Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies. (Other Polish forces were raised within Soviet territories; the Polish Armed Forces in the East).
The formations, loyal to the Polish government in exile, were first formed in France and its Middle East territories following the defeat and occupation of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union in September 1939. After the fall of France, the formations were recreated in the United Kingdom. Making one of the largest contributions to the war effort, the Polish military in the West was composed of army, air and naval forces. The Poles soon became shock troops in Allied service. Taking part in the Battle of Monte Cassino on May 18 1944, the bugle call of the Polish call-to-arms and the raising of the Polish flag on the ruins of the Abbey was their finest hour. The forces were finally disbanded in 1947, with many former soldiers choosing to remain in exile rather than to return to communist-controlled Poland.
Read more about Polish Armed Forces In The West: General History, Denouement, See Also, References
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