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Polish Armed Forces, 1918- To Present (Military History)

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  1. Introduction
  2. The military history of Poland in the 20th century reflects the country’s experiences, both the highs and the lows. In 1918 seemingly out of nowhere Poland’s military rose like a phoenix from the pyre of the defeat of the two remaining partitioning powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary. Imperial Russia had already been driven out of pre-partitioned lands by the Germans and had dropped out of the war following the Russian Revolution. In less than two years, the nascent Polish army successfully defended Polish sovereignty and was victorious over the Soviet Union in 1920. However, in September 1939, the Polish army suffered a cataclysmic defeat at the hands of its two neighbors, Germany and Soviet Russia. The Polish constitutional government continued in exile as a coalition cabinet under Prime Minister general Władysław Sikorski. Financial and legal agreements with France and the United Kingdom enabled the creation of an ever-growing armed force in exile. In addition, an underground state was formed in occupied Poland with allegiance to the Polish government in exile. The military wing was called the Polish Home Army, or Armia Krajowa (AK). In late 1943 the Soviet government began its long-term plans to subjugate Poland after the war. One of the first steps was the creation of a so-called Polish army officered by Russians. The conclusion of World War II left Poland under Soviet occupation. The Polish army became an integral member army of the Warsaw Pact. All senior posts were occupied by Soviet officers, and Marshal Konstanty Rokossowski became the overall commander. After the death of Stalin in 1952 and the internal changes in Warsaw in 1956, Rokossowski was sent back to the Soviet Union, and the country secured some leeway in internal policies. During the Soviet era the Polish People’s Army distinguished itself, most especially, in serving in more than seventy United Nations peacekeeping operations. In 1989 the Soviet monolith began to crumble and the Polish Communist government was forced to accede to the popular Solidarity Union movement, which demanded free elections. Shortly thereafter the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. The Polish army, in looking back to many old traditions that had been eradicated by the Communists, was now strictly under the control of civilians in a nation with a freely elected government. Poland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999. With freedom once again achieved, no constraints were placed on publishing, except for those based on economic considerations. The military bibliography of Poland written in Polish is rich and of a high scholarly level, albeit the works published during the Communist regime (1945–1989) maintain discretion in treating the Soviet Union. English-language works, if written by non-Poles, suffer from insufficient research into Polish archives. The exceptions are the studies on the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944, which are distinguished by a high quality of research and excellent objective analysis but which were all published outside of Poland, though they have now been translated and are available to the Polish reader. To accommodate the English-language reader an attempt has been made in this entry to include as many English-language studies as possible.
  3. Historical Background
  4. During the more than one hundred years when Poland was partitioned, Poles on more than one occasion resorted to open revolt. The dream of independence was nourished by many pre-partition military successes, including the great victories over the Swedes and Turks. These traditions were treasured. The selection of monographs illustrates the uniforms of the Polish royal armies during that time. All are in English and reasonably accessible.
  5. Brzezinski, Richard. Polish Armies, 1569–1696. 2 vols. Men-at Arms 184. London: Osprey, 1987.
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  7. This volume continues the story of the Polish royal armies to the event that marked the final acme of Polish arms, the relief of Vienna in 1683.
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  9. Brzezinski, Richard. Polish Winged Hussar, 1576–1775. Oxford: Osprey, 2006.
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  11. The iconic and fabled Polish heavy cavalry were famous for the wings that were attached either to the back of the saddle or to the back of the armor. The hussar wings became so much a part of Polish tradition that in 1936, when the Polish air force was outfitted with its own steel blue uniform, the crowned eagle on the cap was surrounded by the hussar stylized wings.
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  13. Pawly, Ronald. Napoleon’s Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard. Men-at-Arms 440. Oxford: Opsrey, 2007.
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  15. Patriotic Poles flocked to Napoleon, since he was fighting Poland’s oppressors and offered the hope that an independent Poland would be restored. In the end, only the Duchy of Warsaw was formed.
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  17. Rospond, Vincent W. Polish Armies of the Partitions, 1770–1794. Men-at-Arms 485. Oxford: Osprey, 2013.
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  19. Uniforms of the final years of the kingdom of Poland, including the uniforms of the Kościuszko Revolt.
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  21. Sarnecki, Witold, and Nicolle David. Medieval Polish Armies, 966–1500. Men-at-Arms 445. Oxford: Osprey, 2008.
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  23. Includes many black-and-white photographs and colored prints of the beginning of the royal armies of Poland.
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  25. Wandycz, Piotr S. The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795–1918. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1974.
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  27. Wandycz is the premier historian of Polish diplomacy, and this is the eminent study of that era of Polish history. This monograph is suitable for most interested readers, from the intrigued beginner to the graduate student.
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  29. Żygulski, Zdzisław, Jr. Odsiecz Wiedeńska/ Relief of Vienna, 1683. Krakόw, Poland: Krajowa Agancja Wydawnicza, 1988.
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  31. A bilingual album commemorating the anniversary of the last great Polish victory. Magnificently illustrated.
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  33. Polish-Soviet War, 1919–1920
  34. As the fighting erupted across Europe during World War I (1914–1918), including on Polish lands between the Russian and German armies, Polish patriots in the West, such as Ignacy Paderewski and Roman Dmowski, networked the cabinets of the Western Allies to promote the cause of a sovereign Polish state. But one man worked in partitioned Poland to inspire the nation to take up arms, namely Józef Piłsudski. His name and that of his volunteers, the legions, became synonymous with Polish independence. Hetherington 2012 is a solid, English-language account of the social and political background of Józef Piłsudski, his role in creating the pro-independence legions, his astute political skills that led to his becoming the Polish head of state after the German defeat in the war and after they had abandoned central Poland, and finally his role as supreme commander in the war against the Russians. Dźiewanowski 1969 is a graduate-level study of the early foreign policy of Piłsudski and presents the thesis that the war against the Soviet Union espoused by Piłsudski was launched to help the Ukrainians achieve independence as well as to restore the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (formally, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania), a state made up of Poland, Lithuania, and much of Ukraine in existence in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. But in 1920 the Ukrainians and Lithuanians were marching to their own national beat. Wandycz 1969 delves deeply into the international politics of the Polish-Soviet War and three chapters detail its events. Davies 1972 is a basic English-language read. Englert and Nowik 1991 is an album and a photographic biography of Piłsudski, a rare volume and of interest to the specialist that contains many photographs of the Polish army of the time. Romeyko 1933 narrates in an album form the part played by the Polish embryonic air service. It is a rare volume, written in Polish, but the photographs of pilots and planes are numerous and tell an excellent visual story. Cisek 2002 has three major attributes; it is an English-language account of the air war between the Poles and the Russians, it is readily available in most libraries, and it testifies to a sentimental bond between the Poles and the Americans. Pepłoński 1999 (cited under Battle of Warsaw, 1920) is a Polish-language study important for those undertaking advanced research into the Polish victory of 1920 since it describes the critical role of the Polish radio intercepts. Przybylski 1999 describes the events of the very unique Polish riverine flotilla. Mastalski 2012 is unique and for the specialist scholar. It describes the details of Polish infantry divisions and operations in 1920, their evolution after 1920, and their later mobilization to a war footing in March 1939 after the Germans occupied Prague, Czechoslovakia, in March 1939.
  35. Cisek, Janusz. Kosciuszko, We Are Here! American Pilots of the Kosciuszko Squadron in Defense of Poland, 1919–1921. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2002.
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  37. This monograph has three major attributes; it is an English-language account of the air war between the Poles and the Russians, it is readily available in most libraries, and it speaks to a sentimental bond between the Poles and the Americans, which has its roots with Tadeusz Kościuszko and Casimir Pułaski, Poles who fought in the American War of Independence.
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  39. Davies, Norman. White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919–1920. London: Macdonald, 1972.
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  41. A basic history of the military aspects of the Polish-Soviet War; a good read.
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  43. Dźiewanowski, Marian Kamil. Joseph Pilsudski: A European Federalist, 1918–1922. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institute Press, 1969.
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  45. A volume detailing a Polish historian’s thesis for the decision by Piłsudski to help the Ukrainians to become independent of Russia in 1920 and restore the old Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. But by 1920 the Ukrainians and Lithuanians were marching to their own national beat.
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  47. Englert, Juliusz L., and Grzegorz Nowik. Józef Piłsudski. London: Polish Cultural Foundation, 1991.
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  49. This is essentially a photographic album, not just of Piiłsudski, but also of his colleagues and of the Polish army at the time of the Polish-Soviet War. Not readily available, but priceless for the collection of photographs.
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  51. Hetherington, Peter. Unvanquished: Joseph Pilsudski, Resurrected Poland, and the Struggle for Eastern Europe. Houston, TX: Pingora, 2012.
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  53. A solid biographical account of Józef Piłsudski and his role in creating the legions and then as supreme commander in the war against the Russians.
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  55. Mastalski, Lech. 7 Dywizja Piechoty w Latach, 1918–1939. Tarnowskie Góry, Poland: Wydawnictwo Instytutu Tarnogórskiego, 2012.
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  57. This monograph analyses the role of one of the thirty Polish infantry divisions in the Polish-Soviet War. It is of interest to advanced scholars of Polish military history. A unique book since it describes the details of a Polish infantry division, its post-1920 evolution, and its mobilization to a war footing after the Germans occupied Prague, Czechoslovakia, in March 1939. Translated as “7th Infantry Division in the years 1918–1939.”
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  59. Przybylski, Jerzy. Marynarze w Walce o Niepodległość Polski, 1918–1920. Warsaw, Poland: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, 1999.
