Poles in Battle of Berlin - 1945

Prince 15 | 590

5 Feb 2009 / #1

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin

Poles were fighting near Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag.

The three Soviet Fronts had altogether 2.5 million men (including 78,556 soldiers of the 1st Polish Army), 6,250 tanks, 7,500 aircraft, 41,600 artillery pieces and mortars, 3,255 truck-mounted Katyusha rocket launchers, and 95,383 motor vehicles.

krasnajaarmia.webpark.pl/redarmyadvanceberlin.jpg

Those who couldn't join 2 Polish Anders Army and were imprisoned in Russia, decided to march on West with Russians .

sjam 2 | 541

5 Feb 2009 / #2

Sikorski wanted all the released Poles to stay in USSR to fight alongside the Red Army in the liberation of Poland. He saw this as the best plan to help Poland regain independence after the war.

Anders persuaded Sikorski to allow him to move some of the newly formed Polish Army out of USSR and leave the larger force to fight with Red Army. Anders went against Sikorski's orders and secretly recruited a much bigger force to leave USSR. Anders was reprimanded by Sikorski for insubordination; some Poles even called for Ander's to be removed from command.

See:
General Anders and the Soldiers of the Second Polish Corps by Harvey Sarner.

The role of the Polish 1st Army is not given its due recognition in the defeat of Nazism by those Poles that fought with Anders and the Polish army of the west.