Dictionary of Polish Language Terms, Abbreviations, And Acronyms Used On This Website

This is a glossary of selected active organizations involved in the story of the Doomed Soldiers.

The order of presentation is Polish Acronym - Polish Name - English Translation (Partisanship: Role). Some editorial judgment has been used in regard to Polish organizations. Those clearly part of the Polish Communist forces are labeled "Polish Communist". Those closely associated with the Polish Government in Exile or subsequently in resistance to the Polish Communists are labels "Polish Patriot".

While this bespeaks an unquestionable bias against the Polish Communists, it has the virtue of reflecting the generally democratic parties involved and their lack of subordination to the Soviet Union. Could the "Patriots" be contrariwise subordinate to "The West"? Only in the sense of the Polish Government in Exile's cooperation with the Allies in military operations. 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. See our history book recommendations for more information about the contributions of Polish Armed Forces in the West to the Allied cause.

Conventions:

Polish Patriot

Communist

German

Jewish

Polish acronyms, abbreviations, and terms:

	Administracja Zmilitaryzowana - Militarized Administration
	AK - Armia Krajowa - Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	Akcja Burza - Operation "Tempest" , or "Operation Storm"
	AKO - Armia Krajowa Obywatelska - Citizens' Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	Armia Krajowa - eng. Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	banda - engl. gang
	bandyta - engl. criminal, gangster, etc.
	BOA - "Bojowy Oddział Armii" - eng. "Army Tactical Unit", active in the Nowogródek District of AK (Polish Patriot: military)
	baon - battalion
	BcH - Bataliony Chłopskie - Peasant's Battalions (Polish Patriot: military)
	BiP - Biuro Informacji i Propagandy - Bureau of Information and Propaganda
	CAW - Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe - Central Military Archive
	chorąży - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "chor." - Warrant Officer 2nd Class
	Cichociemni - Silent and Invisible - sabotage and diversion commando formation (Polish Patriot: military)
	dezinformatsiya - дезинформация rus. disinformation
	Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj - Delegation of the Polish Forces at Home (Polish Patriot: military)
	diversiya - диверсия - rus. diversion, or sabotage
	DP - Dywizja Piechoty - eng. Infantry Division
	dragon - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Drag." - Dragoon
	DS, ds - Do Spraw - abr. "for", i.e. KdsBP, Komitet Do Spraw Bezpieczenstwa Publicznego - Committee For Public Security
	DSZ - Delegatura Sił Zbrojnych na Kraj - Delegation of the Polish Forces at Home (Polish Patriot: military)
	Dwójka - eng. Number “2” - Intelligence Unit, Section II - pre WWII Polish intelligence / counter-intelligence service
	esbek - pol. deragatory slang word used to describe members of Polish secret police, the Sluzba Bezpieczenstwa
	Eksterytorialny Okręg Lwowski - "WiN" - An Extraterritorial Lwow District of WiN
	fabrikatsiya - rus. fabrication; i.e to fabricate false evidence
	fałszywka - forged document
	Generał - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "gen. - General
	Generał Broni - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "gen. broni." - Lieutenant General
	Generał Brygady - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "gen. bryg." - Brigadier General / Major-General
	Generał Dywizji - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "gen. dyw. " - Divisional-General
	gmina - plural gminy - "rural municipality", "commune"
	GRU - Главное Разведывательное Управление - (transliteration) - Glavnoje Razvedyvatel'noje Upravlenije - Main Intelligence Directorate (Soviet: military intelligence)
	Gulag - Главное управление исправительно-трудовых лагерей и колоний - rus. abbr. The Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps and Colonies - (transliterated: Glovnoye Upravlenye Ispravitelno-troudovykh Lagerey) - (Soviet Communist: penal agency)
	GZI WP - Główny Zarząd Informacji Wojska Polskiego - Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army (Polish Communist: military police and, intelligence, and counter-espionage)
	Informacja - nickname of the GZI WP Glówny Zarzad Informacji Wojska Polskiego - Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army (Polish Communist: military police, intelligence, and counter-espionage)
	IPN - Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej - Institute of National Remembrance (Polish post-Communist: government)
	K-da Gł. AK - General Staff of Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	kapitan - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "kpt." - Captain
	kanonier - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Kan." - Gunner
	kapelan - Chaplain
	kapitan lekarz - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "kapt. lek." - Army Doctor
	kapral - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "kpr." - Lance Corporal
	KBW - Korpus Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego - Internal Security Corps (Polish Communist: secret police)
	KdsBP - pol. abr. Komitet Do Spraw Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Committee For Public Security (Polish Communist: secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage)
	KEDYW - pol. acronym - Kierownictwo Dywersji - Directorate for Diversion of the General Staff of Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	kombinacja - pol.combination, operation, or operational play
	kombinatsiya - комбинация - rus. combination, operation, or operational play
	Komitet Do Spraw Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - KdsBP - Committee For Public Security (Polish Communist: secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage), abr. KdsBP
	KON - Konwent Organizacji Niepodległościowych - Convention of Independence Organizations (Polish Patriot: military)
	Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie, abr. KWP - Polish Underground Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	kontr-rozvedka or kontrrazvedka - контрразведка - rus. "counter-intelligence"
	KOP - Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza - Boarder Security Corps (Polish Patriot: military)
	KPODPP - Komitet Porozumiewawczy Organizacji Demokratycznych Polski Podziemnej - Consultative Committee of the Democratic Organizations of the Polish Underground
	KPP - Komunistyczna Partia Polski - Communist Party of Poland (Polish Communist: party)
	ksiądz kapelan - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "ks. kap." - Army / Military Chaplain
	Krzyż Walecznych - The Cross of Valour, Polish military decoration.
	kryptonim - codename
	KWMO - Komenda Wojewódzka Milicji Obywatelskiej - Voivodeship Command of People's Militia (Polish Communist, police)
	KWP - Konspiracyjne Wojsko Polskie - Polish Underground Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	LWP - Ludowe Wojsko Polskie - Polish People's Army (Polish Communist: military)
	Marszałek - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "marsz." - Marshal
	Milicja Obywatelska - People's Militia (Polish Communist, police)
	Major - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "maj." - Major
	maskirovka - rus. маскировкa - deception, concealment, camouflage
	MBP - Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Ministry of Public Security [of Poland] (Polish Communist: secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage)
	MGB - Министерство Государственной Безопасности - Ministerstvo Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti [of Soviet Union] - Ministry of State Security - (Soviet Communist: secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage)
	młodszy chorąży - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "ml. chor." - Junior Warrant Officer
	MO - (abbreviation) - Milicja Obywatelska - People's Militia (Polish Communist, police)
	morderstwo sądowe - engl. court-sanctioned murder, see more here
	MVD - МВД - