Polish II Corps - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Polish II Corps 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of 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...

during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General

Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....

Władysław Anders and by the end of 1945 it had grown to well over 100,000 soldiers.

History

Following the signing of the Polish-Russian Military Agreement on August 14, 1941, a Polish Army on Soviet soil was born. The first commander, General Michał Tokarzewski, began the task of forming this army in the Soviet town of Totskoye

Totskoye

Totskoye is a village in Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative center of Totsky District. Population: 7,201 ....

on August 17. The commander chosen by General Władysław Sikorski to ultimately lead the new army, General Władysław Anders, had been just released from the Lubyanka

Lubyanka (KGB)

The Lubyanka is the popular name for the headquarters of the KGB and affiliated prison on Lubyanka Square in Moscow. It is a large building with a facade of yellow brick, designed by Alexander V...

prison in Moscow, on August 4, and did not issue his first orders or announce his appointment as commander until August 22.

This army would grow over the following two years and provide the bulk of the units and troops of the Polish II Corps.

The Polish II Corps was created in 1943 from various units fighting alongside the Allies in all theatres of war. The 3rd Carpathian Division was formed in 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...

from smaller Polish units fighting in Egypt and Tobruk, as well as the Polish Army in the East that was evacuated from the USSR through 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:...

. Its creation was based on British Army Act of 1940 that allowed the allied units of the exiled government of Poland

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...

to be grouped on one theatre of war. However, the British command never agreed to incorporate the exiled Polish Air Force

Polish Air Force

The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...

into the Corps.
In 1944 the Corps was transferred from Egypt to Italy, where it became an independent part of the British Eighth Army under General Oliver Leese

Oliver Leese

Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, KCB, CBE, DSO was a British general during World War II.-Early years:...

. During 1944-1945 the Corps fought with distinction in the Italian campaign

Italian Campaign (World War II)

The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...

, most notably during the fourth and final 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...

, the Battle of Ancona

Battle of Ancona

The Battle of Ancona was a battle involving forces from Poland serving as part of the British Army and German forces that took place from 16 June–18 July 1944 during the Italian campaign in World War II...

during Operation Olive (the fighting on the Gothic Line

Gothic Line

The Gothic Line formed Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's last major line of defence in the final stages of World War II along the summits of the Apennines during the fighting retreat of German forces in Italy against the Allied Armies in Italy commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander.Adolf Hitler...

in September 1944) and the Battle of Bologna

Battle of Bologna

The Battle of Bologna was fought in Bologna, Italy from 9–21 April 1945 during the Second World War, as part of the Spring 1945 offensive in Italy. The Allied forces were victorious, with the Polish 2nd Corps and supporting Allied units capturing the city on 21 April.-Background:In March 1945 the...

during the Allies' final offensive in Italy

Spring 1945 offensive in Italy

The Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the Allied attack by Fifth United States Army and British 8th Army into the Lombardy Plain which started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of German forces in Italy....

in March 1945.

In 1944 it numbered about 50,000 soldiers. During the three subsequent battles the Corps suffered heavy losses (in the final stage of the Battle of Monte Cassino even the support units were mobilised and used in combat) and it was suggested to Gen. Anders that he withdraw his units. However, since 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....

broke diplomatic relations with the Polish government and no Poles were allowed out of the USSR, Anders believed that the only source of recruits was ahead - in German POW camps and concentration camps.

By 1945 new units were added composed mostly from freed POWs and Poles forced to join the Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

, increasing the amount of soldiers to approximately 75,000; approximately 20,000 of them were transferred to other Polish units fighting in the West. After the war the divisions of the Corps were used in Italy until 1946, when they were transported to Britain and demobilised. The total establishment of the Polish Second Corps in 1946 was 103,000. The majority of soldiers remained in exile and settled in Britain. The Corps had a consistently high fighting reputation and was well-regarded by the American and Commonwealth troops they fought alongside with.

Composition

In May 1945 the Corps consisted of 55,780 men and approximately 1,500 women from auxiliary services. There was also one bear, named Wojtek. The majority of the forces were composed mostly of Polish citizens who were deported by the NKVD

NKVD

The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....

to the Soviet

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....

