History /
World War 1 - Poles on most fronts in Europe. Any good sites about it in English? [27]
The civil war just started...I wonder what with the conscripted Poles happened as Russia bowed out of WWI...probably marching home?
Well one thing for sure was that in 1917 the Germans had signed a peace treaty, meaning all Russia's Western territories belonged to Germany. But in 1918 Germany surrendered and had her own "revolution problems" at home. So nobody knew who all these territories belonged too, the commies thought of it belonged to them as they were a new version of Russia. While Poles thought where Poles lived was theirs, and Poles lived scattered all over the area, and adding Belarussian, Ukrainians, Balts. It was one huge chaos ball :)
russia was a freaking mess at that time as they had internal conflicts too.
Indeed.
Are Poles interested in WWI as much as in WWII???
Probably not, but some are and I bet Polish Legions have a special place. Fighting for Germany wasn't much attracted as then they maybe would fight French people (not a popular thing to do) but with the Austrian-Hungarian Empire which knew Poles animosities towards Russia they sended all of em against Russia, so fighting with Austria-Hungary was much more preferred then Germany's banners. Although some/many did in normal German regiments I think.
I am not sure if there was many Poles fighting on the Balkans...
Hard to say....but I don't remember that the territory of the future Poland was "ransacked and pillaged" during WWI
Well, maybe not ransacked and pillaged as many Germans lived in those areas too, and I guess the Central powers didn't want to lose some form of "I like those Germans better then Russians!"
If they went on pillaging and rampaging then perhaps no Poles would fight for central powers :)
But the front lines were moving.