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  61. Polish naval units on the Prypeć River, a tributary of the Dnieper, as well as naval infantry battalions, took part in the war against the Russians. A riverine flotilla continued to be based at Pinsk. Translated as “Sailors in the fight for Poland’s independence, 1918–1920.”
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  63. Romeyko, Marjan, ed. Ku Czci Poległych Lotników, Warsaw, Poland: Naktadem L. Ztotnickiego, 1933.
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  65. This book gives details of the twenty Polish military aviation squadrons that fought in the Polish-Soviet War. Photographs of pilots and planes are numerous. Translated as “To the memory of fallen airmen.”
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  67. Schwonek, Matthew R. “Improvising an Air Service: The Rise of Military Aviation in Poland, 1918–1920.” War in History 21.4 (2014): 518–537.
  68. DOI: 10.1177/0968344514528601Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  69. A superb history of the creation of the Polish air service based primarily on Polish archives. The author shows how the nascent Polish state was able to craft a basic air component that contributed to the Polish victory.
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  71. Wandycz, Piotr S. Soviet-Polish Relations, 1917–1921. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1969.
  72. DOI: 10.4159/harvard.9780674437210Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  73. A superb volume by one of the most eminent scholars of Polish 20th-century diplomacy. A must for any serious study of the international and military situation of Poland at the birth of Polish independence.
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  75. Battle of Warsaw, 1920
  76. The Polish victory at Warsaw in 1920 is treated in a number of monographs. Piłsudski 1972 is an account by the author. D’Abernon 1931, written by a British diplomat in Berlin, comments on events in Poland, which impressed the author as being of crucial importance. Fuller 2001 also judges the Polish victory as vital to European security. Zamoyski 2008 is a short and readable monograph on the strategic and international aspects of the battle as one that checked the threat of communism to Europe. Sikorski 1941, authored by the Polish commander in chief in exile, describes the author’s role as a commander in the major preliminary battle to the north of Warsaw, which allowed Piłsudski to develop his great counteroffensive. Mahony 1938 develops that point.
  77. D’Abernon, Viscount. The Eighteenth Decisive Battle of the World: Warsaw, 1920. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1931.
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  79. D’Abernon was a British diplomat who observed the events in Poland on behalf of the British government. He came to the conclusion that the Polish victory was of crucial importance in stemming the tide of Bolshevik expansion.
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  81. Fuller, J. F. C. “Battle for Warsaw.” In Decisive Battles of the Western World. 3d ed. By J. F. C. Fuller, 339–363. London: Cassell, 2001.
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  83. Fuller, a distinguished English military historian, concludes that the Polish victory of 1920 was of a decisive nature.
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  85. Mahony, E. R. “The Battle of Warsaw, August 1920: An Example of the Counter-offensive.” Royal United Services Institution Journal 83.530 (1938): 299–308.
  86. DOI: 10.1080/03071843809422042Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  87. A good analysis of the counteroffensive that led to victory in the Battle of Warsaw.
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  89. Pepłoński, Andrzej. Wywiad w Wojnie Polsko-Bolszewickiej, 1919–1920. Warsaw, Poland: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, 1999.
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  91. Polish military intelligence played a significant role in allowing Piłsudski to implement his maneuver to attack the Soviet left flank during the Soviet offensive against Warsaw. This led to the Polish victory of 1920. Translated as “Intelligence in the Polish-Bolshevik war, 1919–1920.”
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  93. Piłsudski, Józef. Year 1920 and Its Climax: Battle of Warsaw during the Polish-Soviet War, 1919–1920. London: Piłsudski Institute of London, 1972.
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  95. Piłsudski’s own account of the war against the Russians in 1919–1920, republished in London.
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  97. Sikorski, Władysław. Nad Wisła i Wkrą, London: M. I. Kolin, 1941.
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  99. Sikorski commanded the Polish army that fought north of Warsaw and achieved considerable success in halting the Russian sweep. It was a major contributor to the final victory at Warsaw and showed Sikorski in his best light, as a brave and brilliant field general. Translated as “At the Vistula and Wkra.”
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  101. Worrel, Harold H., Jr. Report: The Battle of Warsaw, 1920: Impact on Operational Thought. Fort Leavenworth, KS: School of Advanced Military Studies, United States Army Command and General Staff College, 1994.
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  103. A recent United States General Staff College volume on the lessons to be learned from the Polish counteroffensive.
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  105. Zamoyski, Adam. Warsaw 1920: Lenin’s Failed Conquest of Europe. London: HarperPress, 2008.
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  107. In describing the details of the Polish victory in 1920, Zamoyski concludes that a Soviet victory would have facilitated the extension of Soviet power and communist ideology farther west. The Polish victory at Warsaw was followed by a Polish sweep into Byelorussia as far as Minsk. An armistice followed by a peace treaty signed at Riga, Latvia, in 1921 finalized the Polish-Soviet border.
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  109. Interwar Years, 1920–1939
  110. The interwar years were often called the prolonged armistice. In Poland effort were undertaken to rebuild the economy, maintain the diplomatic and military alliance with France, and modernize the armed forces. Jurga 1978 is a Polish-language detailed study and a valuable reference in listing all the major units of the Polish army in the interwar period, units with which the Poles went to war in September 1939. Stachiewicz 1998 describes the functioning and planning of the Polish military staffs. Pindel 1979 outlines the formation and war experiences of the Polish equivalent of the National Guard. Szubański 1982 is a Polish-language work that should be required reading for research into prewar Polish defense and operational doctrine. Łoś 1991 is a detailed study of the artillery. Chocianowicz 1969, a Polish-language volume published in London, will be of special interest to military historians since it narrates the history of the Polish War College.
  111. Chocianowicz, Wacław. W 50-lecie Powstania Wyzszej Szkoly Wojennej w Warszawie. London: Nakladem Oficerów Dyplomowanych na Obczyźnie, 1969.
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  113. Published in London after the war to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Polish Staff Academy. The academy was re-created in exile in the United Kingdom. Gives a list of all the officers who either served on the faculty or graduated from the institution. Translated as “On the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the Higher War Academy.”
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  115. Jurga, Tadeusz. Regularne Jednostki Wojska Polskiego w 1939r. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1978.
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  117. A list of all Polish units in 1939; a good reference book. Translated as “Regular units of the Polish army in 1939.”
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  119. Łoś, Roman. Artyleria Polska, 1914–1939. Warsaw, Poland: Bellona, 1991.
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  121. A detailed study of the Polish artillery. Of interest largely to those who specialize in this field. Translated as “Poland’s artillery, 1914–1939.”
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  123. Pindel, Kazimierz. Obrona Narodowa, 1937–1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej MON, 1979.
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  125. The Obrona Narodowa was an amalgam of territorial-based units, officered by professionals, with units drawn from the immediate locale and made up usually of reservists. Translated as “National Guard, 1937–1939.”
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  127. Stachiewicz, Bogdan, ed. Wacław Stachiewicz: Generał, Szef Sztabu Głownego, 1935–1939. Warsaw, Poland: Rytm, 1998.
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  129. Authored by the son of the Polish chief of staff from 1935 to 1939. Not available in English but essential to any serious study of the Polish preparations for the impending war and of the strategic plans for its conduct. Translated as “Wacław Stachiewicz: General and chief of the General Staff, 1935–1939.”
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  131. Szubański, Rajmund. Polska Broń Pancerna, 1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej MON, 1982.
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  133. An account of the attempts to develop a Polish armored force, with discussion of the issues of tank and anti-tank doctrine and the construction of tanks in Poland. Translated as “Polish armed forces, 1939.”
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  135. Military Alliances
  136. Wandycz 1974 describes the alliances concluded by France with the newly established states in eastern and central Europe, including Poland, to checkmate Germany following the end of World War I. Poland’s army, following its successful war against the Russians, was an important asset for the French, but for Poland the French alliance was also vital. Wandycz 1988 outlines how the alliance cooled after the Locarno treaties of 1925. In 1936 Germany moved into the demilitarized zone west of the Rhine, which prompted a resumption of close Polish-French military relations and led to a major French loan for Polish rearmament.
  137. Wandycz, Piotr S. France and Her Eastern Allies, 1919–1925. Reprint. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1974.
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  139. Originally published in 1962. The first of the major studies of French foreign policy as it pertained to Poland. Essential to any study of the diplomatic issues centering on eastern and central Europe in the interwar period.
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  141. Wandycz, Piotr S. Twilight of the French Eastern Alliances, 1926–1936. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988.
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  143. Wandycz traces the foreign policy of France in the interwar years and describes the ever-growing sense of dependency on Britain and lessening of ties to Poland and Czechoslovakia.
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  145. Military Aviation (Air Force)
  146. Polish military aviation played a relatively minor role in the Polish-Soviet war but gained fame for the part that it did play. Belcarz and Peczkowski 2001 provides a good English-language general history of the aviation service in the war against the Soviet Union and its interwar development and growth. Bartel, et al. 1978 is a superb Polish-language study, a must for any serious study of Polish military aviation prior to the establishment of the Polish air force. The authors, all well-known military historians, discuss the issues of operational doctrine, namely whether to build a strong bomber force versus a fighter defense force. This question was resolved in favor of a fighter force only in late 1938. The other issue centered on whether to concentrate on building up an indigenous aircraft industry or to purchase foreign planes. This was unanimously resolved in favor of self-sufficiency. Morgała 1976 is a Polish-language study that depicts the variety of military planes flown by the Poles in Poland, in France, and in the United Kingdom. Cynk 1971 is a comprehensive work on all airplanes designed and built in Poland and includes military aircraft. Celek 2000 is a specialist book written in Polish and well illustrated. It provides a history of the Polish military aviation’s three-year officer cadet academy, lists all the faculty, and traces the history of its many and distinguished alumni. Kopczewski and Moszumański 1996 is a well-illustrated Polish-language study of the anti-aircraft artillery branch of the Polish military aviation.
