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The Doomed Soldiers Frequently Asked Questions:
| Q: |
How many Doomed Soldiers died at the hands of Polish and Soviet communist regimes in Poland? |
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While we are unable to provide an exact number of the Doomed Soldiers who had perished at the hands of the UB, SB, Informacja, KBW, NKVD, SMERSH and other repressive organs of Polish and Soviet communist regimes occupying Poland between 1944-1963, it has been established that over 5,000 death sentences against individual soldiers of the Democratic Underground were carried out. An estimated 21,000 others perished in communist jails and concentration camps. At least 10,000 others died during direct combat engagements against communist forces. Unaccounted for are thousands others who died at the hands of communists during pacification operations conducted by the so-called "Szwadrony Smierci" (Eng., "Death Squads") or agent-provocateur units created by and directed by the communist PPR, AL, GL, or communist secret services. Thousands others died of "natural causes" after being released from the secret police torture houses, i.e. as a result of internal injuries suffered during interrogations. [Read more about torture methods here] Additionally, at least 50,000 individuals were sent to the Soviet concentration camps, and an additional 250,000 were sentenced to lengthy imprisonment, or to forced labor in the coal mines and labor camps for their participation in, or complicity in the so-called "political crimes" against the state. Read more about the the fate of the Doomed Soldiers here ... |
| Q: |
Who Were Enemies of Poland? Who Occupied Poland? |
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Who were the enemies of Polish nation during World War II and thereafter? Bohdan Szucki, succinctly explains: I am convinced that once this question is posed, the preponderance of answers, particularly from those who didn't live during these times, will without any hesitation be - the Germans - often - the "Nazi Germany". Thus, based on this very precept, being a certainty, entire intellectual constructs are created which clarify, explain, praise, and condemn various groups and individuals who actively fought for "Free Poland". I am enclosing the words "Free Poland" in quotation marks, and I am doing that with absolute premeditation, because it is apparent that "black" doesn't mean "black" at all, and neither is "white" entirely white.
For some, the word "free" means "sovereign", and for some "free" means "joined in brotherly union with the exultant republics of the Soviet Union" (an actual expression from this period). Often added were "lead by", followed by numerous adjectives, such as "the great friend of Poland, [the beloved], brilliant", "Joseph Vysaryonowitsh Stalin" [also an actual officially sanctioned expression from this period]. This isn't a black humor. These are the facts that will have a profound and tragic ramification for millions of people. The Polish school children will be taught in schools that II World War began with German aggression on Poland on 1 September 1939, and that Poland was liberated in 1944-1945 by the "Red Army, and fighting at its side the Polish People's Army" organized in the "brotherly Soviet Union". Read more here ... |
| Q: |
How many men and women served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II? |
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In must be recalled that the Polish Government, before and during exile, marshaled the third or fourth largest military force of the Allies during World War II - initially behind France and Britain, and then behind The Soviet Union, United States and Britain. These fought in Europe, Africa, Italy and France as well as in Poland, itself.
The Polish Armed Forces in the West had in their ranks 228,000 men in 3 infantry divisions, 2 armored divisions, 2 armored brigades, one parachute brigade, and an artillery unit. The Polish Navy in the West had a battle cruiser, 6 destroyers, 3 submarines, 5 escort destroyers. The Polish Air Force in the West consisted of 9 fighter squadrons, one fighter-reconnaissance squadron, 3 heavy bomber squadrons and one light bomber squadron. In all, over 300 thousand Poles served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West. See our book recommendations here ... |
| Q: |
Who broke the secret German code known as the "Enigma"? |
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The secret German Code was broken by Polish mathematicians Marian Adam Rejewski, Jerzy Witold Różycki, Henryk Zygalski, and others. Polish mathematicians reverse-engineered the Enigma Machine and deciphered its code as early as in 1932. At the outset of World War II, in 1939, the Polish Ciphers Bureau provided its research findings to the governments of Great Britain and France. For more information, see Wladyslaw Kozaczuk's “Enigma: How the Poles Broke the German Code" in our History Book Recommendations section. "The Enigma codes would not have been broken if it were not for the knowledge of Polish mathematicians" said Britain's Prince Andrew. The Polish effort in breaking Enigma's code shortened World War II in Europe by 6 to 12 months, sparing hundreds of thousand of casualties and saving Western Europe from occupation by the Red Army. This, however, did little to help Poland, which was abandoned to the mercy of communism by its allies. Fifty years of oppression brought economic disaster and personal suffering to its 35 million people. None of the Polish cryptologists received any recognition from the French, British or Americans. See our Polish History Book Recommendations to learn more. Also see "Breaking the Enigma Code" ...
