Polish Armed Forces in the East
Encyclopedia
Polish Armed Forces in the East (or Polish Army in USSR) refers to military units composed of Poles created in the Soviet Union
at the time when the territory of Poland was occupied by both Nazi Germany
and the Soviet Union
in the Second World War.
Broadly speaking, there were two such formations. The first was the Polish government-in-exile-loyal Anders Army
, created in the second half of 1941 after the German invasion of the USSR
led to the 30 July 1941 Polish-Soviet Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
declaring an amnesty for Polish citizens held captive in the USSR. In 1942 this formation was evacuated to Persia and transferred to the Western Allies
, whereupon it became known as the Polish II Corps
and went on to fight Nazi German forces in Italy, including at the Battle of Monte Cassino
.
Following this, the remaining Polish forces in USSR were reorganised into a Soviet-controlled Polish I Corps in the Soviet Union, which in turn was reorganised in 1944 into the Polish First Army
(Berling Army) and Polish Second Army
, both part of the Polish People's Army (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie, LWP).
In 1944, the Polish People's Army was reorganised to become the military of the communist-ruled People's Republic of Poland
.
of the eastern part of interwar Poland
by that time effectively defeated by the German invasion
, the Soviets effectively broke off diplomatic relations with the evacuated Polish government. Diplomatic relations were however re-established in 1941 after the German invasion of the Soviet Union
forced Stalin to look for allies. Thus the military agreement of August 14 and subsequent Sikorski-Maiski Agreement of August 17, 1941, resulted in Stalin agreeing to declare the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
in relation to Poland null and void, and release tens of thousands of Polish prisoners-of-war held in Soviet camps. Pursuant to an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and Stalin, the Soviets granted "amnesty
" to many Polish citizens, from whom a military force was formed. Stalin also agreed that this military force would be subordinate to the Polish government-in-exile.
General Władysław Sikorski, the leader of the London-based exiled government of Poland, nominated General Władysław Anders - one of the Polish officers held captive in the Soviet Union - as commander of this new formation. The formation began to organise in the Buzuluk
area, and recruitment begun in the NKVD camps for Polish POWs. By the end of 1941 25,000 soldiers (including 1,000 officers) had been recruited, forming three infantry
divisions
: 5th
, 6th and 7th
. In the spring of 1942 the organising formation was moved to the area of Tashkent
; the 8th
and 9th divisions were also formed that year.
The recruitment process met several obstacles, particularly the case of the significant numbers of missing Polish officers
, the dispute over whether non-ethnic Poles and citizens of the Second Polish Republic
(Jews, Belarusians, Ukrainians) were eligible for recruitment, the Soviet assignment of low priority to logistics
to this project and refusal to allow volunteers to leave the USSR and join the already existing and fighting Polish Armed Forces in the West
.
In the second part of 1942, during the German Caucasus
offensive (the most notable part of which was the Battle of Stalingrad
), Stalin agreed to use the Polish formation on the Middle East
ern front; and the unit was transferred via the Persian Corridor
to Pahlevi, Iran
. As such, the unit passed from Soviet control to that of the British government, and as the Polish Second Corps joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West
. About 77,000 combatants and 41,000 civilians - former Polish citizens - left the USSR with the Anders Army.
. Activities of organisations and people loyal to the Polish government-in-exile, particularly the Polish embassy in Moscow, were curtailed and its assets confiscated. Finally, diplomatic relations between the Soviets and the Polish government-in-exile were severed again as news of the Katyn massacre
emerged in 1943.
In 1943 the Soviet Union
created in Moscow
the Union of Polish Patriots
(ZPP) as a communist puppet government designed to counter the legitimacy of the Polish government in exile
; the ZPP was led by the pro-Soviet Polish communist Wanda Wasilewska
.
