Polish resistance in France during World War II
Encyclopedia
After the fall of France, many Poles who were not involved in the regular Polish Army in France
during World War II, or who were unable to reach the United Kingdom where the Polish Army in the United Kingdom had been formed, became the pillars of the Polish resistance in France.
in London, helped by an emissary Czesław Bitner. The organization was founded on 6 September 1941, in collaboration with the French Resistance
. Its mission was intelligence, sabotage, writing and distribution of underground newspapers in Polish, and burning pro-Nazi German literature, such as newspapers, or biographies of fascism supporters. The ability to parachute consisted of 60 bases in 20 reception in the south, 41 in the North and Center, according to messages sent by the French section of the BBC
. Officers, weapons, radio equipment, and explosives were thus parachuted.
The night of 22 to 23 July 1943, when Colonel Daniel Zdrojewski was dropped, marks the birth of the POWN - Polska Organizacja Walki o Niepodległości - Polish Organization for the Struggle for Independence. In 1943, the Organization had 4000 members.
flying bombs and V2
which 162 were bombed by Allied aircraft. The mission of the Sabotage section was to destroy telephone lines and power lines, to draw up barricades on roads, destroy or move telephone poles. Their mission was also to cause or facilitate the desertion of forcibly enlisted Poles from the German army (Wehrmacht
) or the Organization Todt. Thus 15 000 of the Wehrmacht and 10 000 from the Organization Todt were removed from the actual German. General Eisenhower felt that the activities of the Resistance was a contribution equivalent to 8 military divisions. The Polish units openly fought the Wehrmacht. The battalion "Lwów" fought in Cantal
and Corrèze
, "Warsaw" battalion was engaged in the operations of the Isère
and the Alps
(see Emile Garabiol
). In July 1944 one month before the liberation of the Isère, the Polish students of the Lycée of Villard de Lans took part in combat against the Germans alongside the French resistance on the plateau of the Vercors
. Of the 27 Poles, mostly aged 16 to 19 years, 11 died, as did 2 teachers and the doctor of the school.
Units of the POWN fought alongside FFI in the Departments of the Côte-d'Or
, Jura and Saône et Loire. When the contact was established between the Conseil National de la Résistance
(CNR) and POWN the battle groups headed by Colonel Zdrojewski were attached to the movement of FFI on the basis of an agreement with Lyon
on 28 May 1944 between the General Chaban-Delmas
, Chief Military Provisional Government of the Republic of France and General Zdrojewski.
as the Polish immigrant labor, the MOI. She maintained a correspondence with Fred (Alias Jacques Duclos). The group members of the Polish language MOI were mostly former soldiers of the International Brigades in Spain, Jarosław Dąbrowski Brigade (about 3000 men). The arrival of the POWN in the mining area of Nord Pas de Calais, led to a confrontation between supporters of the Polish government in exile in London and the MOI of the CPF. Poles were also members in the Youth Battalions. They would later became members of the Franc Tireurs Partisans (FTP) after the attack on the USSR by the armies of Hitler in June 1941.
Other units made of foreign Jews were active, with the identity or name "Jews born in Poland." In 1944, they began to train Polish Committee of National Liberation
(PKWN) who supported the policy of communism Poland, it was opposed to the POWN under the command of the Polish government in exile in London.
Members of the Polish Socialist Party
(PPS) (main stream political party in Poland prior to the war) had given birth early in 1941 in the Department du Nord Pas de Calais and two underground organizations, the Organization and S Orzel Bialy (White Eagle). Both organizations were designed to inform the Poles in France on military developments and spread the idea of resistance to the Germans.
Polish Army in France (1939-1940)
The Polish Army in France formed in France under the command of General Władysław Sikorski in late 1939, after the fall of Poland resulting from the Polish Defensive War...
during World War II, or who were unable to reach the United Kingdom where the Polish Army in the United Kingdom had been formed, became the pillars of the Polish resistance in France.
Origin
That resistance started to organize under the inspiration of Consul General Aleksander Kawałkowski alias Justyna, in agreement with the Polish government in exilePolish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
in London, helped by an emissary Czesław Bitner. The organization was founded on 6 September 1941, in collaboration with the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. Its mission was intelligence, sabotage, writing and distribution of underground newspapers in Polish, and burning pro-Nazi German literature, such as newspapers, or biographies of fascism supporters. The ability to parachute consisted of 60 bases in 20 reception in the south, 41 in the North and Center, according to messages sent by the French section of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Officers, weapons, radio equipment, and explosives were thus parachuted.
The night of 22 to 23 July 1943, when Colonel Daniel Zdrojewski was dropped, marks the birth of the POWN - Polska Organizacja Walki o Niepodległości - Polish Organization for the Struggle for Independence. In 1943, the Organization had 4000 members.