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| Q: |
How many Polish soldiers died in direct combat operations alongside the Allies during World War II? |
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While not entirely precise, this number is between 400,000 and half a million killed in combat operations. The civilian loses are roughly estimated to be around six, to six and a half million souls. |
| Q: |
What were the contributions of the Polish pilots to the Allied victory during World War II? |
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The Polish Air Force shot down 745 enemy aircraft, with another 175 unconfirmed, destroyed a further 25 on the ground and damaged 259. They dropped thousands of bombs, laid hundreds of mines, flew a total of 102,486 sorties, notching up 290,895 operational flying hours, and took part in virtually every type of RAF operation. They achieved this at a cost of 1,973 killed and 1,388 wounded. They won 342 British gallantry awards as well as 15 American ones. See our history book recommendations to learn more ... |
| Q: |
What loses did Poland experience as a result of World War II? |
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As a member of the European community of nations, Poland ended the war not only by loosing its sovereignty, but also found itself severely hemorrhaged by its human loses and its crippled economic potential. Over 6 million of its citizens, that is, 80% of those living in the cities died at the hands of the Germans. It was caused by systematic extermination of the intelligentsia and killing of practically all Polish citizens of Jewish faith living in the urban areas. Anther legacy of war was a permanent physical disability suffered by nearly 600 thousand individuals, and morbidity of instances of tuberculosis in particular, resulted in the increased mortality rate during several post-war years. From within Polish cities alone, Warsaw, the capital of Poland, suffered the heaviest losses: 400 thousand of its citizens died within the boarders of the city alone, while 450 thousand others perished in German and Soviet concentration camps. For one thousand of its citizens Poland lost 200 persons, Russia lost 124, Yugoslavia lost 108, the Germany lost 84, and France lost 13 citizens per one thousand.
The city of Warsaw was destroyed in 80%, the downtown Poznan was destroyed in 70%. The cities [assigned to Poland as a part of the Yalta Agreement] were not in any better shape either: the city of Wroclaw was destroyed in 65%, Gdansk in 55%, and Szczecin in 45%. Every 4th building in every Polish village was in ruins, over half of the land lie follow, and the transportation infrastructure, either via land or water, was nonexistent. Even after the cessation of hostilities with Germany, the Soviets were still setting ablaze large and small cities and dwellings that were to become Polish [in the western Poland].
For example, the losses suffered by the Polish units fighting along their Allies in the West amounted to the loss of 11,371 killed in the ranks of the II Polish Corps during the Italian Campaign alone ... |
| Q: |
Are you affiliated with any organization, government entity, and/or political party? |
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No, this is an all-volunteer project. We hope the Doomed Soldiers prove an inspiration simply to be resolute in favor of free, democratic societies where the capacity to limit freedom of speech, press, religion and countless other privately driven pursuits gains free play. Our intent is not to press the interest of any party or religion or platform other than to ever celebrate and memorialize those who struggled to hold and gain freedom for their compatriots. Read more here ... |
| Q: |
Can you help me / us with obtaining more information about our missing relative(s)? I would like to learn more about my relative whom I believe is featured on the Doomed Soldiers website ... |
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We frequently receive such requests, but unfortunately we are not able to assist you directly. The best course of action is to contact the IPN (The Institute of National Remembrance - Commission of the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation) Office for Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records directly, and to ask them for assistance.
