[1] The Medal for Warsaw 1939–1945 was established by a decree of the Council of Ministers of November 21, 1945:[2] "In order to commemorate the heroic history of Warsaw in the war with the Nazi invaders, the history of a soldier who defended the Capital in September 1939, fought relentlessly during the occupation and died sacrificially in the tragic uprising, as well as to commemorate the victorious liberation of Warsaw by the Polish People's Army in alliance with the Red Army and to reward the participants of these fights for the Capital.

"One of the first people to be awarded the medal was the first President of Poland Bolesław Bierut and Władysław Gomułka, and some high-ranking members of the Polish military such as Michał Rola-Żymierski and Stanislav Poplavsky.

Pursuant to the decree, the Ministry of National Defense appointed a commission which oversaw the right to be awarded the medal.

The right to award the medal was also given to the commander of the 1st Warsaw Cavalry Division and the General Board of the Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy.

On the obverse can consists of the Polish words "RP-OBRONCOM-BOJOWNIKOM-OSWOBODZICIELOM" ('RP', 'To the defenders', 'Warriors', 'Liberators'), together with oak leaves and three acorns.