On October 2, 1944, the Warsaw Uprising ends after 63 days of fighting. The Uprising began on August 1 as part of an offensive by resistance groups across Poland to drive out Nazi German troops ahead of the advancing Red Army of the Soviet Union. In Warsaw, the Polish Home Army hoped to liberate the city ahead of the anticipated arrival of the Red Army shortly afterward. The Polish resistance, though vastly outgunned and under-equipped, make significant gains in the city, liberating several areas of the city; however, several key German-held positions, such as the airport and the police station, remained in German control. As the Polish resistance strengthened, the German occupiers began carrying out massacres in reprisal. Men of SS-Sturmbrigade Dirlewanger (composed of convicted criminals not expected to survive their services) and SS RONA (composed of collaborators from the Soviet Union) and other German units began to execute Polish civilians, murdering an estimated 40,000 civilians in the borough of Wola in the first week of the Uprising. Expecting the mass executions to weaken the Poles, the Germans soon learned that such actions served only to stiffen resistance in the city.

By mid-August, the fighting had fallen into a stalemate. The Polish Home Army had counted on the quick arrival of the Red Army to provide support for the offensive and keep the pressure on the Germans. Unfortunately, the Red Army had halted its advance just across the Vistula River and refused to provide aid to the Poles. The Soviets had halted their advance, allowing the Polish resistance to be worn down by the Germans so as to eliminate a potential challenger to Soviet authority after the war. While the Soviets refused to advance, General Zygmunt Berlinger and the First Polish Army (part of the Polish Armed Forces in the East and subordinated to the Red Army) attempted to cross the Vistula and aid the Uprising. The First Polish Army suffered heavy losses in this attempt with 5,660 men killed, missing, or wounded and General Berlinger relieved of his command.

Outside aid to the Polish resistance was also limited. Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, had denied the Western Allies use of landing strips in Soviet-controlled territory and refused to allow Western aircraft to conduct airdrops in the area, claiming that the Warsaw Uprising was orchestrated by "enemies of the Soviet Union." Despite this, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered airdrops of supplies and arms to be conducted as early as August 4 with the operations being conducted by British, Polish, and South African units of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Due to being denied the use of Soviet airfields, the amount of cargo that could be carried on the aircraft was limited in order to provide the needed range for the mission. American assistance was also denied by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt due to concern of angering Stalin and possibly hindering post-war negotiations. On September 18, Stalin finally authorized a flight of American aircraft to utilize Soviet airfields to conduct supply drops in Operation Frantic, but it was too little, too late. Meanwhile, Hungarian forces (who were allied with the Germans but also held close ties to the Poles) stationed in the area provided as much assistance to the Polish Home Army as possible without directly joining the conflict. Among the assistance provided by the Hungarians was the provision of intelligence regarding German activities, the indirect supply of arms and supplies to the Poles, and the evacuation of Polish civilians.

In early September, talks between the Germans and the Polish Home Army had begun as the Germans realized that the Uprising was threatening their defensive position against the Soviets and the Poles feared further heavy losses against the Polish civilians. By September 10, 20,000 civilians were evacuated by mutual agreement and the Polish Home Army was recognized as military combatants and were to be treated as such. On September 11, talks had halted due to nearby troop movements and later the arrival of the Polish Home Army restoring some hope in a Polish victory. However, talks soon resumed as the Soviets show no sign of crossing the Vistula and the Germans continued to retake large sections of the city. On October 2, the Polish Home Army finally capitulated under the condition that soldiers of the Home Army would be treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention and that the remaining civilian population be treated humanely.

In the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising, the population of Warsaw was forcibly expelled from the city. Of the civilians removed from their homes, an estimated 90,000 were sent to Nazi German labor camps and a further 60,000 were sent to concentration and death camps. What was left of the city of itself was ordered to be destroyed by the Nazis. Approximately 85-90% of the city was destroyed by January of 1945. Casualties for the Polish Home Army totaled 15,200 killed or missing, 5,000 wounded, and 15,000 captured with a further 5,660 casualties from the Polish First Army. From the airlift, 41 aircraft and 360 aircrew from Britain, South Africa, Poland, and America were also lost. Furthermore, 200,000 civilians were killed and upwards of 700,000 were expelled from the city. As for German casualties, estimates vary between 2,000 to 17,000 killed and a further 9,000 wounded.

After the war, most members of the Polish Home Army were persecuted by the Soviet and Communist Polish governments. Many were imprisoned for various charges and sent to Gulags, executed, or disappeared by the Soviet and Polish secret police forces. Portrayals of the Home Army in media was heavily censored by the Communists, including censoring the name of the Home Army itself in the immediate post-war era as well downplaying the actions of the resistance while up-playing the role of the Red Army. However, the spirit of the Uprising and the memory of the brave men and women of the resistance remained with the people of Poland, eventually resulting in the peaceful Solidarity movement and its resistance to the Communist Polish government culminating in the end of Communist rule in Poland and the creation of the Third Polish Republic.