General History
After Poland's defeat, the government in exile quickly organized in France a new fighting force originally of about 80,000 men. Their units were subordinate to the French Army. In early 1940 a Polish Highland Brigade took part in the Battles of Narvik in Norway. A Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade was formed in the French Mandate of Syria, to which many Polish troops had escaped from Poland. The Polish Air Force in France comprised 86 aircraft in four squadrons, one and a half of the squadrons being fully operational while the rest were in various stages of training. Two Polish divisions (First Grenadier Division, and Second Infantry Fusiliers Division) took part in the defence of France, while a Polish motorized brigade and two infantry divisions were being formed.
at the height of their power
| Deserters from forced conscription in the German Wehrmacht | 89,300 | (35.8%) |
| Evacuees from the USSR in 1942 | 83,000 | (33.7%) |
| Evacuees from France in 1940 | 35,000 | (14.0%) |
| Liberated POWs | 21,750 | (8.7%) |
| Escapees from occupied Europe | 14,210 | (5.7%) |
| Recruits in liberated France | 7,000 | (2.8%) |
| Polonia from Argentina, Brazil and Canada | 2,290 | (0.9%) |
| Polonia from the United Kingdom | 1,780 | (0.7%) |
| Total | 249,000 | |
At the capitulation of France, General Władysław Sikorski (the Polish commander-in-chief and prime minister) was able to evacuate many Polish troops - probably over 20,000 - to the United Kingdom. After initially regrouping in southern Scotland these Polish ground units (as Polish I Corps, comprising the 1st Independent Rifle Brigade, the 10th Motorised Cavalry Brigade (as infantry) and cadre brigades largely manned by surplus officers at battalion strength) took over responsibility in October 1940 for the defence of the counties of Fife and Angus; this included reinforcing coastal defences that had already been started. I Corps was under the direct command of Scottish Command of the British Army. While in this area the Corps was reorganised and expanded. Meanwhile Polish fliers had an important role in the Battle of Britain.
The opportunity to form another Polish army came in 1941, following an agreement between the Polish government in exile and Joseph Stalin, the Soviets releasing Polish soldiers, civilians and citizens from imprisonment. From these a 75,000-strong army was formed in the USSR under General Władysław Anders (Anders' Army). This army, successively gathered in Bouzoulouk, Samarkand, was later ferried from Krasnovodsk across the Caspian Sea to the Middle East (Iran) where the Polish II Corps was formed.
By March 1944, the Polish armed forces in the west fighting under British command numbered 195,000, 165,000 at the end of that year, including about 20,000 personnel in the Polish Air Force and 3,000 in the Polish Navy. At the end of World War II, they were 195,000 strong, and by July 1945 had increased to 228,000, most of the newcomers being released prisoners-of-war and ex-labor-camp inmates.
The Polish Armed Forces in the West fought in most Allied operations against the Nazi Germany in Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre and European theatres: the North African campaign, the Italian Campaign (with Battle of Monte Cassino being one of the most notable), the Western European Campaign (from Dieppe Raid and D-Day through Battle of Normandy and latter operations, especially Operation Market Garden).
After the German Instrument of Surrender, 1945, Polish troops took part in occupation duties in the Western Allied Occupation Zones in Germany. A Polish town was created: it was first named Lwow, then Maczkow.
Polish troops were incorporated into the 1945 top secret contingency plan, Operation Unthinkable, the hypothetical attack on the Soviet Union that would have led to an independent Poland.
Read more about this topic: Polish Armed Forces In The West
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