[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 139 (Thursday, September 29, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: September 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
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POLISH ARMED FORCES CONTRIBUTIONS IN WORLD WAR II
Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, today I am submitting for the
Record a study entitled ``Polish Armed Forces Contributions to Allied
Victory in World War II.'' The study was prepared for the New Jersey
Polish-American Congress and is an overview of Polish military and
paramilitary activities dating from the Nazi invasion of Poland on
September 1, 1939, to the surrender of Nazi forces nearly 6 years
later, on May 8, 1945.
The study's author is retired Rear Adm. Sigmund Bajak, USNR. A member
of the Polish-American Congress, Admiral Bajak is a veteran of World
War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He is currently completing a doctorate in
Polish military history at the University of Warsaw.
I hope my colleagues find this study informative.
I ask that the full text of my statement, as well as the accompanying
study appear in the Record.
The study follows:
Polish Armed Forces Contributions to Allied Victory in World War II
(By Sigmund Bajak)
Introduction: On May 8, 1945, when United States Army
General Carl Spaatz, together with his Allied military
colleagues, accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany
in the Berlin suburb of Karlhorst the Polish Armed Forces
numbered about 600,000. Of this total, 180,000 Polish
soldiers were part of the 400,000-strong Soviet Army which
conquered Berlin. The remainder of the Polish Forces served
throughout the western front with the Allies.
In addition to regular Polish Forces, hundreds of thousands
of Poles fought in the Polish underground armies in Poland as
well as in the occupied countries of Europe. In Poland itself
there were four different underground armies numbering about
500,000 partisans of both sexes and all ages. They were: the
Home Army, Peasant Battalions, the Peoples Army and the
National Armed Forces.
Son of Poland Pope John Paul II, on the 10th anniversary of
his pontificate, said, ``In World War II, on every front,
Poles shed their blood for independence. Polish independence
cannot be measured in geopolitical terms, but only according
to authentic criteria of national sovereignty in its own
nation.''
It is necessary to elaborate on the participation of Poles
in World War II, if only in the briefest terms, to truly
understand Polish contributions to allied victory. What
follows is a partial review of the efforts of Poles, in and
out of uniform, as they fought from 1939 to 1945 for their
independence and for the Allied cause.
POLAND--SEPTEMBER 1939
Westerplatte (Located in the Baltic Port of Gdansk--a Free
City): At 4 AM on September 1, 1939 the German battleship
Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the small Polish military
transit depot, at Westerplatte. Major Henryk Sucharski, and
his force of about 170 men held their ground for 7 days
against overwhelming numbers of German ground troops before
being forced to surrender. General Eberhadt, Commander of the
German forces in Gdansk, refused to accept the Major's sword
because of the uncommon bravery shown by the Polish garrison.
The sword was later taken away from the Major at a German
prison camp.
Bzura River Counteroffensive (The Bzura River lies on a
path Leczyca-Lowicz-Sochaczew, and joins the Vistula at
Wyszogrod): On the evening of September 9, 1939, General
Tadeusz Kutrzeba and his Polish Army of Poznan, located in
northwest Poland, attacked the 4th, 8th and 10th German
armies as they progressed eastward toward Warsaw. Kutrzeba
was successful in delaying the Germans for two days before
the Wermacht overwhelmed his forces. Kutrzeba's effort gave
the Polish Warsaw and Lublin Armies time for
reorganization after the initial German offensive.
The Hel Peninsula (Located between the Bay of Gdansk and
the Baltic Sea): Polish Admiral Jozef Unrug, a Pole of German
heritage, did not surrender his command, located on the Hel
peninsula, until October 2, 1939 four days after Warsaw was
forced to capitulate. Before doing so he gave his staff
permission to attempt escape by sea to Sweden. During the
surrender a German trawler was sunk by one of the Admiral's
mines. It's reported that the Admiral always insisted on a
translator in the Germany prison camp because he said he was
a Pole.
Defense of Poland: The defense of Warsaw began on September
8, 1939. On the 17th of September the Red Army crossed the
eastern borders of Poland and began its march toward Warsaw.
Warsaw capitulated on September 28, 1939. German losses were
about 45,000 killed and wounded. Poland lost 200,00 or more
soldiers killed or wounded. The Germans took some 400,000
Polish soldiers prisoner and about 200,000 were taken by the
Soviets. Another 85,000 soldiers were interned in Rumania,
Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania. Both the victorious Germans
and Soviets murdered thousands of Polish prisoners of war.
