The Polish 5th Kresowa Infantry Division was an Polish Armed Forces in the West

Polish Armed Forces in the West

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...

 unit fighting during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 in the Italian Front

Italian Campaign (World War II)

The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...

. It was formed in March 1943. It was part of the Władysław Anders' 2nd Polish Corps, affiliated with the Western Allies

Allies

In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...

.

It was commanded by Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko

Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko

Zygmunt Piotr Bohusz-Szyszko was a Polish general. During World War I he served in the Imperial Russian army....

 (1943) and Nikodem Sulik

Nikodem Sulik

Nikodem Sulik-Sarnowski, who used the noms de guerre "Jodko", "Jod", "Karol", and "Sarnowski" , was an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, and Generał brygady of the Polish Army.-Biography:...

 (from 1943 to 1946).

Composition:

• 4th Wołyń Infantry Brigade(added in 1945)
• 5th Wilno Infantry Brigade
• 6th Lwów Infantry Brigade
• 15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment
  15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment
  15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment – unit of Polish cavalry, part of Greater Polands Army, Polish Army of Second Republic and Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II.-Regimental colours:...
  
  
• smaller divisional units

The division was named after the Kresy

Kresy

The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...

 region (eastern borderlands of the Second Polish Republic

Second Polish Republic

The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...

).