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Polish II Corps (in polacco Drugi Korpus Wojska Polskiego), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and by the end of 1945 it had grown to well over 100,000 soldiers.
| Secondo Corpo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Descrizione generale | |
| Attivo | 1943 - 1947 |
| Nazione | POL |
| Dimensione | da 55.000 (1944) a 103.000 uomini (1946) |
| Battaglie/guerre | Battaglia di Cassino |
| Voci su unità militari presenti su Wikipedia | |
Following the signing of the Polish-Russian Military Agreement on August 14, 1941, a Polish Army on Soviet soil was born. The first commander, General Michał Tokarzewski, began the task of forming this army in the Soviet town of Totskoye on August 17. The commander chosen by General Władysław Sikorski to ultimately lead the new army, General Władysław Anders, had been just released from the Lubyanka prison in Moscow, on August 4, and did not issue his first orders or announce his appointment as commander until August 22.
This army would grow over the following two years and provide the bulk of the units and troops of the Polish II Corps.
The Polish II Corps was created in 1943 from various units fighting alongside the Allies in all theatres of war. The 3rd Carpathian Division was formed in the Middle East from smaller Polish units fighting in Egypt and Tobruk, as well as the Polish Army in the East that was evacuated from the USSR through the Persian Corridor. Its creation was based on British Army Act of 1940 that allowed the allied units of the exiled government of Poland to be grouped on one theatre of war. However, the British command never agreed to incorporate the exiled Siły Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej into the Corps. [[:File:2polcorps ostrowski2.jpg|thumb|Soldiers from the 2nd Polish Corps pose during the Adriatic Offensive]] In 1944 the Corps was transferred from Egypt to Italy, where it became an independent part of the British Eighth Army under General Oliver Leese. During 1944-1945 the Corps fought with distinction in the Italian campaign, most notably during the fourth and final Battle of Monte Cassino, the Battle of Ancona during Operation Olive (the fighting on the Gothic Line in September 1944) and the Battle of Bologna during the Allies' final offensive in Italy in March 1945.
In 1944 it numbered about 50,000 soldiers. During the three subsequent battles the Corps suffered heavy losses (in the final stage of the Battle of Monte Cassino even the support units were mobilised and used in combat) and it was suggested to Gen. Anders that he withdraw his units. However, since the Soviet Union broke diplomatic relations with the Polish government and no Poles were allowed out of the USSR, Anders believed that the only source of recruits was ahead - in German POW camps and concentration camps.
By 1945 new units were added composed mostly from freed POWs and Poles forced to join the Wehrmacht, increasing the amount of soldiers to approximately 75,000; approximately 20,000 of them were transferred to other Polish units fighting in the West. After the war the divisions of the Corps were used in Italy until 1946, when they were transported to Britain and demobilised. The total establishment of the Polish Second Corps in 1946 was 103,000. The majority of soldiers remained in exile and settled in Britain.
Nel maggio del 1945 il Secondo Corpo era formato da 55.780 uomini e circa 1.500 donne dei servizi ausiliari e l'orso Wojtek, mascotte del corpo sin da quando era di stanza in Iran. La maggior parte degli effettivi era formata da cittadini polacchi deportati dalla NKVD nei gulag sovietici nel 1939, a seguito dell'occupazione sovietica della Polonia orientale. A seguito dell'operazione Barbarossa e dell'accordo Sikorski-Mayski molti dei prigionieri furono rilasciati affinché potessero raggiungere l'esercito polacco in Oriente che si stava formando nel sud della Russia ed in Kazakistan. Per ragioni geopolitiche, tuttavia, l'URSS ritirò il suo appoggio alla formazione di quest'esercito sul suo territorio e ne ridusse di conseguenza gli approvvigionamenti. Ciò indusse il generale Władysław Anders a portare le sue truppe nella parte di Persia occupata dai britannici. Dall'Iran i polacchi si spostarono nella Palestina sotto mandato inglese, dove si unirono alle forze della terza divisione dei Carpazi, composta principalmente da soldati polacchi fuggiti nel Libano francese attraverso la Romania e l'Ungheria dopo l'invasione tedesca della Polonia.
La maggior parte degli uomini proveniva dai vovoidati orientali della Polonia prebellica, la maggior parte, inoltre, era tecnicamente polacca ma, tuttavia, anche altre nazionalità erano presenti, in particolare ebrei, bielorussi e ucraini. Dopo
The main bulk of the soldiers were from the eastern voivodeships of pre-war Poland. Although the majority of them were ethnic Poles, there were also members of other nationalities who joined the units of II Corps, most notably Jews, Belarusians and Ukrainians. After being relocated to Palestine, where there was little for the enlisted men to do, many Jewish soldiers of the corps "unofficially" discharged themselves by simply fading into the countryside. Menachem Begin, however, though encouraged to desert by friends of his, refused to remove the uniform until he was officially discharged from the army.