Probably the best known atrocity was the murder of more than
15,000 Police officers and men by the Soviets at Katyn
forest.
enigma--july 1939
During the period 1933-1938 three Polish mathematician-
decryptologists managed to construct their version of a
German Enigma code machine. These scientists, Messrs. Marian
Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Rozycki, successfully
broke the German code. At the end of July 1939, the Polish
General Staff turned over the Polish Enigmas and decoded
German ciphers to France and Great Britain. In Britain,
operation ``Magic'' made use of the Poles' findings at the
Center of Decryptology located in Bletchley. All Enigma and
operation ``Magic'' files have not been declassified. Despite
this fact, there is no disagreement among historians as to
the role the Enigmas, further developed and used by the
Allies, had on the outcome of the war.
polish army in france--1939 to 1940
On September 20, 1939, Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski,
who would become the Commander-in-Chief of all Polish Armed
Forces, was appointed commander of all Polish forces in
France by the exiled Polish government in France officially
recognized by the Allies on September 30, 1939. On June 5,
1940 when the Germans attacked France, Sikorski had an army
of about 82,000 soldiers. In view of the military situation
on France, Sikorski and Polish President Raczkiewicz flew to
London and met with Winston Churchill who was moved by the
Poles determination to continue their fight against the
enemy. On June 21, 1939 following the French defeat only
27,000 Polish officers and men were evacuated to Britain with
the President of Poland who was welcomed by King George VI.
tatra highlands rifle brigade in narvik, norway--spring 1940
When the Germans attacked Norway on April 9, 1940, the
Tatra Brigade was sent to Norway as part of an Allied
Expeditionary Force to take back Narvik from a strong German
force. The attack was successful but in view of the situation
in France, the Allies decided to evacuate the Expeditionary
Force to Brest and the Tatra Brigade provided cover for the
evaluation. Three Polish destroyers, Lightning, Storm and
Thunder protected Polish passenger liners, Batory, Sobieski
and Chrobry, which were used to transport the Force. Chrobry
was sunk on May 16, 1940 in the vicinity of Bodo. The Tatra
Brigade reached Brest but was disbanded after France fell.
Some members of the Brigade who were able to flee French
ports, with great difficulty, reached Scotland to resume the
fight.
carpathian rifle brigade in tobruk, libya--1941 to 1942
In August 1941 the Brigade, 4,683 strong and under cover of
darkness, landed at Tobruk and eventually took up positions
at the foot of Ras al-Medauar. Behind Ras al-Medauar were
amassed 380 machine guns and another 110 guns of various
sizes manned by crack German troops. On December 1, 1941 the
Brigade attacked the German positions and at 1000 hours the
red and white flag of the Polish Republic flew atop Ras al-
Medauar. After the blockade of Tobruk, the Brigade took part
in the counter-offensive of the British 8th Army. On the 15th
of December they broke through the German-Italian lines at El
Gazala. On March 24, 1942 the Brigade returned from the front
to Egypt.
polish armed forces on the western front from 1942 to 1945
General Maczek's Polish First Armored Division: The 1st
Polish Armored Division led by General Stanislaw Maczek began
organizing in England on February 25, 1942. It was made up of
Poles who managed to flee from France, and Polish soldiers
repatriated from the Soviets following Polish-Soviet
negotiations which took place on July 30, 1941. At the end of
July 1944, the Division was in France; it numbered 885
officers and about 15,000 men. Maczek and his Poles fought in
the Falaise--Chambois--Mont Ormel region, breaking through
the 1st SS Adolf Hitler Division and the 12th SS Hitlerjugend
Division and taking almost 5,000 prisoners including one
general and 150 officers.
On September 28, 1944 the Division crossed the French-
Belgian border and freed Ypres. Moving northward on October
27th they freed Breda, and the village made every member of
the Division an honorary citizen. For the next five
months the Division guarded the port of Antwerp in Belgium
where the Allies shipped war supplies for the European
campaign. In April, 1945, the Division was again in combat
at the Kusten Canal and on May 4, 1945, participated in
the attacks on Wilhelmshaven. The following day the German
forces in this area surrendered. The total losses of the
First Armored Division were 1,290 dead, 3,803 wounded and
585 missing as it fought for Polish independence and
Allied victory.
