leading to acrimonious discussions between Luftwaffe and Army commanders. The tonnage dropped combined with only approximate delivery on target and the short duration does not begin to approximate the intensity of attacks major European cities were subsequently to suffer. However, on 26 September three key forts in the city defenses were captured, and the Polish garrison offered its surrender - on 27 September German troops entered the city. The international press reported that 20,000 to 40,000 civilians were killed, figures that have remained in the history books sixty years later. The real number is likely far lower; calculating with the same casualty rates as the most lethal bombing raids in World War II in Germany, the number of dead amounts to 6,000 to 7,000. 40 percent of the buildings in the city were damaged and 10 percent of the buildings destroyed. However, some of the damage was the result of ground artillery fire and not solely caused by aerial bombing—including intense street fighting between German infantry and armor units and Polish infantry and artillery. The September 25 raid had the aim of breaking Polish morale and forcing a surrender. According to the laws of war in 1939, Warsaw was a defended military target and the Luftwaffe raid could be construed as a legitimate military operation. The Siege of Warsaw accounted for 10% destroyed buildings by late-1939. Warsaw Uprising (1944) The 1944 uprising in Warsaw broke out with Germany having air superiority/support. Despite this, the Luftwaffe Air Force conducted numerous strikes against Polish resistance and civilian targets. Warsaw's infrastructure was also heavily damaged by air raids, as desperate street-to-street fighting took place in the destroyed areas. After 63 days of heavy urban fighting, the Luftwaffe's combined efforts with artillery bombardment, and systemic destruction accounted for 85%-90% destroyed buildings by January 1945. Gallery See also Air warfare of World War II Siege of Warsaw (1939) Planned destruction of Warsaw Notes References External links Electronic Encyclopedia of Civil Defense - Bombing of Warsaw Capturing the Ruins of Warsaw Warsaw Invasion of Poland Military history of Warsaw Nazi war crimes in Poland Germany–Poland relations Mass murder in 1939 20th century in Warsaw Articles containing video clips