Armia Krajowa

To the south, the major Soviet assault, aimed at the juncture of the 1.Panzer-Armee and 4.Panzer-Armee had been successfully repulsed on the 14th by the division sized Korpsabteilung C. The Soviets shifted their attack further south, and after an immense artillery and air bombardement, hitting the already weak 349. and 357.Infanterie-Divisions. The 349.Infanterie-Division collapsed under the assault, the survivors falling back in disarray. Due to Korpsabteilung C and the 357.Infanterie-Division's actions, the Soviet breakthrough was only 3-4 ...

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Lvov-Sandomierz Operation, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Bagration - the stage is set, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Opposing forces, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - The assault begins, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Encirclement at Brody, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Annihilation at Brody - objectives redefined, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Renewed attack - capture of Sandomierz, Lvov-Sandomierz Operation - Orders of battle

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It was a continuation of the series of meetings begun at the Casablanca Conference (January 14 to 24, 1943) although the meetings can be tracked back to prior U.S. involvement in the War, between both Britain's PM and the President of the U.S. at sea in the waters off Newfoundland (see Atlantic Charter). The Yalta conference was then followed by the Potsdam Conference. The meeting took place in the former Imperial palace at Yalta in ...

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Yalta Conference, Yalta Conference - Conference, Yalta Conference - Controversies over Yalta

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Virtuti Militari - Beginnings. Throughout its history, the Virtuti Militari has shared its country's fate, and has been abolished and reintroduced several times. The order was originally created on June 22, 1792, by King Stanisław August Poniatowski to commemorate the victorious Battle of Zieleńce. Initially, it comprised two classes: a golden medal for generals and officers, and a silver one for non-commissioned officers and ordinary soldiers. By August 1792, a statute for the decoration had been drafte ...

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Virtuti Militari, Virtuti Militari - History, Virtuti Militari - Beginnings, Virtuti Militari - Duchy of Warsaw, Virtuti Militari - Congress Poland, Virtuti Militari - Republic of Poland, Virtuti Militari - World War II, Virtuti Militari - People's Republic of Poland, Virtuti Militari - Republic of Poland after 1989, Virtuti Militari - List of selected recipients

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History of the Jews in Poland - Early history: 966–1385. The first Jews arrived in the territory of modern Poland in the 10th century. Travelling along the trade routes leading eastwards to Kiev and Bukhara, the Jewish merchants also crossed the areas of Silesia. One of them, a diplomat and merchant from the Moorish town of Tortosa in Al-Andalus, known under his Arabic name of Ibrahim ibn Jakub, was the first chronicler to mention the Polish state under the rule of prince Mieszko I. The first actual mention of ...

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History of the Jews in Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - Early history to Golden Age: 966–1572, History of the Jews in Poland - Early history: 966–1385, History of the Jews in Poland - The early Jagiellon era: 1385–1505, History of the Jews in Poland - Center of the Jewish world: 1505–72, History of the Jews in Poland - The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: 1572–1795, History of the Jews in Poland - The Warsaw Confederation, History of the Jews in Poland - Increasing isolation, History of the Jews in Poland - The Cossack Uprising and the Deluge, History of the Jews in Poland - Decline under the Saxon Dynasty, History of the Jews in Poland - The Partitions, History of the Jews in Poland - The development of Judaism in Poland and the Commonwealth, History of the Jews in Poland - Jewish learning, History of the Jews in Poland - The rise of Hasidism, History of the Jews in Poland - Jews of Poland within the Russian Empire 1795–1918, History of the Jews in Poland - Pogroms, History of the Jews in Poland - Haskalah and Halakha, History of the Jews in Poland - Politics in Polish Territory, History of the Jews in Poland - Interwar period 1918–39, History of the Jews in Poland - Independence and Polish Jews, History of the Jews in Poland - Jewish and Polish culture, History of the Jews in Poland - Growing anti-Semitism, History of the Jews in Poland - WWII and the destruction of Polish Jewry 1939–45, History of the Jews in Poland - The Polish September campaign, History of the Jews in Poland - Soviet-occupied Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - The Holocaust: German-occupied Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - Communist rule: 1945–89, History of the Jews in Poland - Postwar, History of the Jews in Poland - 1967–1989, History of the Jews in Poland - Since 1989, History of the Jews in Poland - Notes

Read more here: » History of the Jews in Poland: Encyclopedia II - History of the Jews in Poland - Early history to Golden Age: 966–1572

Prior to the Warsaw Uprising, most of the Kedyw units in the Warsaw area were moved into the city and grouped into infantry battalions. Notable among them were "Zośka", "Parasol" and "Miotła". After fighting broke out, most of the Kedyw forces joined the Radosław group. Kedyw units were among the most successful in the Uprising. The boy scouts not only had more experience than many regular soldiers, they had also m ...