Gulag

The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...

s during the annexation of Eastern Poland (Kresy Wschodnie) in 1939 by the Soviet Union. Following the Operation Barbarossa

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...

and the 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...

many of them were released and allowed to join the Polish Armed Forces in the East

Polish Armed Forces in the East

Polish Armed Forces in the East 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....

being formed in Southern Russia and Kazakhstan. Due to political reasons the Soviet Union soon withdrew support for the creation of a Polish Army on its territory and lowered the supply rate, which forced General Władysław Anders to withdraw his troops to British-held Persia

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...

and Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

. From there the troops were moved to British Mandate of Palestine, where they joined forces with the 3rd Carpathian Division which was composed mostly of Polish soldiers who had managed to escape to French Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

through Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

and Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

after the Polish Defensive War

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...

of 1939.

The main bulk of the soldiers were from the eastern voivodeship

Voivodeship

Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....

s of pre-war Poland. Although the majority of them were ethnic Poles, there were also members of other nationalities who joined the units of II Corps, most notably Jews, Belarusians and Ukrainians. After being relocated to Palestine, where there was little for the enlisted men to do, many Jewish soldiers of the corps "unofficially" discharged themselves by simply fading into the countryside. Menachem Begin

Menachem Begin

' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...

, however, though encouraged to desert by friends of his, refused to remove the uniform until he was officially discharged from the army.

The armament was as follows:

248 pieces of artillery
288 anti-tank guns
234 anti-air guns
264 tanks
1,241 APCs
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
440 armoured cars
12,064 cars, Bren carriers and trucks
1 brown bear

Losses

During the Italian Campaign

Italian Campaign (World War II)

the Polish II Corps lost 11,379 men. Among them were 2,301 Killed in action

Killed in action

Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...

, 8,543 Wounded in action

Wounded in action

Wounded in action describes soldiers who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during war time, but have not been killed. Typically it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing to fight....

and 535 Missing in action

Missing in action

Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...

Order of battle

At the time of its demobilisation in 1946, the 2nd Polish Corps establishment was as follows.NB: There are some differences between this Ordre de Bataille and the one at the time of the Battle for Monte Cassino in 1944.

Polish 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...

: Maj.Gen.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

Bronisław Duch
- 1st Carpathian
  Carpathian Mountains
  The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
  
  Rifle Brigade
  - 1st Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 2nd Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 3rd Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 2nd Carpathian Rifle Brigade
  - 4th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 5th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 6th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
- 3rd Carpathian Rifle Brigade
  - 7th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 8th Carpathian Rifle Battalion
  - 9th “Boloński” Carpathian Rifle Battalion (Named for liberating Bologna)
- Other Divisional Units
  - 7th Lubelski Uhlan
    Polish cavalry
    The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
    
    Regiment (Divisional Reconnaissance
    Reconnaissance
    Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
    
    )
  - 1st Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
  - 2nd Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
  - 3rd Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
  - 3rd Carpathian Anti-tank Regiment
  - 3rd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
  - 3rd Heavy Machine Gun Battalion
  - 3rd Carpathian Sapper (Engineer) Battalion
    - 1st Carpathian Field Engineer Company
    - 2nd Carpathian Field Engineer Company
    - 3rd Carpathian Field Engineer Company
    - 3rd Carpathian Field Park Company
  - 3rd Carpathian Signals Battalion

5th Kresowa Infantry Division CO: Brig.Gen.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

Nikodem Sulik
Nikodem Sulik
Nikodem Sulik-Sarnowski, who used the noms de guerre "Jodko", "Jod", "Karol", and "Sarnowski" , was an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, and Generał brygady of the Polish Army.-Biography:...
- 4th Wolyńska Infantry Brigade
  - 10th Wolyńska Rifle Battalion
  - 11th Wolyńska Rifle Battalion
  - 12th Wolyńska Rifle Battalion
- 5th Wilno Infantry Brigade
  - 13th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Rysiow"
  - 14th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Zbikow"
  - 15th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Wilkow"
- 6th Lwów Infantry Brigade
  - 16th Lwowski Rifle Battalion
  - 17th Lwowski Rifle Battalion
  - 18th Lwowski Rifle Battalion
- Other divisional unit
  - 25th Wielkopolski Uhlan
    Polish cavalry
    The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
    