  147. Bartel, Ryszard, Jan Chojnacki, Tadeusz Królikiwiecz, and Adam Kurowski. Z Historii Polskiego Lotnictwa Wojskowego, 1918–1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1978.
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  149. A detailed history of the growth of the Polish air force, called military aviation, with a discussion of the controversy surrounding air force doctrine, bomber versus fighter forces, and the ensuing debate about allocation of funds. Translated as “History of the Polish military aviation, 1918–1939.”
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  151. Belcarz, Bartłomiej, and Robert Peczkowski. White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force, 1918–1939. Ottingham, UK: Hikoki, 2001.
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  153. A good introduction to the interwar Polish air force and the part it played in the September 1939 campaign.
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  155. Celek, Jan. Skrzydlata Szkoła. Poznań, Poland: Redakcja Czasopism Wojsk Lotniczych i Obrony Powietrznej, 2000.
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  157. History of the Polish Air Force Officer Academy in Dęblin. Outlines the criteria for admission and the curriculum, lists the faculty and the names of the graduates and their future service. Of the more than 120 Polish pilots who fought in the Battle of Britain, 105 were graduates of the Dęblin academy. Translated as “The school of wings.”
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  159. Cynk, Jerzy B. Polish Aircraft, 1893–1939. London: Putnam, 1971.
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  161. An excellent, detailed study of planes both military and civilian that were designed and built in Poland. A volume that because it is in English makes it particularly attractive, though it is now out of print.
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  163. Kopczewski, Marian, and Zbigniew Moszumański. Polska obrona przeciwlotnicza w latach, 1920–1939. Pruszków, Poland: Oficyna Wydawnicza Ajaks, 1996.
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  165. A history treating defense against the threat of enemy aircraft and the need to build up Polish defenses. Translated as “Polish anti-aircraft defenses in the years 1920–1939.”
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  167. Morgała, Andrzej. Polskie Samoloty Wojskowe. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1976.
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  169. An account and description of all planes that served in the Polish air force before the war, during the September campaign, and then in the West, including their squadron affiliations and missions. Translated as “Polish military aircraft.”
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  171. Navy
  172. Przybylski 1999 traces the combat operations of the small flotilla of river craft based around Pinsk in the Polish-Soviet War. When Poland was granted access to the Baltic Sea, a national commitment was made to ensure not just physical access to the Baltic, but also an actual presence. The growth of the Polish navy was hampered by financial difficulties, but by 1939 the naval fleet was sufficient to protect the Polish coast as well as convoys from western Europe in the event of a war with the Soviets, a possibility that remained ever present. Piaskowski 1996 lists all the warships that served in the Polish navy during the interwar period and then at the side of the Royal Navy. Rudzki 1985 is a story of all the submarines that served in the Polish navy. Written in Polish, it should be consulted by any scholar interested in the history of the submarine service. Peszke 1999 is an English-language work dedicated to the wartime activities of the Polish navy, both in the defense of the Polish coastline, including submarine operations in the Baltic Sea, and later at the side of the Royal Navy.
  173. Peszke, Michael Alfred. Poland’s Navy, 1918–1945. New York: Hippocrene, 1999.
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  175. A monograph on the Polish naval service before and during the war. A good general introduction to the Polish navy in World War II.
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  177. Piaskowski, Stanisław. Okręty Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, 1920–1946. Warsaw, Poland: Broń i Barwa, 1996.
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  179. A comprehensive account of all Polish warships between 1920 and 1946, including detailed diagrams and their wartime history while operating out of British ports. In Polish, although its diagrams will be readily understandable by an interested naval scholar.
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  181. Przybylski, Jerzy. Marynarze w Walce o Niepodległość Polski, 1918–1920. Warsaw, Poland: Dom Wydawniczy Bellona, 1999.
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  183. Examines the Polish naval units on the Prypeć River, a tributary of the Dnieper, as well as naval infantry battalions that took part in the war against the Russians. A riverine flotilla continued to be based at Pinsk. Translated as “Sailors in the fight for Poland’s independence, 1918–1920.”
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  185. Rudzki, Czesław. Polskie Okręty Podwodne, 1926–1969. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1985.
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  187. An account of the Polish submarine service. At the beginning of the war there were five submarines in commission. Three more were added during the war and two were lost. Translated as “Polish submarines, 1926–1969.”
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  189. Budgets
  190. The following two books, in Polish, are essential to any study of the Polish preparations for what was seen increasingly as an inevitable war. Kozłowski 1974 discusses the allocations of the French loan and Polish state budget for Polish rearmament and military modernization. Krzyżanowski 1976 outlines specific budgetary allocations for the respective services. Peszke 1979, an English-language article, summarizes the essence of these studies.
  191. Kozłowski, Eugeniusz J. Wojsko Polskie, 1936–1939: Próby Modernizacji i Rozbudowy. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1974.
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  193. A study of the Polish attempt to modernize the armed forces carried out by Edward Smigły-Rydz, the successor to Piłsudski following the latter’s death in 1935. The rearmament was made possible by a large financial loan from France in 1936. It should be noted that this volume, published in Poland in 1974, is severely critical of the alleged failure of the prewar Polish government to meet the challenge of the impending war. While showing a political bias it is essential to any serious study of prewar Polish military policies. Translated as “Poland’s armed forces, 1936–1939: Attempts to modernize and develop.”
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  195. Krzyżanowski, Kazimierz. Wydatki Wojskowe Polski w Latach, 1918–1939. Warsaw, Poland: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1976.
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  197. A book of numbers and statistics dealing with the Polish military budgets, with relatively few analyses. Translated as “Polish armed forces budgets in 1918–1939.”
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  199. Peszke, Michael Alfred. “Poland’s Preparation for World War Two.” Military Affairs 43 (1979): 18–24.
  200. DOI: 10.2307/1987383Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  201. This article discusses Kozłowski 1974 and Krzyżanowski 1976 and in the context of Poland’s limited economic potential.
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  203. Uniforms and Military Artifacts
  204. Military equipment is an inherent and essential part of the military. Military historians also study the evolution and symbolism of military uniforms and insignia. Żygulski and Wielecki 1988 is an elegantly produced and richly illustrated album that shows the evolution of the Polish army uniform through prints and photographs of artifacts in the Warsaw Military Museum. Komornicki, et al. 1984 focuses on the uniforms of the army, air force, and navy as well as equipment of the World War II period, both in Poland and then in exile in France and the United Kingdom. It is also a unique reference book of insignia and decorations. Zaloga 1982 is an English-language book in the Osprey series and limited to the uniforms of the army. This book is also readily accessible.
  205. Komornicki, Stanisław, Zygmunt Bielecki, Wanda Bigoszewska, and Adam Jońca. Wojsko Polskie, 1939–1945. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Intrerpress, 1984.
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  207. Volume limited to the period of World War II; shows military uniforms, army, air force, and navy as well as military equipment and insignia. Translated as “Polish armed forces, 1919–1945.”
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  209. Zaloga, Steven J. The Polish Army, 1939–1945. Men-at-Arms 117. London: Osprey, 1982.
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  211. Zaloga is a very prominent military historian and this is a well-researched monograph of the uniforms of the Polish land forces, prewar and then in exile in the West. Readily available and, written in English, this an excellent introduction to the Polish armed forces.
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  213. Żygulski, Zdzisław, and Henryk Wielecki. Polski Mundur Wojskowy. Kraków, Poland: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1988.
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  215. A marvelously produced and illustrated bok on the Polish military uniforms throughout Poland’s history. Many of the actual photographs are from the Polish Military Museum in Warsaw. Translated as “Polish military uniforms.”
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  217. World War II
  218. For Poland World War II began in September 1939, when Germany and the Soviet Union combined to invade and partition Poland. Historians debate as to when it really ended. Some argue that it ended only in 1989 when free elections were held. Kochanski 2012, a major volume, outlines the vicissitudes of the Poles, both civilians of many ethnic backgrounds as well as the Polish military. A recent English-language monograph, well referenced, makes this a perfect entry point for any general reader or advanced researcher on Poland in World War II. Sanford 2009 is a brilliant, relatively short history of the fate of Polish officers who fell into Soviet hands in late September 1939. The book outlines the continuing national bitterness at the crime perpetrated and the lack of any accountability for the crime or admission of guilt by the current government in Russia. Wroński 1981 is the biography of a man who led the Polish government and Polish military in exile from October 1939 to his death in a plane accident in 1943.
  219. Kochanski, Halik. The Eagle Unbowed: Poland and the Poles in the Second World War. London: Allen Lane, 2012.
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  221. A volume that provides a general overview of the Poles and Polish military both in exile and underground and of the diplomatic events at the conclusion of the war.
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  223. Sanford, George. Katyn and the Soviet Massacre of 1940: Truth, Justice and Memory. New York: Routledge, 2009.
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  225. The bodies of captured Polish officers in September 1939 were found in early 1943 by the Germans near Smolensk. The Soviets were highly incensed at the suspicion raised by the Polish government in exile in London that Soviet troops were the perpetrators and they broke off relations. The Western powers came to the defense of their ally in siding with the Soviets, which served as a portent of Poland’s future.
