Polish soldiers in Palestine and the Middle East
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Polish soldiers in Palestine and the Middle East i na Bliskim Wschodzie |
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The Polish Army in the East was created through merging of the forces already stationed in the Middle East with the army evacuated from the Soviet Union. The troops which arrived from Russia were stationed in northern and central Iraq. According to the intentions of the Polish command there was, however, a plan to create an Army, following an analysis which took into account the situation as regards equipment and human reserves, during a Polish - British conference. It was decided to form only a Corps, with extended services. The area of Iraq where Polish troops were stationed was characterized by having very difficult climatic conditions. Due to exhaustion of these soldiers who joined the Polish Army in the USSR from penal camps or places of deportation, there were numerous diseases, of which malaria was particularly perilous. Taken alone, diseases caused the death of 3500 soldiers.
The 2nd Polish Corps, organized on the basis of the Polish Army in the East, commanded by General Władysław Anders, consisted of two infantry divisions, one armoured brigade, the Army's Artillery Group, the Regiment of Carpathian Cavalry and of one sappers' batallion. In 1943 the entire corps was mobilised. In August 1943 the Polish troops were transferred to Palestine, which meant a significant improvement in their living conditions. In Palestine, in October 1943, the corps' units along with the British, carried out intensive training, as it was the last opportunity for the Polish troops to check their state of readiness before being sent to the front.
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As there was a surplus of officers in the Polish Army in the East, the British decided to make use of them. Their War Office asked the Polish government to dispatch 450 officers to West Africa. In July 1942 the Supreme Commander issued an order, after which the recruitment of volunteers began. By July 1943 around 800 - mostly younger officers were recruited, with 300 directed to serve in the British Army. They received a 2-year leave of absence from the Polish forces and permission to serve in the British army. After the expiry of leave some soldiers returned to the Polish Army, whilst others extended their leave of absence for another two years. They went on to serve in the 81st and 82nd West African Infantry Divisions and fought against the Japanese in Burma.
On 1 October 1943 the 2nd Polish Corps numbered already almost 53,000 men, with a further 18,000 men serving in other units of the Polish Army in the East, among them women from the Women's Supplementary Service. Schools were established to provide general education for children. Some of them joined the army later on.
The last months of 1943 were used for training and becoming familiar with the new equipment received from American supplies, amongst others, the Sherman tanks, the Stragyhound armoured cars and new types of cannon.
In December 1943 a transfer of the 2nd Corps' units from the Middle East to Italy began. The vessels of the Polish Navy and Polish Commercial Fleet took part in this operation. The 3rd Division of Carpathian Marksmen was the first unit to arrive in Italy (December 1943), and the 2nd Armoured Brigade was the last (April 1944).
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