Home > Polish contribution to World War II
World War II began with the invasion of Poland by German armed forces in the 1939 Polish September Campaign. After Poland had been overrun, she managed to establish a government-in-exile, armed forces and an intelligence service outside Poland, contributing substantially to the Allied effort throughout the war. Poland never made a general surrender and was the only German-occupied country which did not produce a puppet government that collaborated with the Nazis.1 Army
After the country's defeat in the 1939 campaign, the Polish government in exile immediately organized a new army in France. In 1940 a Polish Highland Brigade took part in the Battle of Narvik (Norway), and two Polish divisionsA division is a large military unit usually consisting of around 10,000 soldiers. In most armies a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps. Divisions are usually designated by an ordinal number ( First Grenadier Division , and Second Infantry Fusiliers Division ) took part in the defense of FranceIn World War II, Battle of France or Case Yellow Fall Gelb in German) was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, executed 10 May, 1940 which ended the phony war. German armored units punched through the Ardennes, outflanking the Maginot Line, while a Polish motorized brigadeBrigade is a term from military science which refers to a group of several battalions (typically two to four), and directly attached supporting units (normally including at least an artillery battery and additional logistic support). A brigade is smaller and two infantry divisions were in process of forming. A Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade was formed in French-mandated SyriaThe Syrian Arab Republic is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering (from south to north) on Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. The border with Israel is subject to dispute, pending the resolution of outstanding conflicts over possession of the Gola, to which many Polish troops had escaped from RomaniaRomania (formerly spelled Rumania or Roumania is a country in southeastern Europe. Romania is bordered by Ukraine and Moldova in the northeast, Hungary and Serbia in the west and Bulgaria to the south. Romania also has a small sea coast on the Black Sea.. The Polish Air Force in France comprised eighty-six aircraft in four squadrons, one and a half of the squadrons being fully operational while the rest were in various stages of training.
Polish Armed Forces in the West
at the height of their power
| Deserters from the German WehrmachtThe Wehrmacht (literally defence force or means/power of resistance was the name of the armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It replaced the old Reichswehr and was succeded by the former West German Bundeswehr, and the East German Nationale Vol
| 89,300
| (35.8%)
|
| Evacuees from the USSR in 1941
| 83,000
| (33.7%)
|
| Evacuees from France in 1940
| 35,000
| (14,0%)
|
| Liberated POWs
| 21,750
| (8,7%)
|
| Escapees from occupied Europe
| 14,210
| (5,7%)
|
| Recruits in liberated France
| 7,000
| (2,8%)
|
| Polonia from Argentina, Brazil and Canada
| 2,290
| (0,9%)
|
| Polonia from United Kingdom
| 1,780
| (0,7%)
|
| Total
| 249,000
|
| Note: Until July 1945, when recruitment was halted, some 26,830 Polish soldiers were declared KIA or MIA or had died of wounds. After that date, an additional 21,000 former Polish POWs were inducted.
|
Source: [1]
After the fall of France, many Polish personnel had died in the fighting or been interned in Switzerland. Nevertheless, General Wladyslaw Sikorski, Polish commander-in-chief and prime minister, was able to evacuate many Polish troops to Great Britain. In 1941, pursuant to an agreement between the Polish government in exile and Joseph Stalin, the Soviets released many Polish citizens, from whom a 75,000-strong army was formed in the Middle East under General Wladyslaw Anders ( "Anders' Army").
The Polish armed forces in the west numbered 165,000 at the end of 1944, including about 20,000 personnel in the Polish Air Force and 3,000 in the Polish Navy. At the end of WWII, the Polish Armed Forces in the west numbered 195,000 and by July 1945 had increased to 225,000, most of the newcomers being released prisoners of war and ex- labor-camp inmates. The communist government organized its own army, the Polish People's Army, which at the end of the war was close to 500,000 strong. In addition, the Armia Krajowa ("Home Army"; abbreviated "AK"), the Polish resistance forces in Poland itself, at their peak numbered some 200,000 regular soldiers and many more underground members and sympathizers.
Polish army units on the Eastern Front included the 1st Polish Army and the 2nd Polish Army , with 10 infantry divisions and 5 armored brigades.