    Regiment
  - 4th Kresowy Light Artillery Regiment
  - 5th Wileński Light Artillery Regiment
  - 6th Lwowski Light Artillery Regiment
  - 5th Kresowy Anti-tank Regiment
  - 5th Kresowy Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
  - 5th Kresowy Heavy Machine Gun Battalion
  - 5th Kresowa Sapper (Engineer) Battalion
    - 4th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
    - 5th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
    - 6th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
    - 5th Kresowa Field Park Company
  - 5th Kresowy Signals Battalion
    - 5th Military Police (Provost) Squadron

2nd Warsaw Armoured Division. CO: Brig.Gen. Bronisław Rakowski
Bronislaw Rakowski
Bronisław Stanisław Rakowski was a Polish general. Fought in the Polish legions, imprisoned by the Soviets during Soviet invasion of Poland, fought in the Anders Army and Polish Armed Forces in the West.* 1931–1936: Commanding Officer 12th Ulan Regiment* 1936–1939: Head of Army Historical Bureau*...
- Carpathian Uhlan
  Polish cavalry
  The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
  
  /Lancer Regiment (Divisional Reconnaissance)
- 2nd Warsaw Armoured Brigade
  - 4th ‘Skorpion’ Armoured Regiment

- - 1st Krechowiecki Uhlan
    Polish cavalry
    The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
    
    Regiment
  - 6th ‘Children of Lwów’ Armoured Regiment
  - 2nd Motorised Independent Polish Commando
    Commando
    In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
    
    Company
- 16th Pomorska Infantry Brigade
  - 64th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
  - 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
  - 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion
    - 16th Pomorski Support Company
- Other divisional units
  - HQ Division Artillery

- - 7th Horse Artillery
    Horse artillery
    Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
    
    Regiment
  - 16th Pomorski Light Artillery Regiment
  - 2nd Anti-tank Regiment
  - 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
  - 2nd Warszawski Signals Battalion
  - 2nd Warszawski Engineer Battalion
    - 9th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
    - 9th Supply Company
    - 19th Supply Company
    - 28th Supply Company
    - 9th Workshop Company
    - 16th Workshop Company
    - 2nd Armoured Division Military Police (Provost) Company
      - 9th Field Court
      - 343 Anti-malaria Section

14th WIELKOPOLSKA Armoured Brigade
- 15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment
  15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment
  15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment – unit of Polish cavalry, part of Greater Polands Army, Polish Army of Second Republic and Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II.-Regimental colours:...
  
  (Previously part of 5th Kresowa Division)
- 3rd Śląsk Uhlan
  Polish cavalry
  The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
  
  Regiment
  Regiment
  A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
- 10th Hussar Regiment
  - 14th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
  - 14th Wielkopolska Engineer Company
  - 14th Wielkopolska Signals Squadron
    - 14th Workshop Company
    - 14th Supply Company
  - 14th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
  - 16th Field Court

Headquarters 2nd Corps
- 12th Podolski Uhlan
  Polish cavalry
  The Polish cavalry can trace its origins back to the days of Medieval mounted knights. Poland had always been a country of flatlands and fields and mounted forces operate well in this environment...
  
  Regiment
  Regiment
  A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
  
  (Headquarters Recce) (Previously part of 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division)
- 7th Armoured Regiment
- 7th Anti-tank Regiment
- 7th Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 8th Medium Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 10th Hussar Regiment
- 1st Artillery Survey Regiment
- 663 Polish Air Observation Post Squadron
  - 2nd Corp General Staff Defence Company

2nd Corps Artillery Group CO: Brig.Gen. Roman Odzierzyński
Roman Odzierzynski
Roman Odzierzyński was prime minister in the Polish Government in Exile....
- 9th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 10th Medium Artillery Regiment Unit Code 3501
- 11th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 12th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 13th Medium Artillery Regiment
Other HQ Units
- 10th Engineer Battalion
- 1st Railway Engineer Battalion
- 10th Bridge Engineer Company
- 10th Bomb Disposal Platoon
- 301 Engineer Company
- 306 Engineer Material Park Platoon
- 11th Signals Battalion
  - 11th Radio Platoon
  - 12th Information Platoon
  - 385 Signals Company
  - 386 Signals Platoon
  - 387 Signals Platoon
  - 389 Radio Platoon
  - 104 Cipher Section
  - 390 Signals Company
  - 392 Radio Platoon
  - Air Traffic Control Platoon
  - 21st Transport Company