| Telephone: |
48 + 22-530-86-40
48 + 22-530-86-41 |
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Fax: |
48 + 22-530-90-34 |
| E-mail: |
obuiadwa@ipn.gov.pl |
| Address: |
IPN
Pl. Krasinskich 2/4/6/
00-207 Warsaw
Poland |
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| Q: |
Why is there so little known about the fate of the Doomed Soldiers outside of Poland? |
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Perhaps, because their fate is an inconvenient truth? The stories of these men and women discredit much of the prevalent versions of the "history" laboriously crafted by the communist regime, and presently promoted by the neo-communists. One also has to be cognizant of the fact that the best way to hide the truth is to eliminate the witnesses. Simply put, the "Dead men don't talk"! Well, at least with an exception of this website, where they do ... |
| Q: |
Can you recommend any good English language books dealing with this subject matter? |
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We highly recommend books written by Jan Kusmirek: "The axiom 'History is written by the victors', most commonly attributed to iconic British PM Winston Churchill, has never been truer or more clearly applied than in the case of the Second World War. Though schoolchildren may be taught a fairytale of good vs. evil under the guise of Allied and Axis powers, the 'truth', if there is such a thing, is far from a simple ideological dichotomy. Like the ever-changing borderlines of European countries at the time, decided far from the front line, the main players in this global conflict – Churchill, US President Roosevelt, Russian leader Stalin - shifted in position as time (and armies) marched on. It is an irony, though not a pleasant one, that the real guiding principle for these figures both during and beyond the war can be summed up in a term borrowed directly from the German enemy - “Realpolitik”. In Stolen Lives, by acclaimed author Jan Kusmirek, these unpalatable machinations are exposed and laid before the reader like the opening of a mass grave of war victims. Though by profession a noted cosmetician, perfumer and authority on aromatic medicine, Kusmirek masterfully weaves little-known historical fact and speculative fiction to deliver not only a taut Cold War thriller but also a damning argument that leaves no side smelling of roses". |
| Q: |
There seem to have been a lot of organizations involved. Got a cheat sheet of who was on which side? |
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Most organizations are readily identified here |
| Q: |
I've read somewhere on the internet that some of those Polish "Patriot" forces were virulently anti-Semitic and hated Jews as much as the Germans did. Why should we feel any sympathy for them? |
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Quite the contrary. Most Jews allied with Polish Patriot forces and Polish Patriot forces engaged in extensive anti-German actions. Both the AK and the NSZ had many Jews in their ranks, and both organizations are credited with saving the lives of countless Jews. For example, it should be noted that from among the political command of the National Armed Forces (NSZ) alone, 60% of its members died during direct combat operations against the Germans, in German jails, and in concentration camps. More is discussed here. We answer the nature of these unfounded accusations here, with a special plea to those who are under the mistaken impression that is it "patriotic" to be anti-Semitic.
"I am reminiscing about this in order to dispel [the communist-inspired] fables about an alleged extreme anti-Semitism of the National Armed Forces, and of Polish anti-semitism in general [...] Notably, the family of Captain “Bronisz” hid Jews throughout the entire German occupation, and saved many of them. The same “Anti-Semitic” deeds have to also be attributed to the family of the individual writing this account, and to the families of our friends who lived in villages. For example, on his property in Stanislawow-Drupa, the grand-uncle of Captain Okninski, “Zych” hid a Jew, Dr. Turski and his entire family, throughout the entire period of [German] occupation. My own family saved many Jews by providing them with temporary safe heaven on our property, which incidentally, was located immediately next to the Siddlce Ghetto. For example, we saved a well known shop keeper Leon Goldman, his daughter, and his brother Jonte Goldman (a well known brick layer in Siedlce)" - Ryszard Mikolajczuk, Narodowe Sily Zbrojne Soldier.
"When the doors to the Jewish barracks were opened by members of my brigade, the scene that greeted us was one of absolute horror. The Jewish women were skeletons, barely able to stand. From the buildings themselves, the stench of human waste and decomposing bodies was indescribable. One Jewish woman hugged me and handed me a bundle, wrapped in newspaper. She said, “I was fortunate to hid a few dollars from the Germans. Please take them for saving my life.” Of course, I did not take the money. I told the woman that our reward was the satisfaction of knowing that so many people had been saved from virtually certain death at the hands of the Germans" - Antoni Bohun-Dabrowski, Commanding Officer of the Holy Cross Brigade, National Armed Forces (Brygada Swietokrzyska, Narodowe Sily Zbrojne - NSZ) - Liberation of German Concentration Camp in Holiszow. You are also encouraged to read Biskupski's "Hollywood's War with Poland". |
| Q: |
Can I help with translating the Doomed Soldiers stories into English? |
| A: |
Absolutely! We can always use your help. Please ontact us and we will provide you with original Polish language texts to be translated. |
| Q: |
Is this website anti-Russian? |
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Absolutely not. The citizens of the Soviet Union, or U.S.S.R., were as much victims of the murderous criminal enterprises such as the NKVD, NKGB, SMERSH, KGB, and others, as were the Doomed Soldiers and their families in Poland. Please note that for this very reason, these repressive criminal entities are referred to as "Soviet", and not "Russian". Please visit the Human Rights Center "Memorial" for more information. |
| Q: |
What happened to the German concentration camps in Poland after WW II? |
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Some former German concentration camps in Poland, most notably Auschwitz Birkenau, and Majdanek, continued to be operated by Soviet NKVD, SMERSH, and Polish secret police units to house, torture, and murder Polish resistance fighters, Russian prisoners of war, and in many instances, also innocent German civilians. See Central Labour Camp in Potulice, and Jaworzno Central Labour Camp for more information. |
| Q: |
Are there any official Doomed Soldiers observances in Poland, and elsewhere? |
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Yes, the official National Doomed Soldiers Memorial Day is observed each March 1st in Poland. |
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