During the Warsaw Uprising, each insurgent had to take care of his own attire, as the Home Army was unable to provide uniforms. As a result, soldiers completed their clothing on their own - often pre-war Polish Army uniforms were used, captured items from German soldiers, and sometimes ordinary civilian clothing was simply worn. Under these conditions, the only clear sign of belonging to Polish units was a red-and-white arm band, which was distributed to insurgents at concentration points.
For those fighting in civilian clothes, this armband became a substitute for the uniform - a symbol of fighting and belonging to the Home Army. It was extremely important emotionally, as confirmed by numerous memoirs of participants in the uprising. Liaison officer and paramedic Hanna Kościa recalled:
"Walking on August 1 with white and red armbands for the Girl Scouts from the scout troop, I felt like a chaser of freedom."
In turn, General Zbigniew Scibor-Rylski emphasized the importance of this symbol:
"(...) the white and red armband on the arm testified to belonging to the Polish army and was a great honor."
The appearance and manner of wearing the armband were regulated by an order from the AK Warsaw District Commander, Colonel Antoni Chruściel "Monter", dated August 11, 1944. The document ordered the unification of insignia, specifying that:
"Each AK soldier shall appear in a white and red armband, on the white part of the armband - the letters WP, between the letters in the middle - the national emblem (eagle), under the eagle - the unit number.The armband [is to be worn] on the right forearm above the elbow."
Most often, the armbands were issued with the weapons just before the "W" hour.
An armband in red and white colors, worn by members of the Polish Women's Auxiliary during the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Two ink stamps are visible - "W (Eagle) P" (Polish Army) and "W S K." (Women's Military Service)
Dimensions: ~42 x 11 cm.