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Kedyw, Kedyw - Warsaw Uprising, Kedyw - Commanders

Read more here: » Kedyw: Encyclopedia II - Kedyw - Warsaw Uprising

Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Independence and Polish Jews. Jews also played a role in the fight for crisps for independence in 1918, some joining Józef Pilsudski, but many other communities decided to remain neutral in the fight for a Polish state. In the wake of the World War I and the ensuing series of conflicts that engulfed Eastern Europe like the Russian Civil War, Polish-Ukrainian War, Polish-Soviet War, many pogroms were launched against the Jews by all sides. As a sign ...

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Jewish Polish history during the 1900s, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Interwar period 1918-1939, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Independence and Polish Jews, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Jewish and Polish culture, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Rising Anti-Semitism, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - WWII and the destruction of Polish Jewry 1939-1945, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - The Polish September campaign, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Soviet-Occupied Poland, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - The Holocaust: German-occupied Poland, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Communist rule: 1945-1989, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Post-war, Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - From 1967-1989

Read more here: » Jewish Polish history during the 1900s: Encyclopedia II - Jewish Polish history during the 1900s - Interwar period 1918-1939

History of Poland 1945–1989 - Wartime devastation. Poland suffered enormous losses during World War II. While in 1939 Poland had 35.1 million inhabitants, the census of February 14, 1946 showed only 23.9 million. Over ninety percent of Poland's capital was destroyed in the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising. Poland, still a predominantly agricultural country compared to Western nations, suffered catastrophic damage to its infrastruc ...

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History of Poland 1945–1989, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Creation of the People's Republic of Poland 1945–1956, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Wartime devastation, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Consolidation of Communist power 1945–1948, History of Poland 1945–1989 - The Bierut era 1948–1956, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Minorities in Poland after the War, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Communist reform 1956–1970, History of Poland 1945–1989 - De-Stalinization, History of Poland 1945–1989 - The Gomułka period, History of Poland 1945–1989 - The Gierek era 1970–1980, History of Poland 1945–1989 - The end of Communist rule 1980–1990, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Changes in Polish society, History of Poland 1945–1989 - Notes

Read more here: » History of Poland 1945–1989: Encyclopedia II - History of Poland 1945–1989 - Creation of the People's Republic of Poland 1945–1956

Gerard Antoni Ciołek was born on 24 September 1909 in Wyżnica, a small town in Bukovina territory of the Austro-Hungarian empire (now Western Ukraine). His Polish parents, Adolf and Ludwika (nee Melz), were landless, impoverished nobility (i.e. landless szlachta) from Galicia and Bukovina. His father was a middle-ranking official at the Austrian Tax Office, first in Kuty, then in nearby Wyżnica, in the Carpathian ranges. Following the end of World War I, and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Wyżnica was incorporated into Roman ...

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Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Gerard Antoni Ciołek - Biography, Gerard Antoni Ciołek - Publications about the work & life of Gerard Ciołek, Gerard Antoni Ciołek - Main publications by Gerard Ciołek, Gerard Antoni Ciołek - Posthumous publications

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Heroism film - Scherzo Alla Pollacca. The first part is a bitter, tragicomic story of Dzidziuś, a street-wise dodger, bon-vivant, drunkard and a coward, who unwillingly becomes a soldier of the Armia Krajowa during the Warsaw Uprising. Since his wife is having an affair with a Hungarian officer stationed nearby, Dzidziuś is ordered to reach the Hungarian unit and convince the officer to join the fighting against the Germans. See also:

Heroism film, Heroism film - Synopsis, Heroism film - Scherzo Alla Pollacca, Heroism film - Ostinato Lugubre, Heroism film - Cast

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History of Vilnius - Polish-Lithuanian conflict. During the World War I Wilna was occupied by Germany from 1915 until 1918. Still under German occupation, the German-supported Council of Lithuania proclaimed the act of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania in Vilnius on February 16, 1918. Germans however denied the Council the right to elect a State Council. Instead, the Council attempted to elect a German prince, Wilhelm von Urach of Württemberg for a Lithuanian king under the name of Mindaugas II. In ...

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History of Vilnius, History of Vilnius - Middle ages, History of Vilnius - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, History of Vilnius - Russian occupation, History of Vilnius - Interwar period, History of Vilnius - Polish-Lithuanian conflict, History of Vilnius - Poland, History of Vilnius - Second World War, History of Vilnius - Soviet occupation, History of Vilnius - Independent Lithuania

Read more here: » History of Vilnius: Encyclopedia II - History of Vilnius - Interwar period

The rise of resistance movements in Greece was precipitated by the invasion and occupation of Greece by Nazi Germany (and its allies Italy and Bulgaria) from 1941 to 1944. Italy led the way with its invasion of Albania in 1940. By 1941, Athens had fallen and King George II and his government escaped to Egypt, where they set up a government in exile which was recognized by the Allies. The British forced the King to use center-wing politicians as ministers. Only two of his ministers were members of the previous dictatorial government. However, ...