L'equipaggiamento era così composto:
- 248 pezzi d'artiglieri
- 288 pezzi anticarro
- 234 pezzi antiaerei
- 264 carri armati
- 1.241 trasporti truppe
- 440 autoblindo
- 12.064 automezzi
- 1 orso bruno
Durante la campagna d'Italia il Secondo Corpo perse 11.379 uomini, dei quali 2.301 caduti in battaglia, 8,543 feriti e 535 dispersi.
At the time of its demobilisation in 1946, the 2nd Polish Corps establishment was as follows.
The coloured numbers refer to the Unit Code Signs marked on all vehicles. Black number on white denotes original colour no known
NB: There are some differences between this Ordre de Bataille and the one at the time of the Battle for Monte Cassino in 1944.
- Polish 3rd CARPATHIAN INFANTRY DIVISION CO: Maj.Gen. Bronisław Duch File:BLACK50.gif
- 1st Carpathian Rifle BrigadeFile:Unit code red65.gif
- 1st Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code red91.gif
- 2nd Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code red80.gif
- 3rd Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code red52.gif
- 2nd Carpathian Rifle BrigadeFile:Unit code darkgreen72.gif
- 4th Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code darkgreen92.gif
- 5th Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code darkgreen84.gif
- 6th Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code darkgreen75.gif
- 3rd Carpathian Rifle BrigadeFile:Unit code brown58.gif
- 7th Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code brown60.gif
- 8th Carpathian Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code brown62.gif
- 9th “Boloński” Carpathian Rifle Battalion (Named for liberating Bologna) File:Unit code brown89.gif
- Other Divisional Units
- 7th Lubelski Uhlan Regiment (Divisional Recce)
- 1st Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
- 2nd Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
- 3rd Carpathian Light Artillery Regiment
- 3rd Carpathian Anti-tank Regiment
- 3rd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 3rd Heavy Machine Gun Battalion File:Unit code red51.gif
- 3rd Carpathian Sapper (Engineer) Battalion
- 1st Carpathian Field Engineer Company
- 2nd Carpathian Field Engineer Company
- 3rd Carpathian Field Engineer Company
- 3rd Carpathian Field Park Company
- 3rd Carpathian Signals Battalion
- 1st Carpathian Rifle BrigadeFile:Unit code red65.gif
- POLISH 5th KRESOWA INFANTRY DIVISION CO: Brig.Gen. Nikodem Sulik File:BLACK50.gif
- 4th Wolyńska Infantry BrigadeFile:Unit code brown58.gif
- 10th Wolyńska Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code brown60.gif
- 11th Wolyńska Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code brown62.gif
- 12th Wolyńska Rifle BattalionFile:Unit code brown89.gif
- 5th Wilno Infantry Brigade File:Unit code red65.gif
- 13th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Rysiow"File:Unit code red91.gif
- 14th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Zbikow"File:Unit code red80.gif
- 15th Wilenski Rifle Battalion "Wilkow"File:Unit code red52.gif
- 6th Lwów Infantry Brigade File:Unit code darkgreen72.gif
- 16th Lwowski Rifle Battalion File:Unit code darkgreen92.gif
- 17th Lwowski Rifle Battalion File:Unit code darkgreen84.gif
- 18th Lwowski Rifle Battalion File:Unit code darkgreen75.gif
- Other Divisional Unit
- 25th Wielkopolski Uhlan Regiment
- 4th Kresowy Light Artillery Regiment
- 5th Wileński Light Artillery Regiment
- 6th Lwowski Light Artillery Regiment
- 5th Kresowy Anti-tank Regiment
- 5th Kresowy Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 5th Kresowy Heavy Machine Gun Battalion File:Unit code red51.gif
- 5th Kresowa Sapper (Engineer) Battalion
- 4th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
- 5th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
- 6th Kresowa Field Engineer Company
- 5th Kresowa Field Park Company
- 5th Kresowy Signals Battalion
- 5th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
- 4th Wolyńska Infantry BrigadeFile:Unit code brown58.gif
- POLISH 2nd WARSAW ARMOURED DIVISION. CO: Brig.Gen. Bronisław Rakowski File:Unit code black40.gif
- Carpathian Uhlan/Lancer Regiment (Divisional Recce) File:Unit code black45.gif
- 2nd Warsaw Armoured Brigade File:Unit code Red50.gif
- 4th ‘Skorpion’ Armoured Regiment File:Unit code red51.gif
- 1st Krechowiecki Uhlan Regiment File:Unit code red52.gif
- 6th ‘Children of Lwów’ Armoured Regiment File:Unit code red53.gif
- 2nd Motorised Independent Polish Commando Company File:Unit code red54.gif
- 16th Pomorska Infantry Brigade File:Unit code green60.gif
- 64th Pomorski Infantry Battalion File:Unit code green61.gif
- 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion File:Unit code green62.gif
- 66th Pomorski Infantry Battalion File:Unit code green63.gif
- 16th Pomorski Support Company File:Unit code green64.gif
