Pilsudski Institute of America, Photographs of Polish Soldiers and Civilians During WWII (1939-1945)
This collection of photographs displays Polish Armed Forces in the West with a focus on the Polish Armed Forces in the United Kingdom (1940-1944), the formation of the Polish Army in the USSR (under the command of General Władysław Anders), and the life of soldiers of the Polish Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade in Africa (1940-1942). The formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the West took place at the outbreak of WWII when, on September 1, 1939, German troops crossed the Polish border. The Polish Army, alone in combat, could not effectively resist Germany's aggression in addition to the Soviet invasion on Eastern Polish territories on September 17, 1939. As a result, Poland was partitioned for the fourth time by Hitler and Stalin, and its government fled into exile to France and later on to Great Britain. At the same time, in the autumn of 1939, the formation of regular troops was ordered by the Polish authorities in exile. This was possible due to prior war agreements with France and Great Britain. Polish Armed Forces in the West were initially formed in France and Syria and later in Great Britain and Palestine. Land army units, the Polish Navy and Polish pilots were organized and sent to function under British forces, and participated in various Allied military operations, including the Battle of Britain, the Norwegian campaign in Narvik, the Siege of Tobruk, and D-Day in France. In February of 1940, Soviets began the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Polish civilians to Siberia and other parts of the Soviet Union, where they were imprisoned or put to work in Gulags. Following the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941 and the signing of the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement, Polish citizens were free to join the Polish Army in the USSR under the command of General Władysław Anders. In the Spring and Summer of 1942, after consultation with the Soviet authorities, approximately 78,000 Polish soldiers and about 35,000 civilians were evacuated to Iran. The civilians were then transported to refugee camps in Africa, New Zealand and Mexico, while the Polish soldiers remained in Iraq where they were fed and trained. On September 12, 1942, the Polish Armed Forces in the Middle East were established from the merging of the Polish Army in the Middle East and the Polish Armed Forces in the USSR. In 1943 the Polish Army in the East, renamed the Polish II Corps, participated in the liberation of Italy and the Battle of Monte Cassino. As the war continued, the now 200,000-strong Polish Army in the West fought faithfully for Poland’s legacy and freedom until 1945, when WWII ended.Learn More About the Collection
- Polish military officials visited a Canadian hospital in Southern England on April 4th, 1945. There, they invested Canadian army personnel with Polish awards for valour. General Józef Haller of Poland decorates Lieut. Louis Caron of Montreal with the Polish Cross of Valour at a Canadian Army Hospital in Southern England.
- Training Polish anti-aircraft gunners. Polish Gunners are being trained in the use of heavy and light A.A. guns. They will soon have their own mobile A.A. batteries. A demonstration of gun drill was watched by Lt. Gen. Sir Frederick Pile, Bart., G.O.C in C.A.A. Lt. Gen. Sir Frederick Pile, Bart., and General Kukiel inspect the Polish A.A. gunners. The two also watch a Bofor gun detachment at drill and chat to Scottish war correspondents.
- The Polish Commander-in-Chief, General Sosnkowski, decorated two Norwegian Army Officers with the Polish Cross of Merit with Swords, at a ceremony on June 5th, 1944, at the Polish Army Headquarters in London. General Sosnkowski, with members of the Polish Armed Forces and the two Norwegian officers wearing their decorations after the ceremony.
- A U-Boat surrenders in Weymouth Bay. The crew under guard of Polish sailors. One of the first U-Boats to surrender to the Royal Navy-- the U 249, carrying a crew of 48, and believed to have been at sea for 40 days. She entered Weymouth Bay on May 11th, watched by holiday crowds on the beaches less than a mile away. The first photo shows the captured crew on the deck of their U-Boat, under guard of Polish sailors after the surrender. The second photo shows the Commander of the U-249, Oberlieutenant Kock (wearing a white cap top) with some of his officers under the guard of Polish sailors shortly after the surrender in Weymouth Bay. One of the Poles, Leon Blus (2nd from left) joined the Polish Navy after escaping from the German Army in which he was forced to serve in for a year.