See also:

Greek Resistance, Greek Resistance - Origins, Greek Resistance - Risks involved, Greek Resistance - Table of resistance groups, Greek Resistance - Activities, Greek Resistance - Notable resistance members, Greek Resistance - Greece & World War II, Greek Resistance - Allied involvement in Greece, Greek Resistance - Other WW II resistance movements

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History of the Jews in Poland - Early history: 966–1385. Main article: History of Poland (966-1385) The first Jews arrived in the territory of modern Poland in the 10th century. Travelling along the trade routes leading eastwards to Kiev and Bukhara, the Jewish merchants also crossed the areas of Silesia. One of them, a diplomat and merchant from the Moorish town of Tortosa in Al-Andalus, known under his Arabic name of Ibrahim ibn Jakub, was the first chronicler to mention the Polish ...

See also:

History of the Jews in Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - Early history to Golden Age: 966–1572, History of the Jews in Poland - Early history: 966–1385, History of the Jews in Poland - The early Jagiellon era: 1385–1505, History of the Jews in Poland - Center of the Jewish world: 1505–72, History of the Jews in Poland - The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: 1572–1795, History of the Jews in Poland - The Warsaw Confederation, History of the Jews in Poland - Increasing isolation, History of the Jews in Poland - The Cossack Uprising and the Deluge, History of the Jews in Poland - Decline under the Saxon Dynasty, History of the Jews in Poland - The Partitions, History of the Jews in Poland - The development of Judaism in Poland and the Commonwealth, History of the Jews in Poland - Jewish learning, History of the Jews in Poland - The rise of Hasidism, History of the Jews in Poland - Jews of Poland within the Russian Empire 1795–1918, History of the Jews in Poland - Pogroms, History of the Jews in Poland - Haskalah and Halakha, History of the Jews in Poland - Politics in Polish Territory, History of the Jews in Poland - Interwar period 1918–39, History of the Jews in Poland - Independence and Polish Jews, History of the Jews in Poland - Jewish and Polish culture, History of the Jews in Poland - Growing anti-Semitism, History of the Jews in Poland - WWII and the destruction of Polish Jewry 1939–45, History of the Jews in Poland - The Polish September campaign, History of the Jews in Poland - Soviet-occupied Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - The Holocaust: German-occupied Poland, History of the Jews in Poland - Communist rule: 1945–89, History of the Jews in Poland - Postwar, History of the Jews in Poland - 1967–1989, History of the Jews in Poland - Since 1989, History of the Jews in Poland - Notes

Read more here: » History of the Jews in Poland: Encyclopedia II - History of the Jews in Poland - Early history to Golden Age: 966–1572

When Adolf Hitler's NSDAP swept to power in Germany in 1933, World War I fighter ace Hermann Göring was appointed as the Minister of the Interior. In this capacity, all Polizei units came under Göring's control. On 24 February, 1933, with the intention of creating a police unit unswervingly loyal to the NSDAP regime, Göring authorised the creation of Polizeiabteilung z.b. V. Wecke (Special Purpose Police Abteilung Wecke). The unit was named after its commander, Prussian World War I veteran and member of the NSD ...

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Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Creation and Early History - Police Administration, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Luftwaffe Control - Early Campaigns, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Barbarossa - North Africa, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Panzer Division - Sicily - Italy, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Transfer to the East, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - East Prussia - Defeat, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - War Crimes, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Commanders, Fallschirm-Panzer Division 1 Hermann Göring - Orders of Battle

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Gwardia Ludowa was created on January 6, 1942. Its main task was fight against Germany, by means of partisan warfare, sabotage and reprisal actions. In addition, Gwardia Ludowa was connected to the intelligence services of the Soviet Union. The first partisan detachments (foray groups were organized even earlier) of Gwardia Ludowa were formed in May 1942 near Piotrków and Radom. By the end of the year the organisation was divided onto 7 administrative areas: Warsaw Lublin Radom-Kielce Kraków Łó ...

See also:

Gwardia Ludowa, Gwardia Ludowa - History, Gwardia Ludowa - Commanders

Read more here: » Gwardia Ludowa: Encyclopedia II - Gwardia Ludowa - History

Cukierman was born in Vilna to a Jewish family. As a young man he embraced the concepts of socialism and Zionism. After the German and Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939 he was overrun by the Red Army and initially stayed in the Soviet zone of occupation, where he took active part in creation of various Jewish underground socialist organisations. In the spring of 1940 he moved to Warsaw, where he became one of the leaders of the Dror Hechaluc youth movement and eventually the deputy commander of the ŻOB resistance organisation. Since then he ...