Activities
Colonel Zdrojewski was Chief of the Polish Military Operations in France. He was in close contact with General Marie-Pierre Koenig, commander in chief of the Forces Françaises de l'Intérieur (FFI). The relationship between the French and Poles, fighting a common enemy, were very friendly. There were Polish companies in the resistance, as part of FFI. The Organization's sophisticated sections included transport and delivery of equipment and men parachuted to their places of destination. Women and young Scouts incumbent liaison missions, intelligence, transport of underground newspapers, leaflets and so on. Intelligence units have sent information on 182 launchers V1V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
flying bombs and V2
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
which 162 were bombed by Allied aircraft. The mission of the Sabotage section was to destroy telephone lines and power lines, to draw up barricades on roads, destroy or move telephone poles. Their mission was also to cause or facilitate the desertion of forcibly enlisted Poles from the German army (Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
) or the Organization Todt. Thus 15 000 of the Wehrmacht and 10 000 from the Organization Todt were removed from the actual German. General Eisenhower felt that the activities of the Resistance was a contribution equivalent to 8 military divisions. The Polish units openly fought the Wehrmacht. The battalion "Lwów" fought in Cantal
Cantal
Cantal is a department in south-central France. It is named after the Cantal mountain range, a group of extinct, eroded volcanic peaks, which covers much of the department. Residents are known as Cantaliens or Cantalous....
and Corrèze
Corrèze
Corrèze is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River.The inhabitants of the department are called Corréziens or Corréziennes according to gender.-History:...
, "Warsaw" battalion was engaged in the operations of the Isère
Isère
Isère is a department in the Rhône-Alpes region in the east of France named after the river Isère.- History :Isère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Dauphiné...
and the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
(see Emile Garabiol
Emile Garabiol
-Early life:Emile Garabiol was born in the small town of Le Grand Lemps in France.. He was one of the first to attend the École Nationale Professionnelle of Voiron in 1889, a small city 20 miles from Grenoble. He entered the École des Arts et Métiers in 1893, the year in which it was created...
). In July 1944 one month before the liberation of the Isère, the Polish students of the Lycée of Villard de Lans took part in combat against the Germans alongside the French resistance on the plateau of the Vercors
Vercors
Vercors is an upland district in the south-east of France:* Vercors Caves, a set of long caves* Vercors Plateau, a range of mountains and plateaus in the department of Isère, French Alps* Vercors Regional Natural Park, a protected area of southeastern France...
. Of the 27 Poles, mostly aged 16 to 19 years, 11 died, as did 2 teachers and the doctor of the school.
Units of the POWN fought alongside FFI in the Departments of the Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or
Côte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
, Jura and Saône et Loire. When the contact was established between the Conseil National de la Résistance
Conseil National de la Résistance
The Conseil National de la Résistance or the National Council of the Resistance is the body that directed and coordinated the different movements of the French Resistance - the press, trade unions, and members of political parties hostile to the Vichy regime, starting from...
(CNR) and POWN the battle groups headed by Colonel Zdrojewski were attached to the movement of FFI on the basis of an agreement with Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
on 28 May 1944 between the General Chaban-Delmas
Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Jacques Chaban-Delmas was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. In addition, for almost half a century, he was Mayor of Bordeaux and a deputy for the Gironde département....
, Chief Military Provisional Government of the Republic of France and General Zdrojewski.
Other Polish resistance groups in France
POWN was not the only Polish group involved in the Resistance in France. Other resistance groups were similar to those issued by the French Communist PartyFrench Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
as the Polish immigrant labor, the MOI. She maintained a correspondence with Fred (Alias Jacques Duclos). The group members of the Polish language MOI were mostly former soldiers of the International Brigades in Spain, Jarosław Dąbrowski Brigade (about 3000 men). The arrival of the POWN in the mining area of Nord Pas de Calais, led to a confrontation between supporters of the Polish government in exile in London and the MOI of the CPF. Poles were also members in the Youth Battalions. They would later became members of the Franc Tireurs Partisans (FTP) after the attack on the USSR by the armies of Hitler in June 1941.
Other units made of foreign Jews were active, with the identity or name "Jews born in Poland." In 1944, they began to train Polish Committee of National Liberation
Polish Committee of National Liberation
The Polish Committee of National Liberation , also known as the Lublin Committee, was a provisional government of Poland, officially proclaimed 21 July 1944 in Chełm under the direction of State National Council in opposition to the Polish government in exile...
(PKWN) who supported the policy of communism Poland, it was opposed to the POWN under the command of the Polish government in exile in London.
Members of the Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
(PPS) (main stream political party in Poland prior to the war) had given birth early in 1941 in the Department du Nord Pas de Calais and two underground organizations, the Organization and S Orzel Bialy (White Eagle). Both organizations were designed to inform the Poles in France on military developments and spread the idea of resistance to the Germans.