from rare archival material including countless first-hand accounts, Warsaw’s wartime years are majestically brought to life.

Prit Buttar has been writing for nearly 20 years about the conflicts between Germany and Russia in both world wars. His first book, Battleground Prussia, was published by Osprey in 2010. This is seventeenth book.

Lottie Taylor studied history at St John’s College, Cambridge and was awarded a double first-class honours degree. Following Cambridge, she qualified as a cordon bleu chef. She is now a senior copyrighter for a software company. Lottie is Prit's daughter and this is her first book.