Polish Second Corps on the Italian Front--Monte Cassino,
Ancona and Bologna: The Polish 2nd Corps was organized in
1943 from repatriated Polish soldiers who had been captured
by the Soviets in 1939. The Corps was composed of 52,692
soldiers led by Polish General Wladyslaw Anders who reported
to the British 8th Army Commander General Oliver Leese.
General Leese ordered the Poles to take the Monte Cassino
complex. The extremely bloody fighting began on May 11, 1944
and ended on May 19th when Monte Cassino was taken by the
Poles. This forced the Germans to fall back from the Gustav
line to the Hitler line of defense. The Polish losses
included 4,290 killed, wounded and missing. British Marshal
Alexander sent a signal to the Poles which said that if he
had the opportunity to choose those he wanted to serve under
his command, his choice would be the Poles of the 2nd Corps.
The Marshal ended his signal with a salute of deep respect.
Monte Cassino was only a warmup for the Polish 2nd Corps.
The following month, June 15, 1944, the Corps was transferred
to the Adriatic front. From that date to the first days of
September the Corps advanced, fighting brilliantly, taking
Ancona and breaking the northern German defense line near
Pesaro. The Poles took about 4,000 German prisoners and more
than 300 weapons of all types. They buried nearly 3,000
Germans. General Leese congratulated General Anders and his
soldiers for conducting a most successful campaign.
The Polish Corps moved slowly northward during the winter
and early spring over difficult mountain terrain and in very
bad rainy weather. By April 9th the Corps began its final
thrust to Bologna. The way was mined and trapped. There were
seven rivers to cross: Senio, Santerno, Sellustra, Sillaro,
Giaino, Idice and Svena. On April 15, 1944 at 0600 hours the
Poles entered Bologna following the American 5th Army which
entered at 0800. The new British 8th Army Commander, General
MacCreery, signalled General Anders: ``In your march on the
Vis Emilia to Bologna you fought the 26th and 1st German
armored divisions and four parachute divisions, some of the
best in the German Army. In these operations you showed
admirable fighting spirit, steadfastness and competence in
battle. I send you and all your officers and men my warmest
congratulations and expressions of admiration.'' The campaign
on the Adriatic side of Italy cost the 2nd Polish Corps 2,300
killed, 8,00 wounded and 264 missing.
Polish air force and the air battle of britain
After the defeat of Poland, much of the Polish Air Force
fled to France. During the invasion of France, Poles downed
56 German aircraft and damaged another 9. Polish losses were
26 killed which included 11 pilots. Following the
capitulation of France, 986 officers and 3,217 men of the
Polish Air Force managed to escape to England.
In England, the Polish Air Force was organized into two
fighter divisions--the 302 and 303--and two bomber divisions,
the 300 and 301. After training conducted by the Royal Air
Force (RAF), the Poles contributed to Allied victory in the
Battle of Britain during the period August 8, to October 31,
1940. The score for Polish pilots was 203 enemy aircraft shot
down, 35 probables, and 35 damaged. This was more than 25
percent of all the German air losses. The Poles lost 33
pilots out of a total of 131 who took part in the battle.
polish navy 1939 to 1945
According to an agreement between Poland and Britain signed
on November 19, 1939, what remained of the Polish Navy came
under the command of the British Admiralty which also leased
the Poles a number of ships. With this arrangement the Polish
fleet numbered two cruisers, 10 destroyers, five submarines,
30 miscellaneous craft and 47 naval personnel units. The
Polish fleet engaged the enemy 665 times sinking seven
warships, two submarines, 339 transports and shooting down 20
enemy aircraft. Perhaps the most memorable of these
engagements took place the night of May 26-27, 1941, when the
Polish destroyer Lightning--as part of the 4th British
Destroyer Flotilla--sighted and attacked the crippled German
battleship Bismarck. The Bismarck was sunk on the morning of
May 27th by the British Fleet.
