January 23 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Ends

On January 23rd 1943, the first armed insurgency orchestrated by the Jewish, as part of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, came to an end. The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland had been in existence since 1939 and was the largest such ghetto formed by the German government under Nazi administration. With the beginning of deportations to death camps throughout 1942, the Jewish began to collaborate in an attempt to rebel against the SS and inhibiting forces.

After a largely successful uprising begun on January 18, the Jewish gained control of the ghetto. Facing the possibility of a German resurgence, the inhabitants of the Warsaw ghetto constructed defenses and over the next three months, both forces built up military strength. The final face-off took place on April 19th, between 3000 German soldiers and the inhabitants of the ghetto. The faceoff lasted another month, with German soldiers slowly advancing throughout the ghetto, burning houses along the way.

By May 8, the Germans had routed out the main leaders of the Jewish insurgency and the insurgency officially ended on May 16. Approximately 7,000 ghetto residents were killed during the fighting, as opposed to 16 SS soldiers along with a further 86 wounded. The majority of survivors were exterminated on the spot or sent to Treblinka extermination camp.