- - 22nd Transport Company (Artillery Supply Company)
    - 61 Artillery Supply Platoon
    - 62 Artillery Supply Platoon
    - 63 Artillery Supply Platoon
    - 64 Artillery Supply Platoon
    - 65 Artillery Supply Platoon
  - 23rd Transport Company
  - 29th Ambulance Company
  - 2nd Traffic Control Squadron
  - 11th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
  - 12th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
  - 460 Military Police (Provost) Squadron
    - Investigation Platoon
    - Dog Handling Platoon
  - 12th Field Court
  - 13th Workshop Company
    - 30th Independent Workshop Platoon
  - 35th Workshop Company
  - 12th Geographic Company
    - 312 Map Store
  - 316 Transport Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland)
  - 317 Transport Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland)
  - 318 Mobile Canteen/Mobile Library Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland)
  - 325 Supply Depot
  - 326 Supply Depot
  - 327 Supply Depot
  - 328 Supply Depot
  - 331 Field Bakery
  - 332 Field Bakery
  - 333 Field Butchery
  - 334 Fuel Depot
  - 335 Fire Fighting Team
  - 336 Stationary Supplies Depot
  - 31st Sanitary (Medical) Company
  - 31st Sanitary (Medical) Company
  - 32nd Field Hygiene Platoon
  - 34th Anti-malaria Section
  - Field Chemical-Bacteriological Section
  - 344 Medical Supplies Depot
  - 345 Field Surgery Team
  - 346 Field Surgery Team
  - 347 Field Surgery Team
  - 348 Field Surgery Team
  - 349 Field Blood Transfusion Team
  - 350 Field Surgery Team
  - 351 Field Surgery Team
  - 352 Field Blood Transfusion Team
  - 370 Material Salvage Depot
  - 371 Material Salvage Depot
  - 372 Material Salvage Depot
  - 375 Field Bath
  - 375 Field Bath and Laundry
  - 40 Material Park: Transport Section
  - 413 Forward Ammunition Depot
  - 104 Central Field Post Office
    - 117 Field Post Office
    - 127 Field Post Office
  - 55 Mobile Stores Repair Platoon

2nd Corps Base CO:Gen Przewlocki
- Guard Battalion A
- Guard Battalion B
- Guard Battalion C
- Guard Battalion D
- 1st Military Hospital
- 3rd Military Hospital
- 3rd Field Hospital (Former 3rd Casualty Clearing Station)
- 5th Field Hospital (Former 5th Casualty Clearing Station)
- 14th Field Court
  - Officer Topographic School
  - Officer Cadet Reserve Artillery School
  - Officer Cadet Supply & Transport School
  - Armoured Forces Training Centre
    Armoured Forces Training Centre
    Armoured Forces Training Centre - Armoured Forces Training Centre of the Polish Forces in the West.In December 1944 Gen Anders ordered formation of the Armoured Forces Training Centre in Italy. The Centre was to be commanded by Lt Col Szostak and administered by the base of the 2nd Corps...
    
    CO LtCol Stanislaw Szostak
    Stanislaw Szostak
    Stanislaw Szostak was a colonel of the Polish Armoured Corps.He was born in Berazino, today's Belarus, the son of Władysław and Maria Nieciejowska of Hrynica. He was injured in a car accident and died in 1961...
  - General W. Anders Officer Cadet Armoured Cavalry School

7th Infantry Division Reserve Unit
- 17th Infantry Brigade
  - 21st Infantry Battalion
  - 22nd Infantry Battalion
  - 7th Armoured Regiment
  - 17th Artillery Regiment
    - 17th Machine Gun Company
    - 17th Engineer Company
    - 17th Signals Company
    - 17th Workshop Company
    - 17th Engineer Company
    - 17th Military Police (Provost) Squadron

External links

An Illustrated History of the Polish II Corps. Mieczyslaw Kuczynski.
The Polish II Corps at Monte Cassino

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Composition

Losses

Order of battle

See also

External links