Polish Navy losses during the war were 404 killed and 191
wounded. The fleet lost 13 ships of all types, two submarines
and 74,500 tons of shipping.
the polish underground 1940 to 1945
HOME ARMY: The Home Army, otherwise known as the AK (an
acronym for ``Armia Krajowa'') was by far the largest
partisan organization in occupied Poland. On March 1, 1944,
the AK numbered 389,129 soldiers. The Army conducted 1,175
recorded actions which included train derailments, burning of
trains and the destruction of 38 bridges. In addition, the AK
damaged 19,508 railroad cars, destroyed 1,167 containers of
gasoline, burned 272 supply warehouses and damaged 4,326
vehicles of various types. German supply lines and
communication points were constantly under attack. A number
of Gestapo jails were broken into and almost 2,000 Gestapo
agents were assassinated.
PEOPLES ARMY: The communist dominated Peoples Army was
formed on January 1, 1944 and was joined by the Peoples
Guards which created a partisan force of about 50,000
soldiers. The Army reported more than 1,550 actions which
included 774 attacks on enemy transport and communications.
There were 220 counterattacks against German terrorist
activities and 190 sorties against the German military suply
infra-structure. There were 370 battles recorded against
the Wehrmacht and German Security Forces.
OPERATION ``BURZA'' (STORM): In January 1944, plan Burza
was executed. The AK in an effort to reclaim Polish
territories attacked retreating German forces and bands of
Ukrainian Nationalists alongside the Red Army. At first there
was cooperation between the Poles and the Reds. But in less
than three weeks of Operation Burza AK General Okulicki was
forced to disband the AK because he had no choice. The Red
Army disarmed the Poles and sent some to the Polish Army in
Wolyn and interned a portion in Vilno. The remainder were
arrested and sent to camps in the USSR. About 200,000 members
of the Home Army, including some 50,000 soldiers were
deported to the east.
WARSAW UPRISING ON AUGUST 1, 1944: The eastern battle front
had moved very close to Warsaw by the summer of 1944. This
encouraged the Home Army Command (AK), in concert with the
Polish government in exile, to liberate Warsaw by attacking
the German occupation forces. An attack was ordered and a
catastrophe ensued. Promised supplies from the west by air
drop never came. In the east, Stalin's armies, which included
General Zygmunt Berling's Polish army, were not allowed by
Stalin to cross the Vistula to support the uprising. More
than 10,000 isurgents were killed, most of them young men and
women. Nearly 7,000 were wounded and 5,000 were missing. More
than 188,000 civilians were killed. Hitler personally ordered
that survivors vacate the city and that the German Army
destroy all of Warsaw.
polish army in the ussr and the eastern front
REPATRIATION OF POLISH ARMY: When Hitler attacked the USSR
in June 1941 Stalin found himself on the side of the Allies.
This opened the door to diplomatic relations between Poland
and the Soviets. On July 30, 1941, an agreement was reached
between the Poles and the Soviets with the help of the
British. General Sikorski met Stalin in Moscow December 3rd
and 4th and discussed the repatriation of Polish prisoners of
war in the custody of the Soviets and the freeing of Polish
civilians.
From January 13 to 25, 1942, the Polish Army was
transferred from the various Soviet prison camps to southern
asiatic republics in the USSR. Polish prisoners were held in
far away Soviet camps under extremely difficult conditions.
Thousands of Poles died in captivity. An accounting of Poles
held prisoner was almost impossible and research concerning
those that never returned from captivity continues to this
day. Finally, by the summer of 1942 the Poles were evacuated
to Persia in two groups. The final count was 115,742 persons.
There were 78,470 soldiers and 32,272 civilians which
included 12,733 war orphans.
The repatriated Polish officers and men evacuated to Persia
under the leadership of General Anders formed the 2nd Polish
Corps which fought so well on the Italian front.
POLISH ARMY IN THE USSR: In April of the following year,
the Poles in London and the Soviets broke off diplomatic
relations. For Poles who had not managed to leave the USSR
with General Anders this was another opportunity to fight the
Germans. In May 1943 the 1st Polish Infantry Division was
formed in Sielce under the leadership of Colonel Zygmunt
Berling. By October 1943 the formation was large enough to be
designated the 1st Polish Army Corps.
The baptism of battle for the 1st Polish Infantry occurred
in the area of Lenino. Action against strong German forces
began on October 12, 1943. The Poles showed a great will to
fight and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. More than
1,500 Germans were killed and 329 taken prisoner. The Poles
lost 502 killed, 1,776 wounded and 663 missing.