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  227. Wroński, Bohdan. General Sikorski: Prime Minister, Commander in Chief. London: Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, 1981.
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  229. A photographic biography of the leader of the Poles in exile from 1939 to July 1943. Sikorski was a senior general in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1920. His outstanding leadership and tactical skill in the battles north of Warsaw paved the way for the final Polish victory of Piłsudski. Sikorski then entered politics and became a political opponent of Piłsudski. In 1939 he became prime minister of the Polish coalition government in exile in Paris. He was also appointed commander in chief of the Polish forces in exile by the Polish president. He was killed in a controversial accident off Gibraltar on 4 July 1943.
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  231. Onset
  232. On 1 September 1939 the Germans attacked Poland. Great Britain and France subsequently declared war on Germany. On 17 September 1939 the Soviets invaded eastern Poland in fulfilling their part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939. The two neighbors partitioned Poland. A Polish government was formed in France and Polish armed forces began to be formed in the West.
  233. Cannistraro, Philip, Edward D. Wynot Jr., and Theodore P. Kovaleff. Poland and the Coming of the Second World War: The Diplomatic Papers of A. J. Drexel Biddle Jr., United States Ambassador to Poland, 1937–1939. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1976.
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  235. A day-to-day observation on the months preceding the onset of war, based on the American ambassador’s meetings with leading Polish leaders as well as with the British ambassador, Sir. H. Kennard.
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  237. Foreign Office, Great Britain. British War Blue Book: Documents concerning German-Polish Relations and the Outbreak of Hostilities between Great Britain and Germany on September 3, 1939. London: His Majesty’s Stationary Office, 1939.
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  239. An official British account of the events leading to the German invasion and the British response.
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  241. Operational Military Histories
  242. Following the German occupation of Prague in March 1939, a number of Polish divisions were mobilized and intense preparations made for the possibility of the impending German attack. During the summer of 1939 intense staff talks were held by the Poles with the British and French. Woytak 1979 discusses the efficient Polish intelligence penetration of German military intelligence, which allowed Polish military staff to accurately ascertain the main German thrust and exact date of attack. Kozaczuk 1984 is an English-language book excellently translated from its original Polish, which gives the history of one of the major Polish contributions to the Allied side, namely the breaking of the German cipher codes that used the Enigma machine. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie 1950–1975 is an eight-volume history of the Polish military in World War II. Written in Polish makes these volumes little cited, which is unfortunate since they are one of the crucial and vital reference sources on the Polish military in World War II. It is out of print but available in university libraries. Cynk 1998, a two-volume jewel of history, is written in English. Profusely illustrated, it outlines the day-to-day events of the Polish military aviaton, renamed the Polish air force in early 1940 in France. It gives details on missions, training facilities, etc., and it is available in many university libraries. Barbarski 1982 is a good English-language book in the Opsrey series on the Polish armored forces.
  243. Barbarski, Krzysztof. Polish Armour, 1939–45. London: Osprey, 1982.
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  245. A readily available monograph, authored by the director of the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London. Photos are from the Sikorski Museum archives, color plates by Terry Hadler. Highly recommended for any level of interested reader.
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  247. Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History. 2 vols. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1998.
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  249. The most definitive and comprehensive history of the Polish air force in World War II. Based on archives of the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London. This is an essential volume for any scholar interested in the Polish air force.
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  251. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie. Polskie Siły Zbrojne w Drugiej Wojnie Światowej. 8 vols. London: Instytut Historyczny im. Generała Sikorskiego, 1950–1975.
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  253. This series is the definitive and official history of the Polish armed forces in World War II; written by the Historical Commission of the Polish General Staff and the Sikorski Historical Institute in London. It is based on archives and staff reports that were saved from Poland and those generated in exile during the war. A must for any serious scholar of the Polish military in World War II. Translated as “Polish armed forces in the Second World War.”
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  255. Kozaczuk, Władysław. Enigma: How the German Machine Cipher Was Broken, and How It Was Read by the Allies in World War Two. Washington, DC: University Publications of America, 1984.
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  257. The title speaks for itself and discusses what has often been accepted as Poland’s greatest contribution to the Allied victory. Translated from the original Polish and edited by Christopher Kasparek.
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  259. Woytak, Richard A. On the Border of War and Peace: Polish Intelligence and Diplomacy in 1937–1939 and the Origins of the Ultra Secret. East European Monographs 49. Boulder, CO: East European Quarterly, 1979.
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  261. Diplomacy, foreign policy, and intelligence are intertwined as illustrated in this excellent monograph.
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  263. September 1939 Campaign
  264. The Polish response to the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 is distorted by many myths, which because they have been often repeated, have gained a foothold in the historical literature. The cited monographs address the Polish military defensive preparations, the partial mobilization, the dispersal of the combat air units to secret bases before the German attack, and the basic fact that since Poland had a military alliance with France and Britain the Poles expected a French attack in the West to slow the German offensive. Kozłowski 1968 is a collection of Polish military documents outlining the events preceding and during the September campaign. It is written in Polish but the importance of this work is such that no study of the Polish battle plan, preparations, or actual combat events that fails to take note of its contents can be taken seriously. Neugebauer 1942 is the first, excellent English-language study of the Polish campaign. It is out of print but accessible in university libraries and, while its treatment can be considered shallow, it is worthwhile as a work authored by the head of the Polish military mission to the United Kingdom in 1939. One of its particularly strong points are the maps and the Polish o. de b. are especially excellent. Zaloga and Madej 1985 and Zaloga 2004 are good and readily available studies of the campaign in the popular Osprey series. Kennedy 1956 is important since, based on captured German documents, it presents the German side of the campaign. Hargreaves 2008 is a good basic study. Grzelak and Stanczyk 2005 is a basic Polish-language history of the September campaign worthwhile for the simple fact that published after the demise of Communist rule it give a good account of the Soviet invasion in mid-September and the defensive war fought by small elements of the Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, the Polish border guard. Finally, too often in Western histories the Soviet attack in the East is not well treated, so it is important to note that Williamson 2009 is highly recommended as a study of the Soviet invasion.
  265. Grzelak, Czesław, and Henryk Stanczyk. Kampania Polska 1939 Roku: Początek II Wojny Światowej. Warsaw, Poland: Rytm, 2005.
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  267. In many respects a recapitulation of much material already published, but, published after the demise of the Communist government, it gives details of the Soviet invasion and the Polish resistance, a subject completely ignored prior to 1989 in Communist Poland. Translated as “The Polish campaign of 1939: The beginning of World War II.”
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  269. Hargreaves, Richard. Bliztkrieg Unleashed: The German Invasion of Poland, 1939. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword, 2008.
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  271. An objective English-language general study of the September 1939 campaign; a good introduction to a hard-fought campaign.
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  273. Kennedy, Robert M. The German Campaign in Poland, 1939. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1956.
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  275. Based on captured German documents. It is a German assessment of Polish capabilities and of the German military activities in September 1939. Recommended for an in-depth study of the Polish-German war of September 1939 from a German perspective.
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  277. Kozłowski, Eugeniusz J. Wojna Obronna Polski, 1939: Wybór Zródeł. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1968.
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  279. This work cites numerous pertinent documents of the Polish armed forces immediately prior to the September campaign and the actual hostilities. Based on archives in the Centralne Archiwa Wojskowe in Warsaw. Essential for any in-depth study of the Polish campaign of September 1939. Translated as “Poland’s defensive war, 1939: Selection of documents.”
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  281. Neugebauer, Norwid M. The Defence of Poland, September, 1939. London: M. I. Kolin, 1942.
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  283. General Neugebauer was head of the Polish military mission to the United Kingdom in the weeks preceding the outbreak of the war. This book was the first English-language study of the September 1939 campaign and has excellent maps.
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  285. Williamson, David G. Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword, 2009.
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  287. One of the few English-language histories of the often ignored reality that in September 1939 Poland was overwhelmed by the combined armies of Germany and the Soviet Union. Highly recommended.
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  289. Zaloga, Steven J. Poland 1939: The Birth of Blitzkrieg. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004
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  291. A readily available book that gives an objective history of the September 1939 campaign.
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  293. Zaloga, Steven J., and W. Victor Madej. The Polish Campaign, 1939. New York: Hippocrene, 1985.
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  295. A good general introduction to the September 1939 campaign. Good selection of photographs.
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  297. Polish Army Groups in 1939
  298. Most of the Polish army groups in the September 1939 campaign have specific histories. Polish armies were named after geographical areas or provinces where they were concentrated. These monographs are highly specialized, but a serious student of the Polish-German war in September 1939 should at the very least be cognizant of these studies. Bauer and Polak 1983 chronicles the mobilization and mission of the western Polish armies, which were the most exposed to attack and were tasked with the orderly evacuation of the Poznań region as well as to slow the German offensive. These formed the main Polish force in the Battle of Bzura. Godlewski 1973 narrates the day-to-day events during the September campaign of the one major, and initially highly successful, Polish counterattack near the Bzura River. Ciechanowski 1982 discusses the disposition, mission, and ultimate debacle of the Pomorze Army. The two volumes Wróblewski 1975 and Wróblewski 1986 describe the Polish plans and efforts to meet the main predicted German thrust from German Silesia. Due to intense perssure from the Western allies, general Polish mobilization was delayed so as not to provoke the Germans. Hence, the Prusy Army was not in place and the Łódz Army was encircled and wiped out. Głowacki 1985 describes the defense of Warsaw, which held out until 26 September. Dalewski 1979 describes the last-minute formation of the Karpaty Army in early April 1939 when the seizure of Czechoslovakia the month before led to a near total encirclement of Poland by Germany. Rzepniewski 1970 chronicles the defense, in complete isolation, of the Polish Baltic coastline, including at the Westerplatte fort and the activities of the naval vessels. Majka 2010 is an English-language book that narrates the unique war experience of one of two Polish motorized brigades, namely the Tenth Motorized Cavalry, which fought a magnificent defensive battle and crossed into neutral Hungary after the Soviets invaded Poland. It became the core of the re-created Polish Armored Division in the United Kingdom. Solarz 2003 takes the history of the Tenth Motorized Brigade from 1939 to the end of the war, when it served as part of the Canadian army in the occupation of Wilhelmshaven.
