Polish Corps

Discussion in 'Poland' started by ourbill, Mar 2, 2006.

  1. ourbill

    ourbill Senior Member

    A lot of Polish men were fighting with the British Army in Italy and else where.
    How did they get there? How did they get out of Poland during German/Russian occupation, and where did they head for?
    An easy question but a pointer to a book or two would be helpful from our Polish friends in english plse.

    Regards
    Roger
     
  2. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Good story...."Freely I Served" by Wladislaw Anders is his memoir of leading the Polish 2nd Corps.

    Two sources: first were the Polish troops who went over the border into Rumania in 1939. They were shipped by the French to Syria and became the Carpathia Brigade. More came from Polish POWs taken by the Soviets, who were sent to Iran to from the Polish 2 Corps. Among them was Anders himself, liberated from a Soviet prison when the Germans invaded Russia. Until then, he was mistreated and starved. After that, he was an important ally.

    Anders' corps was based on these two sources of manpower, and went to Italy in late 1943, fighting in that campaign until 1945. They gained more men from captured Poles who had been drafted into Wehrmacht service, who were delighted to shed Wehrmacht feldgrau for free Polish colors.

    In 1945, the corps was disbanded with victory and the end of the free Poles. A lot of the veterans wound up in England, Scotland, Canada, and the United States.

    Anders said that one administrative problem his corps did not have to worry about was delivering mail from the families back home to the boys at the front.

    They didn't get any.
     
  3. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Yeah what happened to Poland and her troops was terrible right from the beginning. I'm surprised Anders didnt end up in a grave at Katyn like his fellow Polish Officers. I thought they were all shot
     
  4. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Yeah what happened to Poland and her troops was terrible right from the beginning. I'm surprised Anders didnt end up in a grave at Katyn like his fellow Polish Officers. I thought they were all shot

    Well, Anders got beaten and tortured by Soviet guards, but survived to lead his corps in Italy and tell the tale. But a lot of Anders' colleagues wound up in a grave at Katyn. The Russians did not admit their guilt until 1990, when Gorbachev did it, just before the Soviet Union disintegrated.

    There is now a memorial in the area of the massacres.
     
  5. ErikH

    ErikH Senior Member

  6. handtohand22

    handtohand22 Senior Member

    From Feb 7th until March 24th 1942 the polish Brigade were on the Gazala Ridge at Camuset-er-Regem. Their commander was Major General Stanislaus Kopanski. They were responsible for manning the field guns covering the mine fields in that area. As well as that, they also carried out the aggressive Jock Patrols with other army units.
    In 1944 the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade were part of the Airborne forces at Arnhem. Their commander was Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski. He had escaped from Poland in 1939, served in the Polish army in France and then escaped from Dunkirk
    He became one of the scapegoats (with his Brigade) for the failure of Market Garden.
     
  7. marek_pk

    marek_pk Senior Member

  8. Stephen

    Stephen Member

    The Polish 2nd Corps numbered 53,508 men and 1,290 women in April 1944 when they had assembled in Italy. By September 3 1944 its losses were 1,701 killed, 5,977 wounded, 502 missing. Its strength on September 2 1944 was 55,670 men and 1,552 women. The increase in numbers was due to Poles captured in France and Italy joining the Corps. Even Poles who had served in the German army required months of training so the Corps was understrength by September 44. On April 30 1945 it numbered 81,090 men and 1,933 women but large numbers of these were in training.
     
  9. ourbill

    ourbill Senior Member

    Thank you all for the replies.

    For: Stephen

    Where did you get the information from?

    Roger
     
  10. smc

    smc Member

    The Polish command's original plan was to fall back to the mountainous south east border with Romania and turn it into a redoubt. This was negated by the Soviet Union's unexpected entry into Poland on 17 September, without having anything to put their backs to and fight the order went out for as many units as possible to make their way south and escape the country. They first went to Romania and then on to France. From October 1939 other escape routes still existed through neutral countries such as Hungary via Greece and Yugoslavia and the Baltic States though the Germans applied enough pressure to block these routes by the end of 1939. About 34,000 escaped through these routes. A number were then mobilised by the Polish Government-in-exile to fight during the 1940 French campaign, when it became obvious that Germany were going to win here too Sikorski, on hearing that the British wished to evacuate to fight another day, got an agreement to evacuate allPoilsh troops back to Britain. In the event about 25,000 made their way from France.