At the same time a new army was created - the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Polish People's Army, LWP). Its first unit, the 1 Polish Infantry Division (1 Dywizja Piechoty im. Tadeusza Kościuszki), was created in summer 1943, reaching operational readiness by June/July. In August, the Division was enlarged to a corps, becoming the Polish I Corps. It would be commanded by General Zygmunt Berling
; other notable commanders included General Karol Świerczewski
and Col. Włodzimierz Sokorski
. The division with its supporting elements was sent to the Eastern Front
in September 1943; one of the most notable battles of that period was the Battle of Lenino
, the first major engagement of the Berling Army. By March 1944 the Corps had been strengthened with increasing armoured and mechanical support, and numbered over 30 000 soldiers. In mid-March 1944 the Corps was reorganized into the Polish First Army
. The later Soviet-created Polish army units on the Eastern Front included the Second
(1945) and the Third Polish Armies (the latter was quickly merged with the second due to recruitment problems), with the number of smaller formations being 10 infantry
divisions (numbered from 1st to 10th) and 5 armour
ed brigades. Plans for a Polish Front were considered but dropped, and the Polish First Army was integrated into the 1st Belorussian Front
.
These units were led by Soviet commanders, appointed by the Soviets and fought under Soviet general command (the Second Army, for example, was led by the Soviet general Stanislav Poplavsky
). In the Air Force of those formations 90% of officers and engineers were Soviet ones, the situation was similar in armoured formations. In the Polish Second Army they comprised 60% of officers and engineers, and in the 1st
40%. In the command staff and training the percentage of Soviets was about 70 to 85%. Special political officers, almost exclusively made up of Soviets, oversaw the Polish soldiers. The Soviets created also political military police
, based on thousands of secret informants called Główny Zarząd Informacji Wojska Polskiego in Polish.
The First Army entered Poland from Soviet territory in 1944. Under Soviet orders it did not advance into Warsaw as the Germans suppressed the Warsaw Uprising
fought mainly by the AK. (General Zygmunt Berling
was relieved of his command for attempts to help the uprising), and in January 1945, after the Germans had suppressed the uprising, the 1st Army participated in the Soviet Warsaw offensive that finally ended the Nazi occupation of the ruined city. It took part in battles for Bydgoszcz, Kolobrzeg
(Kolberg), Gdańsk
(Danzig) and Gdynia
losing 20,000 people in the winter 1944-45 battles. In April-May 1945 the 1st Army fought in the final capture of Berlin
. The Polish Second Army fought within the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front
and took part in the Prague Offensive
. In the final operations of the war the losses of the two armies of the LWP amounted to 32,000.
By the end of the war, the LWP numbered about 200,000 troops. Many of the soldiers were forced into military formations from former Armia Krajowa
(Home Army) units taken prisoner during Soviet advances into Poland, while others joined in order to escape labour camps, prisons and Gulags in Soviet Union.
On 21 July 1944, by order of the Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego, the communist Armia Ludowa
resistance group was integrated into the Polish People's Army forming the Wojsko Polskie (Polish Army). Its first commander was General Michał Żymierski. On 8 August 1944 by one of his orders, the organisational remnants (recruitment offices, etc.) of the Polish Armed Forces in the East were dissolved.
The land forces were also accompanied by an air force formation, the Air Force of the Polish Army
, created in July 1943.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
at the time when the territory of Poland was occupied by both Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the Second World War.
Broadly speaking, there were two such formations. The first was the Polish government-in-exile-loyal Anders Army
Anders Army
The Anders Army was the informal yet common name of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in the period 1941-1942, in recognition of its commander Władysław Anders...
, created in the second half of 1941 after the German invasion of the USSR
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
led to the 30 July 1941 Polish-Soviet Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
Sikorski-Mayski Agreement
The Sikorski–Mayski Agreement was a treaty between the Soviet Union and Poland signed in London on 30 July 1941. Its name was coined after the two most notable signatories: Polish Prime Minister Władysław Sikorski and Soviet Ambassador to the United Kingdom Ivan Mayski.- Details :After signing...
declaring an amnesty for Polish citizens held captive in the USSR. In 1942 this formation was evacuated to Persia and transferred to the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
, whereupon it became known as the Polish II Corps
Polish II Corps
Polish II Corps , 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and by the end of 1945 it had grown to well over 100,000 soldiers....
and went on to fight Nazi German forces in Italy, including at the Battle of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
.
Following this, the remaining Polish forces in USSR were reorganised into a Soviet-controlled Polish I Corps in the Soviet Union, which in turn was reorganised in 1944 into the Polish First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
(Berling Army) and Polish Second Army
Polish Second Army
The Polish Second Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 as part of the People's Army of Poland. The organization begun in August under the command of generals Karol Świerczewski and Stanislav Poplavsky, and the formation under command of general Świerczewski entered active...