See also:

Icchak Cukierman, Icchak Cukierman - World War II, Icchak Cukierman - Post-war life, Icchak Cukierman - Bibliography

Read more here: » Icchak Cukierman: Encyclopedia II - Icchak Cukierman - World War II

Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Early life. Edward Rydz was born in the village of Łapszyn near Brzeżany, Tarnopol Voivodship, Galicia. He was the son of a professional NCO in the Austro-Hungarian Army, Tomasz Rydz, and Maria Babiak. The family endured rather humble circumstances and he was orphaned at the age of 13 years. He was then raised by his maternal grandparents and, after their deaths, by the family of Dr. Uranowicz, the town physician at Brzeżany. After graduating with distinction at the local GymnasiumSee also:

Edward Rydz-Śmigły, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Biography, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Early life, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Military triumphs, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Second Man in the State, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - 1939, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - The last years, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Awards, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Legacy, Edward Rydz-Śmigły - Bibliography

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Cichociemni - Early days. On December 30, 1939 capt. Jan Górski, a Polish Army officer who managed to escape to France after the Polish Defense War of 1939, prepared a report for the Polish Chief of Staff in which he proposed the creation of a secret unit maintaining contact with the ZWZ by a group of well-trained envoys. The report was initially ignored, so Górski repeated it several times. Finally commander of the Polish air forces, general Zając, replied that although creation of such a unit would be a good move, the Polish Airforce had no means of transport and no training fac ...

See also:

Cichociemni, Cichociemni - The name, Cichociemni - History, Cichociemni - Early days, Cichociemni - Training, Cichociemni - Air bridges, Cichociemni - The fight, Cichociemni - Famous Cichociemni, Cichociemni - Losses, Cichociemni - After the war

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Initially after the occupation of Poland by the Soviet Union and Germany, the peasant parties were reluctant to forming their own armed resistance forces. Since mid-1940 several smaller groups were formed, mostly for self-defence of Polish peasants against German terror and economical policies. Most of members of peasant parties grouped in CKRL (Central Directorate of Peasant Movement) who received military training before the war were transferred to other arme ...

See also:

Bataliony Chłopskie, Bataliony Chłopskie - History, Bataliony Chłopskie - Tasks and actions

Read more here: » Bataliony Chłopskie: Encyclopedia II - Bataliony Chłopskie - History

In 1942 engineer Wacław Zawrotny proposed the Armia Krajowa command that he and his colleagues prepare a project of a cheap, home-made machine pistol for use by the Polish resistance. Its main feature was to be a simple project, so that the weapon could be made even in small workshops, by inexperienced engineers. The idea was accepted and Zawrotny, together with his colleague Seweryn Wielanier, prepared a project of a sub-machine gun, soon afterwards named Błyskawica (Polish for lightning). To allow for easier production, all ...

See also:

Błyskawica, Błyskawica - History, Błyskawica - External link

Read more here: » Błyskawica: Encyclopedia II - Błyskawica - History

He was born in the same place as Lenin, in Simbirsk to Russian Poles Mikołaj and Helena Maliszewski. His father was a Russian official and he and his family lived in Russia and the Ukraine until the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which the family returned to Poland (1920). He a was soldier in the Polish army during World War II in 1939 and fought in the Polish September Campaign when Poland was invaded by the Nazi Germany. After the fall of Poland, he joined the Polish underground forces Armia Krajowa (AK ...

See also:

Paweł Jasienica, Paweł Jasienica - Biography, Paweł Jasienica - Bibliography, Paweł Jasienica - Quotes

Read more here: » Paweł Jasienica: Encyclopedia II - Paweł Jasienica - Biography

Active in the Armia Krajowa, the Polish resistance, from the beginning of Poland's 1939 defeat at the start of World War II, Cyrankiewicz was captured by the Wehrmacht in the autumn of 1942 and sent to Auschwitz. He arrived on September 4, 1942, and received registration number 62,993. Working closely with another prisoner, Witold Pilecki, against whom he would later testify in a Communist show trial leading to Pilecki's death, Cyrankiewicz organised a mass breakout. By the end of the year, they had 500 prisoners ready to overthrow th ...

See also:

Józef Cyrankiewicz, Józef Cyrankiewicz - World War II, Józef Cyrankiewicz - Rise to power

Read more here: » Józef Cyrankiewicz: Encyclopedia II - Józef Cyrankiewicz - World War II