  299. Bauer, Piotr, and Bogusław Polak. Armia Poznań w Wojnie Oronnej 1939. Poznań, Poland: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 1983.
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  301. Treats the most westerly of the Polish armies, whose main strategic role initially was to allow the Poznań districts to evacuate to the East. It retreated relatively unmolested by the Germans, who launched their main thrusts primarily south of the army directed at Warsaw. Combining with the decimated Armia Pomorze, it counterattacked the Germans at the Bzura River. The attack was initially successful until it was eventually contained by the Germans. In the end, the army served in Warsaw as part of the final garrison. Translated as “Poznań Army in the defensive war, 1939.”
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  303. Ciechanowski, Konrad. Armia Pomorze. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1982.
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  305. Relates the story of the Pomorze Army. It was a large army group intended to protect Polish interests in the free city of Danzig, which straddled both the left and the right banks of the Vistula River north of Torun. It was defeated piecemeal and remnants were integrated into the Poznan Army. Translated as “Pomorze Army.”
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  307. Dalewski, Ryszard. Armia Karpaty. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1979.
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  309. The Carpathian Army was formed in March 1939 after the Germans occupied Prague. It was the most southerly of the Polish armies, with its left flank on the Carpathian Mountains. Translated as “Carpathian Army.”
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  311. Głowacki, Ludwik. Obrona Warszawy i Modlina, na tle kampanii wrześniowej 1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1985.
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  313. Treats the defense of Warsaw and Modlin. Modlin was a major fortress, about fifty kilometers north of Warsaw. Translated as “Defense of Warsaw and Modlin, 1939.”
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  315. Godlewski, Jerzy. Bitwa nad Bzurą. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1973.
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  317. Narrates the battle that took place at the Bzura River. Commanded by General Kutrzeba, the Poznań Army and Pomorze Army together attempted a major counteroffensive near the Bzura River, about sixty kilometers west of Warsaw. Initially it caught the Germans by surprise, but with their usual skill the Germans regrouped and counterattacked. But the initial Polish success relieved, for a time, the German pressure on Warsaw. Translated as “The Bzura battle.”
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  319. Majka, Jerzy. Invincible Black Brigade: Polish 10th Cavalry Brigade, 1939. Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2010.
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  321. A great read for anyone interested in popular military history and military equipment. Richly illustrated with color prints. In September 1939 the brigade fought a successful rearguard action and then crossed the Hungarian border after the Soviets invaded Poland. The name “black brigade” was bestowed on it by the Germans because of the dark leather coats worn by its officers. It formed the core of the Polish First Armored Division later in the West.
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  323. Rzepniewski, Andrzej J. Obrona Wybrzeża w 1939 r. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1970.
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  325. Narrates the defense of the Polish coast. Includes both the ground and the naval component in 1939. Forces on the peninsula of Hel fought until 2 October 1939. Translated as “Defense of the coast, 1939.”
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  327. Solarz, Jacek. 1 Dywizja Pancerna, 1939–1944. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Militaria, 2003.
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  329. See also Volume 2, 1 Dywizja Pancerna, 1944–1947 (Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Militaria, 2004). This is a bilingual book that traces the history of the Polish Armored Division beginning with the Tenth Motorized Cavalry Brigade in 1938, its re-creation in France and again in the United Kingdom. Following a brilliant campaign in Normandy and the pursuit of the Germans into Belgium and the Netherlands, it concluded the war in occupying Wilhemshaven. Unique in that from 1938 it had the same complement of officers. Profusely illustrated with many color prints of equipment. Translated as “First Armored Division, 1939–1944.”
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  331. Wróblewski, Jan. Armia Łódz, 1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1975.
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  333. Relates the history of the Lódz Army. Formed to defend Warsaw and central Poland based on intelligence that identified the main German thrust, it was badly defeated around Piotrkow and its remnants found refuge either in Warsaw or in the fortress of Modlin. Translated as “Lódz Army, 1939.”
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  335. Wróblewski, Jan. Armia Prusy, 1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1986.
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  337. Tells the story of the Prusy Army. The Prusy Army was to be concentrated around Łódz, and it was intended originally to serve as a major counterstrategic force, either to be thrown northward or southward once the main thrust of the German offensive was identified. The pressure by Britain and France to postpone full mobilization, so as not to provoke the Germans, had a negative effect on bringing this army to full strength. Translated as “Prusy Army, 1939.”
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  339. Military Aviation (Air Force)
  340. Poland’s military aviation was fully mobilized by 25 August 1939 and combat units were dispersed to secret bases. Kurowski 1962 and Rzepniewski 1970 present a comprehensive history of the Polish effort in the air. Cynk 1998 is an English-language study that is available in university libraries. For another English-language study of the Poles in September 1939, see chapter 1 in Higham and Harris 2006. A persistent myth holds that the Germans destroyed Polish air combat units on the ground on the first or second day of the war. Bekker 1968, written by a German historian, strongly refutes this notion in this objective work. In reality, the combat units continued to operate albeit with increasing logistical problems until the Soviet invasion, when well over one hundred Polish military planes flew to Romania and were interned.
  341. Bekker, Cajus. The Luftwaffe War Diaries. New York: Ballantine, 1968.
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  343. This German-authored work has a chapter devoted to the air war over Poland and emphasizes the Polish air attacks on German ground forces that continued until 16 September. On the morning of 17 September the Soviets invaded and all Polish bases were immediately threatened.
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  345. Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War. Vol. 1, 1939–1943. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1998.
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  347. Excellent English-language study of the September campaign in the air.
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  349. Higham, Robin, and Stephen J. Harris, eds. Why Air Forces Fail: The Anatomy of Defeat. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2006.
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  351. This is a readily available monograph and thus recommended for the general reader as well as the advanced scholar. See especially chapter 1, “Poland’s Military Aviation, September 1939: It Never Had a Chance,” by Michael Peszke (pp. 13–39).
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  353. Kurowski, Adam. Lotnictwo Polskie w 1939 roku. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1962.
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  355. A definitive history of the Polish military aviation in September 1939. Kurowski, a senior Polish air force officer, was taken prisoner of war in 1939. He subsequently escaped from a German prisoner of war camp and became the second in command of the Air Force Section of the Polish Home Army. After the war he dedicated himself to military history, which he managed to write objectively in a Communist setting. Translated as “Poland’s aviation in 1939.”
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  357. Rzepniewski, Andrzej J. Wojna Powietrzna w Polsce, 1939. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1970.
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  359. A comprehensive history of the air conflict over Poland in 1939. Translated as “The air war over Poland, 1939.”
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  361. Navy in 1939
  362. According to Polish-British naval staff talks in the summer of 1939 it was agreed that the Polish destroyer division would sail for British ports in the event of a German attack. The Polish submarine division, on the other hand, stayed in the Polish naval bases from which it laid mines and attempted to interdict German shipping in the Baltic. Dyskant 2000 chronicles Polish naval operations in the Baltic. Two Polish submarines eventually reached the United Kingdom. Three sought refuge in Sweden after Polish bases were either occupied or destroyed. Kosiarz 1973 presents a Polish-language history of the Polish navy from 1939 to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945.
  363. Dyskant, Jozef Wieslaw. Polska Marynarka Wojenna w 1939 Roku. Gdańsk, Poland: AJ Press, 2000.
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  365. A Polish-language volume on the Polish naval operations in 1939. Contains many rare photographs, including photos of German warships engaged against the Poles. Translated as “Polish navy in 1939.”
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  367. Kosiarz, Edmund. Od Pierwszej do Ostatniej Salwy. Warsaw, Poland: Nasza Ksiegarnia, 1973.
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  369. A basic but accurate history of the Polish navy in World War II from September 1939 to victory in Europe in May 1945. Translated as “From the first to the last shot.”