, both part of the Polish People's Army (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie, LWP).
In 1944, the Polish People's Army was reorganised to become the military of the communist-ruled People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
.
Anders Army: 1941-1942
After the Soviet occupationSoviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
of the eastern part of interwar Poland
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
by that time effectively defeated by the German invasion
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, the Soviets effectively broke off diplomatic relations with the evacuated Polish government. Diplomatic relations were however re-established in 1941 after the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
forced Stalin to look for allies. Thus the military agreement of August 14 and subsequent Sikorski-Maiski Agreement of August 17, 1941, resulted in Stalin agreeing to declare the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
in relation to Poland null and void, and release tens of thousands of Polish prisoners-of-war held in Soviet camps. Pursuant to an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and Stalin, the Soviets granted "amnesty
Amnesty for Polish citizens in USSR
Amnesty for Polish citizens in USSR refers to an amnesty in USSR for those deprived of their freedom resulting in temporary stop of persecutions of Polish citizens under Soviet control....
" to many Polish citizens, from whom a military force was formed. Stalin also agreed that this military force would be subordinate to the Polish government-in-exile.
General Władysław Sikorski, the leader of the London-based exiled government of Poland, nominated General Władysław Anders - one of the Polish officers held captive in the Soviet Union - as commander of this new formation. The formation began to organise in the Buzuluk
Buzuluk
Buzuluk is a town in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, located on the Samara, Buzuluk, and Domashka Rivers northwest of Orenburg. Population: It was founded in 1736 as the fortress of Buzulukskaya on the Samara River near the mouth of the Buzuluk River along Russia's southern frontier. It was later moved...
area, and recruitment begun in the NKVD camps for Polish POWs. By the end of 1941 25,000 soldiers (including 1,000 officers) had been recruited, forming three infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
: 5th
Polish 5th Infantry Division
5th Lwów Infantry Division was a unit of the Polish Army in the interbellum period, with headquarters stationed in Lwów. It was created on May 20, 1919, during the Polish-Ukrainian War in Eastern Galicia. Originally, it consisted of three infantry regiments, but later it was strengthened with...
, 6th and 7th
Polish 7th Infantry Division
The 7th Infantry Division was the name of several units of the Polish Army.The original division was formed in 1918 and took part in shielding the Polish borders during the Polish-Ukrainian War. During the Polish-Bolshevik War it was commanded by Col. Szubert and reinforced to three brigades...
. In the spring of 1942 the organising formation was moved to the area of Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
; the 8th
Polish 8th Infantry Division
The 8th Infantry Division was a tactical unit of the Polish Army. It was active in the Polish-Bolshevik War, as well as during the Invasion of Poland in 1939...
and 9th divisions were also formed that year.
The recruitment process met several obstacles, particularly the case of the significant numbers of missing Polish officers
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
, the dispute over whether non-ethnic Poles and citizens of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
(Jews, Belarusians, Ukrainians) were eligible for recruitment, the Soviet assignment of low priority to logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
to this project and refusal to allow volunteers to leave the USSR and join the already existing and fighting Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
.
In the second part of 1942, during the German Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
offensive (the most notable part of which was the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
), Stalin agreed to use the Polish formation on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern front; and the unit was transferred via the Persian Corridor
Persian Corridor
The Persian Corridor is the name for a supply route through Iran into Soviet Azerbaijan by which British aid and American Lend-Lease supplies were transferred to the Soviet Union during World War II.-Background:...
to Pahlevi, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. As such, the unit passed from Soviet control to that of the British government, and as the Polish Second Corps joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
. About 77,000 combatants and 41,000 civilians - former Polish citizens - left the USSR with the Anders Army.
Berling Army: 1943-1945
After the Anders Army left Soviet controlled territory, and it became more and more apparent that the Soviet forces were able to hold the front against the German invaders without reliance on Western aid (Lend-Lease Act) or temporary allies (like the Polish government-in-exile), the Soviets decided to assume much greater control over the remaining Polish military potential in the USSR (ignoring the agreements signed with the Polish government-in-exile). Increasing numbers of volunteers were denied the opportunity to enlist in the Polish formations, instead they were declared Soviet citizens and assigned to the Red ArmyRed Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. Activities of organisations and people loyal to the Polish government-in-exile, particularly the Polish embassy in Moscow, were curtailed and its assets confiscated. Finally, diplomatic relations between the Soviets and the Polish government-in-exile were severed again as news of the Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
emerged in 1943.