- Other Divisional Units
- HQ Division Artillery File:Unit code redblue40.gif
- 7th Horse Artillery Regiment File:Unit code redblue74.gif
- 16th Pomorski Light Artillery Regiment File:Unit code redblue76.gif
- 2nd Anti-tank Regiment File:Unit code redblue77.gif
- 2nd Light Anti-aircraft Regiment File:Unit code redblue73.gif
- 2nd Warszawski Signals Battalion
- 2nd Warszawski Engineer Battalion
- 9th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
- 9th Supply Company
- 19th Supply Company
- 28th Supply Company
- 9th Workshop Company
- 16th Workshop Company
- 2nd Armoured Division Military Police (Provost) Company File:Unit code black43.gif
- 9th Field Court
- 343 Anti-malaria Section
- 14th WIELKOPOLSKA ARMOURED BRIGADE File:Unit code Red50.gif
- 15th Poznań Uhlans Regiment (Previously part of 5th Kresowa Division)File:Unit code red51.gif
- 3rd Śląsk Uhlan Regiment File:Unit code red52.gif
- 10th Hussar Regiment File:Unit code red53.gif
- 14th Forward Tank Replacement Squadron
- 14th Wielkopolska Engineer Company File:Unit code no colour41.gif
- 14th Wielkopolska Signals Squadron
- 14th Workshop Company
- 14th Supply Company
- 14th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
- 16th Field Court
- HEADQUARTERS 2nd CORPS File:Unit code black75.gif
- 12th Podolski Uhlan Regiment (Headquarters Recce) (Previously part of 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division)
- 7th Armoured Regiment
- 7th Anti-tank Regiment File:Unit code redblue47.gif Unit Code 47 Red over Blue
- 7th Light Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 8th Medium Anti-aircraft Regiment
- 10th Hussar Regiment
- 1st Artillery Survey Regiment
- 663 Polish Air Observation Post Squadron
- 2nd Corp General Staff Defence Company File:Unit code black83.gif
- 2nd Corps Artillery Group CO: Brig.Gen. Roman Odzierzyński
- 9th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 10th Medium Artillery Regiment Unit Code 3501
- 11th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 12th Medium Artillery Regiment
- 13th Medium Artillery Regiment
- Other HQ Units
- 10th Engineer Battalion
- 1st Railway Engineer Battalion
- 10th Bridge Engineer Company
- 10th Bomb Disposal Platoon
- 301 Engineer Company
- 306 Engineer Material Park Platoon
- 11th Signals Battalion
- 11th Radio Platoon
- 12th Information Platoon
- 385 Signals Company
- 386 Signals Platoon
- 387 Signals Platoon
- 389 Radio Platoon
- 104 Cipher Section
- 390 Signals Company
- 392 Radio Platoon
- Air Traffic Control Platoon
- 21st Transport Company File:Unit code no colour3521.gif
- 22nd Transport Company (Artillery Supply Company)
- 61 Artillery Supply Platoon
- 62 Artillery Supply Platoon
- 63 Artillery Supply Platoon
- 64 Artillery Supply Platoon
- 65 Artillery Supply Platoon
- 23rd Transport Company File:Unit code no colour3523.gif
- 29th Ambulance CompanyFile:Unit code no colour3529.gif
- 2nd Traffic Control Squadron
- 11th Military Police (Provost) Squadron File:Unit code no colour3518.gif
- 12th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
- 460 Military Police (Provost) Squadron
- Investigation Platoon
- Dog Handling Platoon
- 12th Field Court
- 13th Workshop Company
- 30th Independent Workshop Platoon File:Unit code no colour3528f.gif
- 35th Workshop Company
- 12th Geographic Company
- 312 Map Store
- 316 Transport Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland) File:Unit code no colour3650f.gif
- 317 Transport Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland)
- 318 Mobile Canteen/Mobile Library Company: Women's Auxiliary Service (Poland) File:Unit code no colour3652f.gif
- 325 Supply Depot
- 326 Supply Depot
- 327 Supply Depot
Officer Cadet (Armoured Cavalry) Graduation Col Szostak awarding Diplomas Italy 1945 - 328 Supply Depot
- 331 Field Bakery
- 332 Field Bakery
- 333 Field Butchery
- 334 Fuel Depot
- 335 Fire Fighting Team
- 336 Stationary Supplies Depot
- 31st Sanitary (Medical) Company
- 31st Sanitary (Medical) Company
- 32nd Field Hygiene Platoon
- 34th Anti-malaria Section
- Field Chemical-Bacteriological Section
- 344 Medical Supplies Depot
- 345 Field Surgery Team
- 346 Field Surgery Team
- 347 Field Surgery Team
- 348 Field Surgery Team
- 349 Field Blood Transfusion Team
- 350 Field Surgery Team
- 351 Field Surgery Team
- 352 Field Blood Transfusion Team
- 370 Material Salvage Depot
- 371 Material Salvage Depot
- 372 Material Salvage Depot
- 375 Field Bath
- 375 Field Bath and Laundry
- 40 Material Park: Transport Section
- 413 Forward Ammunition Depot
- 104 Central Field Post Office
- 117 Field Post Office
- 127 Field Post Office
- 55 Mobile Stores Repair Platoon
- 22nd Transport Company (Artillery Supply Company)
thumb|Two Soldiers of 5th (Polish) Field Hospital, just before coming to Britain.