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  371. Polish Forces in the West (in Exile)
  372. The Soviet invasion in the morning hours of 17 September 1939 forced the Polish government to cross into Romania, with the intention of traveling to France. However, under pressure from the Germans it was interned. The interned Polish president delegated Władysław Raczkiewicz, already in Paris, to form a coalition government. The government in exile was granted diplomatic recognition by all the democracies and began to form a military from members of the Polish armed forces who had fled to Hungary and Romania. It signed financial and legal agreements with France and later the United Kingdom, which governed the legal and financial aspects of the ever-growing forces. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie 1959 is the definitive history of the beginning of the Polish forces in exile, from their establishment in 1939 to June 1940, when France fell. It begins with the arrival of the Polish Destroyer Squadron in British waters on 1 September 1939, arranged by prewar agreements with the British, and shortly thereafter the arrival of two Polish submarines that escaped from the Baltic after Polish naval bases were captured by the Germans. It also deals with the formation of the Polish forces in France and the part they played in the Norwegian campaign and the defense of France in May and June 1940. The monograph gives details of all Polish-French and Polish-British naval agreements. It concludes with the evacuation of Polish forces to the United Kingdom in June 1940. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie 1975 narrates the history of the Polish forces—army, air force, and navy—from June 1940 to July 1944. The main topics treated are the combat operations of the Carpathian Brigade in Tobruk, the formation of the Polish army in the Soviet Union (see also Anders 1949) following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Poles and the Soviets, and then its evacuation to the Middle East and the formation of the Second Corps and the campaign in Italy, including the capture of Monte Cassino. The monograph deals with the combat operations of the Polish air units, specifically the fighter, bomber, and coastal command units (see also Cynk 1998, cited under World War II: Military Aviation [Air Force]). The Polish navy’s operations in the Battle of the Atlantic and the highly successful submarine operations in the Mediterranean are covered in detail. These two volumes by the Historical Commission of the Polish General Staff are part of the definitive and official history of the Polish armed forces in exile in World War II, and, unlike the material in the series on the September 1939 Campaign, they are based on primary archival material. This makes these studies essential. Kukiel 1947, written by the Polish minister of defense, is a comprehensive but short study. It is a rare volume and out of print. The author of Kopański 1961 wrote these incisive memoirs based on his wartime experiences on the operational staff of the Polish commander in chief in Poland, followed by a frontline command of the Polish brigade in Tobruk, and finally as chief of staff in the Polish military headquarters in London. The memoirs in Anders 1949 treat political matters more than military, but for the Poles the two were hard to differentiate. This episode is important for Polish historiography since it describes the initial British-brokered agreement between the Poles and the Soviets in August 1941 to form a Polish army on Soviet territory. Because of increasing Polish-Soviet difficulties in 1942 and the British need for troops in the Middle East, Churchill and Stalin agreed to the evacuation of these troops to the Middle East. This Polish formation, with Anders as the commanding general officer, became the Second Polish Corps in the Italian campaign and was the largest tactical unit of the Polish forces in exile, consisting of two infantry divisions, one armored brigade, corps artillery, and complete ancillary services, including its own artillery observation squadron No. 633. The corps distinguished itself in the battles for Monte Cassino, Ancona, and Bologna. The following English-language articles survey the Polish forces in exile fighting alongside their British ally. Peszke 1984 describes the formation and mission of the Polish Parachute Brigade, which was formed to assist the Polish underground but eventually saw combat in Operation Market Garden. Peszke 2011 treats the negotiations between the British and Polish governments regarding financial loans for the Polish forces and the legal status of the Polish forces in the United Kingdom. Mitkiewicz 1971 is authored by the Polish representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC. His main mission, which in the end proved unsuccessful, was to ensure the integration of the Polish underground forces into Allied strategy in conjunction with the impending invasion of northwestern Europe. He also argued on behalf of a Balkan strategy for liberating Europe. Finally, the Polish intelligence services provided a central, major contribution to the Allied war effort. Stirling, et al. 2005 depicts the various efforts undertaken by the Polish Military Intelligence Service.
  373. Anders, Władysław. An Army in Exile. London: Macmillan, 1949.
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  375. Anders describes his experiences in negotiating with Stalin and later Churchill, and the Italian campaign of his Second Corps.
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  377. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie. Polskie Siły Zbrojne w Drugiej Wojnie Światowej. Vol. 2, Kampania na Obczyźnie: Część 1, Wrzesień 1939–Czerwiec 1941. London: Instytut Historyczny im. Generała Sikorskiego, 1959.
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  379. This definitive history of the beginning of the Polish forces in exile describes the Polish participation in the campaign in Norway in April 1940 and the battle for France. Also details all Polish military agreements with their Allies. Translated as “Polish armed forces in World War II. Vol. 2, Campaigns in exile: First Part, September 1939–June 1941.”
  380. Find this resource:
  381. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie. Polskie Siły Zbrojne w Drugiej Wojnie Światowej. Vol. 2, Kampania na Obczyznie: Część 2. London: Instytut Historyczny im. Generała Sikorskiego, 1975.
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  383. This second section begins with the arrival of Polish forces in the United Kingdom in June 1940. It covers all army as well as air and naval operations from that time to June 1944. Translated as “Polish armed forces in World War II. Vol. 2, Campaigns in exile: Second Part.”
  384. Find this resource:
  385. Kopański, Stanisław. Wspomnienia Wojenne, 1939–1946. London: Veritas, 1961.
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  387. Memoirs of Kopański who was a staff officer in September 1939 and then commanding officer of the Polish Carpathian Brigade that fought at Tobruk. In 1943 he became chief of staff of the Polish forces based in London. Also gives many background details of the discussions between Polish and British staffs. Translated as “War memoirs, 1939–1946.”
  388. Find this resource:
  389. Kukiel, Marian. Six Year of Struggle for Independence: A Review of Poland’s Military Contribution to Allied Victory. Newtown, Wales: Montgomeryshire, 1947.
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  391. General Kukiel, an outstanding historian, was minister of military affairs in the Polish government in exile.
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  393. Mitkiewicz, Leon. W Najwyższym Sztabie Zachodnich Aliantów, 1943–1945. London: Veritas, 1971.
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  395. Mitkiewicz was Polish representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC. His comments are particularly relevant to the discussion regarding Polish initiatives to have the Polish underground army integrated into the Allied coalition strategy. Translated as “In the highest staff of Western Allies, 1943–1945.”
  396. Find this resource:
  397. Peszke, Michael Alfred. “The Polish Parachute Brigade in World War Two: A Paradigm for the Polish Military in Exile.” Military Affairs 48 (1984): 188–193.
  398. DOI: 10.2307/1987720Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  399. The Polish Parachute Brigade was formed by Poles in the United Kingdom with the full agreement of the British for use in supporting the Polish Home Army. When the Warsaw Uprising was staged by the Poles in August 1944, the British refused air assistance, even of a symbolic company of the brigade, unless the Soviets agreed. In turn the British insisted that the Polish Brigade serve as part of the Allied Airborne Army in Operation Market Garden. Hence the title.
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  401. Peszke, Michael Alfred. “The British-Polish Agreement of August 1940: Its Antecedents, Significance and Consequences.” Journal of Slavic Military Studies 24 (2011): 648–658.
  402. DOI: 10.1080/13518046.2011.624474Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  403. Specifically discusses the relatively unknown aspects of the legal jurisdiction of the Polish government overs its armed forces in the United Kingdom, and the financial arrangements, including Lend–Lease, by which Polish forces in the West secured financial support.
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  405. Stirling, Tessa, Daria Nalecz, and Tadeusz Dubicki, eds. Intelligence Co-operation between Poland and Great Britain during World War II. Vol. 1, The Report of the Anglo-Polish Historical Committee. London: Vallentine Mitchell, 2005.
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  407. One of the most crucial studies of Poland’s contribution to the victory of the Allies. Available in specialized libraries, it is both a good read as well as a critical in-depth study of the depth of Polish military intelligence. See also Polsko-Brytyjska wspolpraca wywiadowcza podczas II wojny Swiatowej: Wybor Dokumentow (Warsaw: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwow Panstwowych, 2005). Translated as “Intelligence co-operation between Poland and Great Britain during World War II. Vol. 2, Documents.”
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  409. Air Force
  410. The German advances in the first two weeks of the war led to all Polish air combat units being moved to the far southeastern corner of Poland near the Romanian border and at the rail head of the expected transit of British and French war materiel coming from Black Sea ports. No such materiel ever reached the Poles, but the Soviet invasion forced the Poles to effect a very efficient evacuation of the ground and air components as well as many supporting services. The planes were requisitioned by the Romanians but escapes by individuals were more than tolerated and well over six thousand staff of the air force reached France. Some airmen were moved to the United Kingdom to form light bomber squadrons, while the majority remained in France until the French capitulation. At this time General Sikorski, the Polish commander in chief, officially changed the name from Polish military aviation to Polish air force. Belcarz 2002 describes the manner in which Polish airmen reached France from Romania and the many places in France where they were based and trained. The book includes photographs of the variety of planes that the Polish airmen flew or in which they trained. Cynk 1998 chronicles both the French interlude (October 1939–June 1940) and also Polish bases in the United Kingdom. This is a jewel of a book. Zamoyski 1995 is another readable English-language account of the Polish air force in the United Kingdom. The Polish Air Force in the West Committee for the Polish Air Force Memorial Book 1949 is an excellent and very readable presentation of the Polish airmen and their many exploits while flying alongside the Royal Air Force. Peszke 2008 narrates the negotiations between the Polish military headquarters and the British Air Ministry carried out between October 1939 and August 1940, which culminated in the August 1940 Polish-British Military Treaty. This confirmed the status of the Polish air force based in the United Kingdom as a national Polish force fighting alongside the Royal Air Force, not a part of the Royal Air Force. The Polish fighter pilots became famous during the Battle of Britain and a number of works are dedicated to their prowess. The English-language book Gretzyngier and Matuśiak 1998 constitutes a biography of the Polish aces, while Gretzyngier 2001 gives a day-to-day account of their combat operations. King 2010 is a history of the most famous Polish fighter squadron (Kosciuszko 303), one of the most successful in the Battle of Britain. Peszke 2006 describes the special duties unit formed by the Polish air force to carry supplies to the Polish underground. Kalinowski 1969 is a Polish-language history, out of print and hard to secure, but it needs to be mentioned since it is the only one of the referenced books that is based on the official, unpublished history of the Polish air force written by the Polish Air Force Commission chaired by Colonel Tuskiewicz. At that time all the members were evacuated to the United Kingdom.