In 1943 the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
created in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
the Union of Polish Patriots
Union of Polish Patriots
Union of Polish Patriots was a political body created by Polish communists and Joseph Stalin in Soviet Union in 1943...
(ZPP) as a communist puppet government designed to counter the legitimacy of the Polish government in exile
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
; the ZPP was led by the pro-Soviet Polish communist Wanda Wasilewska
Wanda Wasilewska
Wanda Wasilewska was a Polish and Soviet novelist and communist political activist who played an important role in the creation of a Polish division of the Soviet Red Army during World War II and the formation of the Polish People's Republic....
.
At the same time a new army was created - the Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Polish People's Army, LWP). Its first unit, the 1 Polish Infantry Division (1 Dywizja Piechoty im. Tadeusza Kościuszki), was created in summer 1943, reaching operational readiness by June/July. In August, the Division was enlarged to a corps, becoming the Polish I Corps. It would be commanded by General Zygmunt Berling
Zygmunt Berling
Zygmunt Henryk Berling was a Polish general and politician. He fought for the independence of Poland in the early 20th century. During Second World War he was sentenced to death in absentia for desertion from the Polish Army of General Władysław Anders...
; other notable commanders included General Karol Świerczewski
Karol Swierczewski
Karol Wacław Świerczewski was a Pole who became a Soviet military officer and a general. He served as a general in the service of the Soviet Union, Republican Spain, and the Soviet sponsored Polish Provisional Government of National Unity after World War II.- Life :Karol Świerczewski grew up in...
and Col. Włodzimierz Sokorski
Włodzimierz Sokorski
Włodzimierz Sokorski was a Polish communist official, writer, military journalist and eventually a Brigadier General in the Soviet-dominated People's Republic of Poland...
. The division with its supporting elements was sent to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
in September 1943; one of the most notable battles of that period was the Battle of Lenino
Battle of Lenino
The Battle of Lenino was a tactical World War II engagement that took place between October 12 and October 13th, 1943, north of the village of Lenino in the Mogilev region of Byelorussia...
, the first major engagement of the Berling Army. By March 1944 the Corps had been strengthened with increasing armoured and mechanical support, and numbered over 30 000 soldiers. In mid-March 1944 the Corps was reorganized into the Polish First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
. The later Soviet-created Polish army units on the Eastern Front included the Second
Polish Second Army
The Polish Second Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 as part of the People's Army of Poland. The organization begun in August under the command of generals Karol Świerczewski and Stanislav Poplavsky, and the formation under command of general Świerczewski entered active...
(1945) and the Third Polish Armies (the latter was quickly merged with the second due to recruitment problems), with the number of smaller formations being 10 infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
divisions (numbered from 1st to 10th) and 5 armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
ed brigades. Plans for a Polish Front were considered but dropped, and the Polish First Army was integrated into the 1st Belorussian Front
1st Belorussian Front
The 1st Belorussian Front was a Front of the Soviet Army during World War II...
.
These units were led by Soviet commanders, appointed by the Soviets and fought under Soviet general command (the Second Army, for example, was led by the Soviet general Stanislav Poplavsky
Stanislav Poplavsky
Stanislav Gilyarovich Poplavsky was a general in the Soviet and Polish armies.-Biography:He was born in Imperial Russia, in the vicinity of Kiev. His family was ethnically Polish, and in his younger years he considered himself a Pole...
). In the Air Force of those formations 90% of officers and engineers were Soviet ones, the situation was similar in armoured formations. In the Polish Second Army they comprised 60% of officers and engineers, and in the 1st
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
40%. In the command staff and training the percentage of Soviets was about 70 to 85%. Special political officers, almost exclusively made up of Soviets, oversaw the Polish soldiers. The Soviets created also political military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
, based on thousands of secret informants called Główny Zarząd Informacji Wojska Polskiego in Polish.