The 1st Polish Army Corps by March 1944 had grown to the
1st Polish Army commanded by newly promoted, General Zygmunt
Berling. At the end of April, the Poles joined Soviet armies
at the White Russian (Belorussian) front.
THREE POLISH ARMIES AND WARSAW: In the 1944 Soviet summer
offensive the 1st Polish Army marched westward freeing Lublin
on July 22, 1944. At this time, in accordance with a decree
of the communist-controlled Polish National Freedom Committee
in Poland, the 1st Polish Army and the underground Peoples
Army were joined into one force under the command of General
Michal Rola-Zymierski. Two more Polish armies were formed;
The 2nd commanded by General Stanislaw Poplawski and the 3rd
under General Karol Swierczewski.
The armies marched westward and on September 14, 1944
General Berling with his 1st Army entered the Praga section
of Warsaw located on the east side of the Vistula River. The
Warsaw insurgents were still fighting the Germans in Zoliborz
and Mokotow on the west side of the Vistula in city proper.
The Polish armies remained on the east side of the Vistula
until January 1945 when General Berling was relieved of the
1st command by General Poplawski and the 3rd Army was
disbanded. This left General Swierczewski free to take
command of Poplawski's 2nd Army.
FROM THE VISTULA TO THE ODER: On January 14, 1945 the
Soviets launched their great offensive from the Vistula to
the west. By March the 1st Polish Army reached the Baltic in
the vicinity of Kolobrzeg and by the 29th of March the Polish
flag flew over Gdansk. The 2nd Polish Army after February
operations in the Kutno-Lodz area reported to the Soviet
commander of the Ukrainian front, and then marched westward
to take part in the Berlin operation.
POLISH FIRST AND SECOND ARMIES AND BERLIN: At the beginning
of April 1945 both Polish armies reached a strength of about
390,000 soldiers. April 16, 1945, the 1st Army fought its way
across the Oder and four days later was in pursuit of
retreating German forces. On May 3, 1945 its troops
reached the Elbe. The next day they joined with the
American 9th Army in the outskirts of Berlin. The 2nd
Artillery Brigade, the 6th Motorized Battalion and the 1st
Infantry Division of the 1st Polish Army took part in the
conquest of Berlin which took place on May 2, 1945. The
Polish flag flew alongside the flag of the USSR over
Berlin.
The 2nd Polish Army spend most of its time fighting the
stubborn German ``Mitte'' (Middle) Army which refused to
surrender after the fall of Berlin. On May 7, 1945, five days
after the fall of Berlin the 2nd Polish Army crossed the
border into Czechoslovakia in pursuit of the Mitte Army. On
the 11th, the Germans ceased fighting near Prague.
polish war losses 1939-1945
The contributions of the Polish Armed Forces to Allied
victory were never well known and are by now mostly
forgotten. Poles contributed much as can be seen from the
foregoing review. But the Polish nation also lost heavily and
suffered terribly while making its contributions and while
trying to survive under the oppressor.
Hitler's aim was to exterminate not only the Jews but also
Poles and their entire culture. Of all the Allies who fought,
Poland suffered the greatest losses. It is estimated that
Poland lost 220 out of every 1000 citizens during the war. By
comparison the Soviets lost 124. The number for France was
13, Great Britain 8 and the United States 1.4.
In addition to human losses, Poland suffered enormous
material losses which in 1945 were estimated to be near 50
billion dollars. There was also the loss of an estimated 43%
of all Polish art, national archival material and other
historical and cultural treasures.
It is appropriate to end this partial review by repeating
the words of Pope John Paul II: ``In World War II, on every
front, Poles shed their blood for independence. Polish
independence cannot be measured in geopolitical terms, but
only according to authentic criteria of national sovereignty
in its own nation.''
NB. The primary source for this review is: Baluk and
Michalowski, Polski czyn zbrojny 1939-1945, (Polish Military
History 1939-1945), Wydawnictwo Polonia, Warszawa, 1989.
About the Author: Sigmund Bajak is a retired Rear Admiral
in the U.S. Naval Reserve who served in World War II, Korea,
Berlin Crisis and Vietnam. As a civilian, he spent 30 years
as an executive for the National Broadcasting Company in New
York rising to a Director's position. At present, he is a
doctoral candidate in Polish military history at the
University of Warsaw. He is a member of the Polish-American
Congress.
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