Poster stamp commemorating the Warsaw Uprising

Poster stamp commemorating the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. Poster stamps were collectable stamps, slightly larger than postage stamps, with designs similar to posters. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as a means for fundraising, propaganda, and educational purposes. The image on the stamp depicts the ruins of Warsaw, Poland, with Sigismund's Column, one of the most famous landmarks of the city, in the center. The monument was originally erected in 1644, and features a sculpture of Polish King Sigismund III Vasa at the top of a tall column. The column was destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising and replaced after the war. On August 1, 1944, partisan fighters from the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK) initiated the Warsaw Uprising to liberate the city from German occupiers before the approaching Soviet forces arrived. Approximately 45,000 members of the AK took part, with additional assistance from other resistance movements. Only a quarter of the AK had access to weapons. The German occupiers had tanks, artillery, and air support. After the first few days, the partisans had freed several districts of the city. However, German forces gradually retook, and systematically destroyed the city. During the fighting and subsequent destruction, over 180,000 Polish civilians were killed in retaliation by German soldiers. Thousands more were deported from the city and sent to forced labor or concentration camps. During the fighting, the Soviet Red Army halted its approach at the Vistula River, and waited until the uprising was defeated before continuing their advance into Warsaw. The Warsaw uprising is commemorated annually on August 1 in Poland.