The First Army entered Poland from Soviet territory in 1944. Under Soviet orders it did not advance into Warsaw as the Germans suppressed the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
fought mainly by the AK. (General Zygmunt Berling
Zygmunt Berling
Zygmunt Henryk Berling was a Polish general and politician. He fought for the independence of Poland in the early 20th century. During Second World War he was sentenced to death in absentia for desertion from the Polish Army of General Władysław Anders...
was relieved of his command for attempts to help the uprising), and in January 1945, after the Germans had suppressed the uprising, the 1st Army participated in the Soviet Warsaw offensive that finally ended the Nazi occupation of the ruined city. It took part in battles for Bydgoszcz, Kolobrzeg
Kolobrzeg
Kołobrzeg is a city in Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50,000 inhabitants . Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea...
(Kolberg), Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(Danzig) and Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
losing 20,000 people in the winter 1944-45 battles. In April-May 1945 the 1st Army fought in the final capture of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
. The Polish Second Army fought within the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front
1st Ukrainian Front
The 1st Ukrainian Front was a front—a force the size of a Western Army group—of the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War.-Wartime:...
and took part in the Prague Offensive
Prague Offensive
The Prague Offensive was the last major Soviet operation of World War II in Europe. The offensive, and the battle for Prague, was fought on the Eastern Front from 6 May to 11 May 1945. This battle for the city is particularly noteworthy in that it ended after the Third Reich capitulated on 8 May...
. In the final operations of the war the losses of the two armies of the LWP amounted to 32,000.
By the end of the war, the LWP numbered about 200,000 troops. Many of the soldiers were forced into military formations from former Armia Krajowa
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
(Home Army) units taken prisoner during Soviet advances into Poland, while others joined in order to escape labour camps, prisons and Gulags in Soviet Union.
On 21 July 1944, by order of the Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego, the communist Armia Ludowa
Armia Ludowa
Armia Ludowa was a communist partisan force set up by the Polish Workers' Party during World War II. Its aims were to support the military of the Soviet Union against German forces and aid the creation of a pro-Soviet communist government in Poland...
resistance group was integrated into the Polish People's Army forming the Wojsko Polskie (Polish Army). Its first commander was General Michał Żymierski. On 8 August 1944 by one of his orders, the organisational remnants (recruitment offices, etc.) of the Polish Armed Forces in the East were dissolved.
The land forces were also accompanied by an air force formation, the Air Force of the Polish Army
Air Force of the Polish Army
The Air Force of the Polish Army , unofficially known as the People's Polish Air Force was the name of the Soviet-controlled Polish Air Force in the USSR between 1943 and 1947 created alongside the Polish People's Army , a subordinate to the Red Army...
, created in July 1943.
See also
- Polish Armed Forces in the WestPolish Armed Forces in the WestPolish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
- Polish contribution to World War IIPolish contribution to World War IIThe European theater of World War II opened with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. The Polish Army was defeated after over a month of fighting. After Poland had been overrun, a government-in-exile , armed forces, and an intelligence service were established outside of Poland....
- History of Poland (1939-1945)
- Northern Group of ForcesNorthern Group of ForcesThe Northern Group of Forces was the military formation of the Soviet Army stationed in Poland from the end of Second World War in 1945 until 1993 when they were withdrawn in the aftermath of the fall of Soviet Union...
- Soviet invasion of PolandSoviet invasion of PolandSoviet invasion of Poland can refer to:* the second phase of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 when Soviet armies marched on Warsaw, Poland* Soviet invasion of Poland of 1939 when Soviet Union allied with Nazi Germany attacked Second Polish Republic...
- History of Poland (1945–1989)History of Poland (1945–1989)The history of Poland from 1945 to 1989 spans the period of Soviet Communist dominance imposed after the end of World War II over the People's Republic of Poland...
- Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939-1946)Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939-1946)In the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasion of Poland, which took place in September 1939, the territory of Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union . Both powers were hostile to Poland's sovereignty, the Polish culture and the Polish people, aiming at their destruction...
External links
- Military contribution of Poland to World War II, Polish Ministry of Defence official page
- The Poles on the Fronts of WW2
- The History Of Poland: The Second World War Kierunek Berlin, Tygodnik Pomorski