We all know what the Polish Army is. History lessons were hardly wasted. However, much is forgotten. In the article, we recall the history of the Polish Army in order to better possess information and understand the course of some historical events. This topic will be very interesting not only for historians, but also for everyone who is interested in the chronology of the events of the war.
What is a Polish Army?
It represents a combined arms formation or army. The history of the Polish Army begins in the USSR in 1944. The army consisted mainly of Poles. There were also many ordinary military personnel of the USSR Armed Forces of various nationalities. In official documents and orders it has the name "1st Polish Army".
The army was involved in the Great Patriotic War, and specifically in the following operations:
- Lublin-Brest.
- Warsaw-Poznan.
- East Pomeranian.
- Berlin.
The beginning of the story
The military formation was created in the spring of 1944 by the number of soldiers serving in the Polish corps. It was created a year before. Infantry Division T. Kosciuszko served as the basis for the formation of the corps. Not only Poles could join the army. It was open to Soviet citizens with Polish roots. The Soviet Union took this military formation seriously and provided him with decent military support. The commander of the army was Sigmund Burling.
In the spring of the same year, the Polish Army received new soldiers. 52 thousand people arrived. Unfortunately, among them there were no more than 300 officers. There were even fewer podhorunzhihs, and they served only in the pre-war Polish army. This all greatly aggravated the already present problem of the lack of competent officers.
In the summer, the Polish Army could boast of: cavalry, armored, anti-aircraft artillery brigades, 2 air regiments and 4 infantry brigades. By 1944, the staff was 90 thousand people.
The beginning of hostilities
In the summer of 1944, hostilities began. It should be said right away that the Polish Army played an important role in the Second World War. Military operations were carried out under the operational leadership of the 1st Belorussian Front. At the end of the month, part of the army forced the Western Bug. As a result, the army entered Poland. In July of the same year, the 1st Army of the Polish Army merged with the Army Ludova (partisan army). Only after this event the army began to be called the united Polish Army, however, the first name still continued to appear in the documents.
By that time, the army already numbered 100 thousand troops. At the same time, about 2,500 young soldiers were trained for officers, and about 600 for pilots. The army owned approximately 60,000 assault rifles and rifles; it had at its disposal about 4,000 machine guns, 779 radio stations, 170 motorcycles, and 66 aircraft.
Replenishment
In July 1944, the 1st Polish Panzer Corps was created as part of the Army, and Colonel Jan Rupasov became its commander. At this time, the Polish army managed to get to the eastern bank of the Vistula, which served as the beginning of the fighting to conquer the left-bank territory. A little later, the army fought on the Magnushevsky bridgehead. It is also worth noting that the armored brigade already known to us fought on the west bank of the river for the Studzian bridgehead.
In August 1944, the Polish Committee for National Liberation issued a decree on mobilization, which provided for the conscription of young men born in the 1921-1924-ies. All military specialists, officers and subofficers who were fit for service were also called up. As a result of this order, in just a few months, the Polish armed forces were replenished with several dozen newly arrived soldiers. About 100 thousand people were called up from the liberated territory of Poland, the rest from the USSR. At the end of autumn 1944, the Polish Army had about 11,500 military personnel from the USSR.
An interesting fact is that the army had deputy commanders for working with political agencies and chaplains. At the same time, the deputy commander of the army, Pyotr Yaroshevich, in the future became the Prime Minister of Poland.
The liberation of Warsaw
In 1944, in the fall, the Polish armed forces were able to liberate Prague. After that, an ill-conceived attempt was made to force the Vistula, which failed. In the winter of 1945, the army took an active part in the defense of the Polish capital. The Polish Army in World War II in this operation acted as follows:
- the main forces of the army crossed the Vistula;
- The 2nd Infantry Division was engaged in forcing the Vistula, it was she who launched the operation to attack Warsaw from the north;
- The Soviet 31st special division of armored trains and the 6th infantry division of the Polish Army in the Prague area crossed the Vistula.
As a result of fierce and lengthy battles on January 17, 1945, Warsaw gained freedom.
A little later, the Polish Army liberated Bydgoszcz, having carried out an operation to break through the central part of Poland. After some time, the main forces were concentrated on the assault on Kohlberg. At the same time, the First Polish Armored Brigade attacked Gdansk as part of the East Pomeranian operation. The army stopped in Stetin to count the losses. They amounted to about 3,000 missing and 5,400 killed.
By 1945, the army was 200,000. This number is 10 part of the total number of soldiers who participated in the Berlin operation. During its implementation, the Polish army lost about 7,000 killed and 4,000 missing.
USSR help
We cannot ignore the moment that the Soviet Union invested enormous material and human resources in the creation of the army. In 1944, the Soviet Union transferred about 200,000 carbines and rifles to Polish military units, as well as a huge number of anti-aircraft, light and machine guns, anti-tank rifles, submachine guns, mortars, tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft. And this if you do not take into account the trophy and training weapons. During the second half of 1944, Soviet educational institutions trained more than 5,000 Polish troops.
Reaction
At the same time, in the UK, the Polish émigré government, as well as those who supported it in Poland (Craiova Army), reacted very negatively to the fact that Polish armed forces were created in the USSR. They spoke extremely negatively about such activities in the USSR. The reaction was covered in the press, where there were statements of the kind that Berling’s army was not a Polish army, and that the Polish Army was a detachment of mercenaries in the Soviet service.
Summing up the article, let us say that this army had a worthy history. She took part in a number of critical operations. Moreover, the Soviet Union played a key role in the creation and provision of the army. The army has become an example of how forces can come together when necessary. Our people had conflicts with the Poles, but nevertheless it is worth recognizing that we are kindred close peoples.