  411. Belcarz, Bartłomiej. Polskie Lotnictwo we Francji. Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2002.
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  413. A Polish-language book that may be difficult to secure, it is magnificently illustrated and one of the few publications dedicated to this short-lived episode of the Poles in exile fighting in France. Translated as “Polish air force in France.”
  414. Find this resource:
  415. Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War. Vol. 1, 1939–1943. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 1998.
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  417. See also Volume 2, 1943–1945. The most definitive and comprehensive history of the Polish air force in World War II. Based on archives of the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum in London.
  418. Find this resource:
  419. Gretzyngier, Robert. Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-Day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Pilot Operations: July 1940–June 1941. London: Grub Street, 2001.
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  421. The title speaks for itself. The book covers the Battle of Britain when two operational Polish fighter squadrons and about eighty Polish pilots were operating in Royal Air Force squadrons, and then carries the history through June 1941 when nine Polish fighter squadrons were operating in the United Kingdom.
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  423. Gretzyngier, Robert, and Wojtek Matuśiak. Polish Aces of World War 2. London: Osprey, 1998.
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  425. Polish fighter pilots made a name for themselves in the Battle of Britain, but their prowess and record of success continued to the end of the war in Europe.
  426. Find this resource:
  427. Kalinowski, Franciszek. Lotnictwo Polskie w Wielkiej Brytanii, 1940–1945. Paris: Paryž Instytut Literacki, 1969.
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  429. A history of the Polish air force in the United Kingdom based primarily on the unpublished manuscript prepared by the Historical Commission of the Polish Air Force that was chaired by Colonel Olgierd Tuskiewicz. Translated as “Polish air force in Great Britain, 1940–1945.”
  430. Find this resource:
  431. King, Richard. 303 (Polish) Squadron, Battle of Britain Diary. Walton-on-Thames, UK: Red Kite, 2010.
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  433. The Polish fighter squadron number 303 was formed in the United Kingdom in late June 1940 primarily from among Polish airmen evacuated from France. The Poles called it the 303 Kościuszko Squadron and it harked back to the famed Polish squadron that fought in the Polish-Soviet war.
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  435. Peszke, Michael Alfred. “Polish Special Duties Flight No. 1586 and the Warsaw Uprising.” Air Power History 53.2 (2006): 32–37.
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  437. The history of the Polish special duties flight and its support of the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944.
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  439. Peszke, Michael Alfred. “The Polish Air Force in the United Kingdom, 1939–1946.” Royal Air Force Air Power Review 11.3 (2008): 55–74.
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  441. This paper discusses the negotiations between the Polish government and the British Air Ministry concerning issues of legal jurisdiction and financial responsibility.
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  443. The Polish Air Force in the West Committee for the Polish Air Force Memorial Book. Destiny Can Wait: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War. London: William Heinemann, 1949.
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  445. The first English-language history of the Polish air force in World War II. Authored primarily by the English members of the committee, it focuses on the period of the Polish air force in the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945. A most excellent read, written in the typical English style of understatement.
  446. Find this resource:
  447. Zamoyski, Adam. The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War. New York: Hippocrene, 1995.
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  449. A readable monograph on the Polish air force in World War II by a prominent Polish historian living in the West and writing in English.
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  451. Navy
  452. The first Polish military to reach and enter operations in the West were the three Polish destroyers that sailed for the United Kingdom a day before the German attack in 1939. During the war more ships were loaned to the Polish navy. Peszke 1999 gives a brief English-language account of the Polish naval operations. Hazell 2007 presents a more personal story of the Polish navy and the naval staff in the United Kingdom during the war. Romanowski 1958 is a memoir by a succesful Polish submarine skipper. Karnicki 1987 is another memoir by a Polish submariner. Kondracki 1994 describes the short history of the Polish fleet destroyer ORP Orkan. Pawłowicz 1943 is written by a Polish war correspondent aboard a Polish destroyer on an Arctic convoy bound for the Soviet Union.
  453. Hazell, Martin. Poles Apart: Polish Naval Memories of World War Two. South West Maritime History Society 6. Exeter, UK: South West Maritime History Society, 2007.
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  455. An account of the Polish navy, primarily in the United Kingdom, with many human interest stories. Many unique photographs.
  456. Find this resource:
  457. Karnicki, Borys. Marynarski Worek Wspomnien. Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1987.
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  459. Memoirs of a successful submariner who commanded the ORP Sokól at the naval base in Malta. The two Polish submarines ORP Dźik and ORP Sokól both operated in the Mediterranean and their success earned them the appellation of the “terrible twins.”
  460. Find this resource:
  461. Kondracki, Tadeusz. Niszczyciel ORP Orkan, 1942–1943. Warsaw, Poland: Broń i Barwa, 1994.
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  463. History of a Polish fleet destroyer sunk by a German magnetic torpedo in 1943. In 1943 it served as the vessel transporting the body of the Polish commander in chief, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, from Gibraltar to Plymouth for his burial in Newark, England. Translated as “Destroyer ORP Orkan, 1942–1943.”
  464. Find this resource:
  465. Pawłowicz, Bohdan. ORP Garland: In Convoy to Russia. London: Surrey, 1943.
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  467. Pawłowicz was a Polish war correspondent aboard the Polish destroyer ORP Garland operating as part of an Arctic convoy [PQ-16] bound for the Soviet Union. It constituted part of an effort by the Polish government to refute left-wing propaganda that the Poles in the West were not fighting in showing that, in fact, they were assisting the Soviets by escorting supply ships bound for the Soviet Union.
  468. Find this resource:
  469. Peszke, Michael Alfred. Poland’s Navy, 1918–1945. New York: Hippocrene, 1999.
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  471. A book on the Polish navy before and during the war. It covers the Polish naval operations in the North Sea in blockade efforts against Germany, including operations in 1939–1940, the Battle of the Atlantic, Polish warships in the Mediterranean, and finally the invasion of Europe under Operation Neptune in 1944. It includes a section on the Polish merchant marine, which was part of the Allied pool of ships carrying cargo and troops during the war. The book has an introduction by Rear Admiral Komorowski, at the time commandant of the Polish Naval Academy.
  472. Find this resource:
  473. Romanowski, Bolesław. Torpeda w Celu. Warsaw, Poland: Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, 1958.
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  475. This is a particularly valuable memoir. Romanowski in 1939 was the torpedo officer on the Polish mine-laying submarine ORP Wilk. He describes the intense training of the Polish submarine division in the summer of 1939. Wilk broke out of the Baltic when the Polish naval bases were overrun by the Germans. Romanowki had a number of commands, concluding with the highly successful operations out of Malta on the ORP Dźik. Translated as “Torpedo on target.”
  476. Find this resource:
  477. Polish Clandestine Forces in Occupied Poland
  478. A Polish clandestine underground state was organized in German-occupied Poland as early as 27 September 1939. It owed allegiance to the Polish coalition government. The underground state was supported by military and financial aid from the West carried by flights of the Polish special duties crews. Polish efforts at sabotage and intelligence gathering were actively supported by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a branch of the Ministry of Economic Warfare. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie 1950 is the primary work on this clandestine effort. Garliński 1969 is the first English-language study of the collaboration between the Polish military in London and the British Special Operations Executive. Walker 2008 is a recent publication on the same topic. Williamson 2012 provides another English-language study on the same subject. Valentine 2004 describes the setting for the training of Polish couriers, who were parachuted into Poland. Ney-Krwawicz 2001 gives a short English-language history of the Polish underground movement. Bór-Komorowski 1984, written by the second last commander of the Polish underground and responsible for the decision to stage the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, is rather disappointing but needs to be noted. Peszke 2005 presents the long and ultimately fruitless efforts of the Polish military headquarters in London to arm the Polish underground army and integrate its efforts into the strategy sought by the Western Allies. Harrison 2000 is an outstanding paper on Polish-British collaboration, including, in many respects, its absence. Finally the five-volume study Czarnocka 1970–1981 must be considered by anyone intent on serious study of the Polish underground. It is out of print and available only in a select few—mostly English-language—libraries, but it is a mother lode of facts regarding the clandestine Polish state and radio communications with the Polish military headquarters in London. Tarczyński 2001 gives a detailed and important account of the supplies flown to the Polish underground from the West.
  479. Bór-Komorowski, Tadeusz. The Secret Army: The Memoirs of General Bór-Komorowski. Nashville: Battery Press, 1984.
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  481. Originally published in 1950. A history of the Polish underground army by the general who served as the third commanding officer and who was in command when the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944 took place.
  482. Find this resource:
  483. Czarnocka, Halina, ed. Armia Krajowa w Dokumentach, 1939–1945. 5 vols. London: Gryf, 1970–1981.
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  485. The five volumes give a detailed account of the radio messages between the Polish Home Army and Polish military headquarters in London. Essential archival material for any study of the Polish underground. Translated as “Home Army in documents, 1939–1945.”
  486. Find this resource:
  487. Garliński, Józef. Poland, S.O.E. and the Allies. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1969.
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  489. The first and still the seminal study of the collaboration between the Polish government in exile in London and the British government in supplying the Polish underground army.
  490. Find this resource:
  491. Harrison, E. D. R. “The British Special Operations Executive and Poland.” The Historical Journal 43.4 (2000): 1071–1091.
  492. DOI: 10.1017/S0018246X00001345Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  493. An excellent study of the collaboration between the British SOE and Polish Home Army.
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  495. Komisja Historyczna Polskiego Sztabu Głównego w Londynie. Polskie Siły Zbrojne w Drugiej Wojnie Światowej. Vol. 3, Armia Krajowa. London: Instytut Historyczny im. Generała Sikorskiego, 1950.