    There are sources the one I used was Anita Prazmowska 'Britain and Poland 1939-43' but this book is far more interested in the political side of the exile government than military aspects. I'd also look for books on Sikorski as this will give you more detail.
     
  11. trumpetplayer992

    trumpetplayer992 Senior Member

    A lot of the Polish people died when germany invaded Poland.
     
  12. marek_pk

    marek_pk Senior Member

    A lot of the Polish people died when germany invaded Poland.

    I have read that approx. 6 million Poles died during WW2.
    Approx. 3 million ethnic Poles & approx 3 million Polish Jews.
     
  13. Stephen

    Stephen Member

    Roger,
    I got the information from "The Polish 2nd Corps and the Italian Campaign 1943-1945" by Witold Madeja 1984 Published by Game Publishing Company, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103

    He uses as his main sources the official British historical report on the Corps, the American report on the 15th Army Group and The Policy and Strategy of Poland in the Second World War, 1939-1946 by the Polish Military Historical Institude Warsaw 1974 which as it was published under communism has some blatent errors he notes. There are loads of reproduced original documents giving unit strengths etc.

    I bought it from a specialist miliary bookshop in London nearly 20 years ago.
     
  14. ourbill

    ourbill Senior Member

    Stephen

    Thanks again.

    I've found a copy on abebooks.co.uk for £10.59 plus postage from a bookshop in Pennsylvania, think I'II order it.

    Cheers
    Roger
     
  15. Sab0tage

    Sab0tage Junior Member

    I'd also like info on this, because my grandfather was Polish but he fought as part as the British army, but he originally fought in both the Polish army when Germany invaded, then joined the Resistance once the army had been destroyed. Anyone have any info on the Polish companies, platoons etc. in the British army?
     
  16. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I'd also like info on this, because my grandfather was Polish but he fought as part as the British army, but he originally fought in both the Polish army when Germany invaded, then joined the Resistance once the army had been destroyed. Anyone have any info on the Polish companies, platoons etc. in the British army?

    Welcome SabOtage, here's a good starting pointhttp://www.ww2.pl/?
    I see you are in Canada. Did Grandad emmigrate there after WW2?
    I know alot did as they served alongside the Canadians from Normandy to Germany.
    As Poland was occupied by the Soviets many Poles opted for a new start in Canada.
    Back in October we visited the large Polish Cemetery in Normandy and paid our respects to your Grandad's comrades.
    Order of Battle for 1st Polish Armoured Division here.http://www.fireandfury.com/britinfo/firstpolarm.pdf
     
  17. Sab0tage

    Sab0tage Junior Member

    Welcome SabOtage, here's a good starting pointhttp://www.ww2.pl/?
    I see you are in Canada. Did Grandad emmigrate there after WW2?
    I know alot did as they served alongside the Canadians from Normandy to Germany.
    As Poland was occupied by the Soviets many Poles opted for a new start in Canada.
    Back in October we visited the large Polish Cemetery in Normandy and paid our respects to your Grandad's comrades.
    Order of Battle for 1st Polish Armoured Division here.http://www.fireandfury.com/britinfo/firstpolarm.pdf
    Yeah, he came here after the war. Thanks for the info.
     
  18. ourbill

    ourbill Senior Member

  19. jackie

    jackie Junior Member

    HI Sabotage
    MY father was Polish- he was enlisted in the polish Free Navy and based on the ORP Slazak during the war which was a British ship commisioned by the polish Navy.
    Jackie
     
  20. laufer

    laufer Senior Member

    HI Sabotage
    MY father was Polish- he was enlisted in the polish Free Navy and based on the ORP Slazak during the war which was a British ship commisioned by the polish Navy.
    Jackie

    Looks your Father was busy during the war Jackie. :)
    ORP "Slazak" /former HMS "Bedale"/, British Hunt II - class destroyer escort. It was commissioned to the Polish Navy on May 1942.
    It took part in Raid on Dieppe (Poles shot down 4 German planes and rescued several Canadians and British pilot), Mediterranean convoys, naval operations supporting landing on Sicily and Normandy.
     

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