Re-enactment group Maczek museum
Re-enactment group Maczek museum
The main idea of this calendar is to recall those WW II efforts of the Polish army were either deliberralty evaded or minimized by the totalitarian propaganda.Only genuine objects from that epoch - mainly arms used by Polish soldiers gathered in the museum of the Polish Army- have served to bring back the drama of those events. Polish soldiers entered the war poorly armed with Polish made weapons. In the course of the war they got well acquainted with the weapons used by their allies so that towards its end they were armed with modern machine guns, powerfull tanks and the fastest planes. They entered the war wearing the national army uniforms. Then they changed into French, British and Soviet uniforms and used the Allies' equipment. Guerillas and soldiers fighting in the uprising wore either civilian clothes or confiscated German uniforms.
The soldiers always remembered that the national emblem of the Polish army was the White Eagle.
In 1939, when fighting against the powerfull armies of the two aggressors proved impossible, thousands of soldiers strived to reach the allied France. Supported by the Poles from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and both Americas they formed an army, under gen. Władysław Sikorski's command.
In Poland, underground military organisations began to from as soon as the September campaign was over. Various groups whose aim was to gather forces and resume fighting were establised. The largest of them was Słuźba Zwycięstwu Polski (the Service for Poland's Victory) created by gen. Tadeusz Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski. In 1940 it was transformed into Związek Walki Zbrojnej (the Union of Armed Fighting) and later, in 1942, to facilitate prompt unification of various organisations, into Armia Krajowa 8the National Army) with gen. Stefan Rowecki as the Main Commander.
In the beginning of January 1944 The Red Army reached th border of pre-war Poland. Contrary to expectations Wehrmacht dod not break up, therefore a national uprising could not be initiated at the time. In such conditions only sabotage could be successfull. Action "Burza" (Thunder storm), as it was called, which strted in the rear og German army, often in collaboration with the attacking Soviets, was to be accompanied by the disclosure of local representatives of Polish government.
During that time the National Army soldiers, veterans of guerilla warfare, who also fought the enemy in open battles (some 30 battles in the Vilnius region alone) and helped to liberate Vilnios, were disararmed by the Soviets and enlisted by force into gen. Berling's army. Most officers were arrested and sent to Siberia. Other divisions and brigades from the areas of Wołyń, Podole, Lublin, Rzeszów and the regions west of Vistula met the same fate. Estimated 50.000 National Army soldiers and officers wer arrested and sent to Siberian prisons camps, 3000 never returned from that 'inhuman land'.
At the same time Polish Armed Forces entered the battlefields of western Europe. Since 1944 gen. Anders's II Corps fought in Italy, breaking thtough the German defence lines on the coast of Adriatic, along Misa, Metauro, Foglia and Senio rivers. Liberation of Bologna on 21 April 1945 ended its war effort.
After the Allies' landing in Normandy, which was supported by the Polish navy and air forces, I Armoured Division under gen. Maczek's command entered the battlesfields of France. After surrounding German 7th. Army near Chambois it crossed the Belgian border and liberated Ypres and Ghent. In Autumn it fought in the Netherlands and after a few months' defence on Moza, in April 1945, it entered into Germany. It broke the German defence lines on the Küstenkanal and on 6th May accepted capitulation of the city and Kriegsmarine base in Wilhelmshaven.
Gen. Stanisław Sosabowski's Independent Parachute Brigade also took part in the Allies's offensive. Between 18-26 September, during the 'Market-Garden' operation, after taking part in massive landing in the Netherlands the Brigade fought to defend the region of Arnhem.
At the same time Poland witnessed yje last days of Warsaw uprising, which was toliberate tje country's capital. Polish soldiers , most of them very young, fought bravely and often sacrificed their lives against twice as many Germans armed with planes, armoured verhicles and heavy artillery. They withstood German attacks for 63 days.
Polish forces in the West consisted of approximately 200.000 soldiers, 100.000 of whom served on the front. They were organised on three continents. Poles fought in Norway, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, Military cemeteries and monuments around the world remind about almost 8.000 Polish WW II soldiers who gave their lives far away from the free and independent Poland that they dreamt of.