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  497. Part of the eight-volume series of the definitive, official history of the Polish armed forces in World War II written by the Historical Commission of the Polish General Staff and the Sikorski Historical Institute in London. This volume deals with the Polish underground army, or as the Poles called it the Home Army (Armia Krajowa).
  498. Find this resource:
  499. Ney-Krwawicz, Marek. The Polish Resistance Home Army, 1939–1945. London: Polish Underground Movement Study Trust, 2001.
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  501. A short history of the Polish underground army based on the archives of the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust in London, now a semi-autonomous division of the Polish Institute and General Sikorski Museum.
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  503. Peszke, Michael Alfred. Polish Underground Army, the Western Allies, and the Failure of Strategic Unity. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2005.
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  505. A book that discusses the efforts of the Polish government to support the Polish underground and to have its operations included as part of the liberation strategy followed by the Western Allies. The Polish government argued the merits of invading German-occupied Europe through the Balkans, a strategy that was also close to Churchill’s own thinking but one that was strongly opposed by the Americans and also obviously by Stalin.
  506. Find this resource:
  507. Tarczyński, Jan. Organizacja Zrzutόw Materiałwych dla Armii Krajowej. London: Polish Underground Movement Study Trust, 2001.
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  509. A volume that treats the logistical organization of flying supplies to the Home Army and their reception zones. An excellent work on the history of Polish efforts to supply the Polish underground army from the West by air. Translated as “Organization of supply drops to the Home Army.”
  510. Find this resource:
  511. Valentine, Ian. Station 43: Audley End House and SOE’s Polish Section. Stroud, UK: Sutton, 2004.
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  513. Polish couriers to the Polish Home Army were trained at Audley House by both Polish and British officers.
  514. Find this resource:
  515. Walker, Jonathan. Poland Alone: Britain, SOE and the Collapse of the Polish Resistance, 1944. Stroud, UK: History Press, 2008.
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  517. A work that is very sympathetic to the final debacle in 1944, which marked the end of Polish hopes for liberation and freedom.
  518. Find this resource:
  519. Williamson, David C. The Polish Underground, 1939–1947. Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword, Military, 2012.
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  521. A very satisfactory study of the Polish underground.
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  523. Warsaw Uprising, August 1944
  524. In late July 1944 the Polish government in London authorized the Polish underground to initiate an uprising at an opportune moment. The uprising began on 1 August 1944 and lasted two months. It was finally put down by the Germans while Soviet armies were allegedly regrouping less than ten miles away. The Soviets adamantly forbade Allied planes from landing on airfields in Soviet-occupied Polish territory. The destruction of the city and the elimination of the Polish underground leadership engendered controversy not merely about the negative role played by the Soviet Union and the ambivalence of the British in supporting the Poles, but also about who within Polish political or military circles was responsible for authorizing the uprising, and these issues remain controversial. All of the works cited are written in English, are based on excellent research, and treat the topics cited above. The two-month struggle left Warsaw devastated, and the capitulation of its garrison, who were interned in German prisoner of war camps, cleared the way for the arrival of the Soviets. Ciechanowski 2002 is written by a participant. The author describes the uprising, including the critical decision of when to launch the action. Zawodny 1978, written by an officer in the underground, presents a heroic and tragic picture. Przygonski 1994 places the uprising in the context of the political situation, as does Borowiec 2001. Davies 2004 gives the history of Polish-Soviet relations and is unique in describing the fate of the Polish patriots under Communist rule.
  525. Borodziej, Włodzimierz. The Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.
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  527. A volume that treats the Warsaw Uprising, its political background, the seemingly ambivalent support by the Western powers, and the hostile and negative attitude of the Soviets, who were located only a few miles away. These events continue to intrigue historians.
  528. Find this resource:
  529. Borowiec, Andrew. Destroy Warsaw: Hitler’s Punishment, Stalin’s Revenge. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.
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  531. The title speaks to the political aspects of the Warsaw Uprising. Ordered and staged against the German occupier, it constituted an attempt to install a sovereign Polish presence in the capital to meet and welcome the incoming Soviets. However, Stalin was not interested in a Polish independent authority.
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  533. Ciechanowski, Jan M. The Warsaw Rising of 1944. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
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  535. Originally written in 1974. The first English-language account of the controversial order to stage an uprising against the Germans in August 1944 by the Polish underground forces in the city of Warsaw. The author is highly critical of the decision to stage an uprising based on the fact that, although Soviet armies were located approximately fifteen miles east of the city, prior attempts to collaborate with the Soviets led to the arrest of members of the Polish Home Army and their removal to Soviet gulags.
  536. Find this resource:
  537. Davies, Norman. Rising’44: The Battle for Warsaw. New York: Viking Penguin, 2004.
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  539. This is an outstanding work in spite of some peculiarities of editorial conventions, namely the author anglicizes all Polish names.
  540. Find this resource:
  541. Przygonski, Antoni. Stalin i Powstanie Warszawskie/ Stalin and the Warsaw Uprising. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Grażyna, 1994.
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  543. A work written after the Communist period that discusses the political aspects of the Warsaw Uprising and that deals specifically with the policies of Stalin toward Poland.
  544. Find this resource:
  545. Zagorski, Waclaw. Seventy Days: A Diary of the Warsaw Insurrection, 1944. London: Frederick Muller, 1957.
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  547. A personal memoir of a soldier of the Polish Home Army who fought in the Warsaw Uprising.
  548. Find this resource:
  549. Zawodny, Jan K. Nothing but Honor: The Story of the Warsaw Uprising, 1944. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1978.
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  551. A history of the uprising by a participant.
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  553. Demobilization of Forces
  554. The end of World War II in Europe left Poland under Soviet domination. On 4 July 1945 the British and American governments rescinded their recognition of the Polish government in London. This action led to a very ambiguous situation for the more than 200,000 men and women of the Polish armed forces in the West. The majority of the officers and service members refused to recognize the Soviet-imposed government in Warsaw, and the British were in a quandary about how to deal with the issue. Nurek 2009 discusses the complicated negotiations that ensued between the British government and the senior Polish generals regarding the future of the Polish forces.
  555. Nurek, Mieczysław. Gorycz Zwyciestwa: Los Polskich Sił Zbrojnych na Zachodzie po II Wojnie Światowej, 1945–1949. Gdańsk, Poland: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdanskiego, 2009.
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  557. An outstanding book, superbly researched in Polish and British archives. Describes the fate of the Polish armed forces in the West following the end of the war. At that time the Polish armed forces numbered well over 200,000. The British hoped that they would return to Poland, but many came from territories ceded to the Soviets at Yalta and many were not prepared to go back to a country that remained occupied, this time by another power.
  558. Find this resource:
  559. Russian Organized Polish People’s Army
  560. Grzelak, et al. 2003; Zuziak 2009; and Bednarsky and Zacieszny 2003 are Polish-language accounts written after the Communist era of the so-called Polish army formed in the Soviet Union by the Soviets after diplomatic relations with the Polish government in London were broken in 1943. It was officered by Soviets, and the ranks, dressed in a Soviet version of a Polish uniform, were filled by young ethnic Poles who had not been released from the Soviet gulags in 1941 to join the Polish army commanded by Anders or who were conscripted in the eastern territories of Poland already under Soviet control. After the war the army served as one of the constituent armed forces within the Warsaw Pact. As the Stalinist era unfolded the entire Polish military was placed under the command of Soviet marshal Konstanty Rokossowski. After the 1956 political thaw, it began to acquire a more distinct Polish character. Rokossowski was sent back to the Soviet Union, and the military forces proceeded to play a respectable role in various peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.
  561. Bednarsky, Zbigniew, and Andrzej Zacieszny. Polacy w służbie pokoju, 1953–2003. Warsaw, Poland: CB Publishing House, 2003.
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  563. Another recent history of the peacekeeping missions of the Polish army. Translated as “Poles in the service of peace, 1953–2003.”
  564. Find this resource:
  565. Grzelak, Czesław, Henryk Stanczyk, and Stefan Zwoliński. Armia Berlinga i Żymierskiego: Wojsko Polskie na froncie wschodnim, 1943–1945. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Neriton, 2003.
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  567. A history of the Soviet-created and Soviet-officered so-called Polish army. It includes the attempt by Berling, a prewar Polish colonel who was promoted to Polish general by Stalin, to aid the Warsaw Uprising. Berling failed to secure support from Soviet marshal Rokossowski and his troops suffered heavy casualties. Berling was immediately dismissed from his command of the “Polish” army by Stalin. Translated as “Berling’s and Zymierski’s army on the eastern front, 1943–1945.”
  568. Find this resource:
  569. Zuziak, Janusz. Wojsko Polskie w misjach pokojowych w latach, 1953–1990. Warsaw, Poland: Akademia Obrony Narodowej, 2009.
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  571. A history of the many peacekeeping missions carried out by the Polish army. Translated as “Polish forces in peacekeeping missions, 1953–1990.”
  572. Find this resource:
  573. Post-Communist Polish Armed Forces
  574. After the overthrow of communism in free elections in 1999 the Polish army was placed under civilian control. The armed forces operate in conjunction with membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Poland joined in 1999.
  575. Michta, Andrew. America’s New Allies: Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in NATO. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1999.
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  577. A discussion of the new face given NATO through its enlargement in admitting nations in central and eastern Europe, including Poland.
  578. Find this resource:
  579. Simon, Jeffrey. Poland and NATO: A Study in Civil-Military Relations. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1999.
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  581. A discussion of the complicated chain of command of the Polish forces required by membership in NATO and the opposition of senior military commanders to civilian control.
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