1944 82 years ago Historical Events August 5 2 sources

World War II: The Nazis begin a week-long massacre of between 40,000 and 50,000 civilians and prisoners of war in Wola, Poland.

On August 5, in the year 1944, World War II: The Nazis begin a week-long massacre of between 40,000 and 50,000 civilians and prisoners of war in Wola, Poland. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 5, one of 464 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Wola massacre was the systematic killing of between 40,000 and 50,000 Poles in the Wola neighbourhood of the Polish capital city, Warsaw, by the German Waffen-SS, Ordnungpolizei, the Azerbaijani Legion, Sicherheitdienst and the SS-Sonderregiment Dirlewanger, which took place from 5 to 12 August 1944. The massacre was ordered by Heinrich Himmler, who directed to kill "anything that moves" to stop the Warsaw Uprising soon after it began.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 5, 1944 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 25 July 2026.

On This Date in History 464

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Notable Deaths 2020 Aug 5 Hawa Abdi, Somali human rights activist and physician (born 1947)
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Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 5 Toni Morrison, American author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Nobel laureate (born 1931).
Notable Deaths 2018 Aug 5 Alan Rabinowitz, American zoologist (born 1953)
Historical Events 2015 Aug 5 The Environmental Protection Agency at Gold King Mine waste water spill releases three million gallons of heavy metal…
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 5 Arthur Walter James, English journalist and politician (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2015 Aug 5 Tony Millington, Welsh footballer (born 1943)
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Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Harold J. Greene, American general (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Vladimir Orlov, Russian author (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Chapman Pincher, Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Ruth Asawa, American sculptor and educator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Shawn Burr, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1966)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Willie Dunn, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Roy Rubin, American basketball player and coach (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 May Song Vang, American activist (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Rob Wyda, American commander and judge (born 1959)
Selected Events 2013 Aug 5 A python killed two boys in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Historical Events 2012 Aug 5 The Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting took place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six victims; the perpetrator committed…
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Erwin Axer, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Michel Daerden, Belgian lawyer and politician (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Fred Matua, American football player (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Martin E. Segal, Russian-American businessman, co-founded Film Society of Lincoln Center (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Roland Charles Wagner, French author and translator (born 1960)
Selected Events 2012 Aug 5 Radio Network House (pictured), damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, becomes the first building to be…
Selected Events 2012 Aug 5 An American white supremacist carried out a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people…
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 5 Andrzej Lepper, Polish farmer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 5 Aziz Shavershian, Australian bodybuilder (born 1989)
Selected Events 2011 Aug 5 NASA launched the Juno probe to Jupiter as part of the New Frontiers program.
Historical Events 2010 Aug 5 The Copiapó mining accident occurs, trapping 33 Chilean miners approximately 2,300 ft (700 m) below the ground for 69…
Historical Events 2010 Aug 5 Ten members of International Assistance Mission Nuristan Eye Camp team are killed by persons unknown in Kuran wa…
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 5 Budd Schulberg, American author, screenwriter, and producer (born 1914)
Historical Events 2008 Aug 5 The New England Revolution win the 2008 North American SuperLiga final against the Houston Dynamo.
Notable Births 2008 Aug 5 Hudson Meek, American actor (died 2024)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 5 Neil Bartlett, English-American chemist and academic (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2008 Aug 5 Reg Lindsay, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 5 Jean-Marie Lustiger, French cardinal (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 5 Florian Pittiș, Romanian actor, singer, director, and producer (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 5 Polina Astakhova, Russian gymnast and coach (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 5 Jim O'Hora, American football player and coach (born 1915)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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