- 2nd CORPS BASE CO:Gen Przewlocki
- Guard Battalion A
- Guard Battalion B
- Guard Battalion C
- Guard Battalion D
- 1st Military Hospital
- 3rd Military Hospital
- 3rd Field Hospital (Former 3rd Casualty Clearing Station)
- 5th Field Hospital (Former 5th Casualty Clearing Station)
- 14th Field Court
- Officer Topographic School
- Officer Cadet Reserve Artillery School
- Officer Cadet Supply & Transport School
- Armoured Forces Training Centre CO LtCol Stanislaw Szostak
- General W. Anders Officer Cadet Armoured Cavalry School
- 7th INFANTRY DIVISION Reserve Unit.File:Unit code no colour3750f.gif
- 17th Infantry Brigade
- 21st Infantry Battalion
- 22nd Infantry Battalion
- 7th Armoured Regiment
- 17th Artillery Regiment
- 17th Machine Gun Company
- 17th Engineer Company
- 17th Signals Company
- 17th Workshop Company
- 17th Engineer Company
- 17th Military Police (Provost) Squadron
- 17th Infantry Brigade
- Władysław Anders
- Anders Army
- Polish Armed Forces in the West
- No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
- Polish contribution to World War II
- Polish government in exile
- Polish I Corps
- Polish First Army
- Western betrayal
- Polish British
- World War II Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West
- Władysław Anders, Mémoires, 1939-1946, La Jeune Parque (publ.), Paris 1948,
- Piotr Żaroń, Armia Polska w ZSRR, na Bliskim i Środkowym Wschodzie, Warszawa 1981,
- Witold Biegański, Krótki informator historyczny o Wojsku Polskim w latach II wojny światowej, tom 5, Regularne jednostki Wojska Polskiego na Zachodzie, Warszawa 1967,
- Andrzej Przemyski, Ostatni komendant. Generał Leopold Okulicki, Lublin 1990,
- Igor Błagowieszczański, Artyleria w II wojnie światowej, Warszawa 1983,
- Bronisław Dzikiewicz, Z teodolitem pod Monte Cassino, Warszawa 1984,
- Wacław Król, Polskie dywizjony lotnicze w Wielkiej Brytanii 1940-1945, Warszawa 1982,
- Jan Paśnicki, Podniebni artylerzyści, Polska Zbrojna, 1994 (artykuł byłego pilota 663 DSA na temat 50 rocznicy powstania jednostki i kontynuowaniu jej tradycji przez brytyjski 663 Dywizjon Korpusu Lotnictwa Wojsk Lądowych),
- Michał Polak, Logistyczne zabezpieczenie działań 2 Korpusu Polskiego (grudzień 1944 – kwiecień 1945), Przegląd Historyczno-Wojskowy, Nr 4 (209), Warszawa 2005,
- Janusz Odziemkowski, Służba Duszpasterska Wojska Polskiego 1914-1945, Warszawa 1998,
- Maciej Zajączkowski, Sztylet Komandosa, Warszawa 1991,
- Adam Majewski, Wojna, ludzie i medycyna, Lublin 1972,
- Kazimierz Frontczak, Siły Zbrojne Polski Ludowej. Przejście na stopę pokojową 1945-1947, Warszawa 1974,
- Yury Hrybouski, Losy żołnierzy Polskich Sił Zbrojnych na Zachodzie po powrocie na Białoruś, Przegląd Historyczno-Wojskowy nr 2 (197) z 2003 r., ISSN 1640-6281,
- Martin Thornton, The Second Polish Corps, 1943-46: Were They a Functional Mixture of Soldiers, Refugees and Social Workers?, in Journal of Slavic Military Studies, vol. 10, n. 2, London, Frank Cass, 1º giugno 1997, pp. 125–137, DOI:10.1080/13518049708430294, ISSN 1556-3006. URL consultato il 9 aprile 2008.
- An Illustrated History of the Polish II Corps. Mieczyslaw Kuczynski.
- The Polish II Corps at Monte Cassino
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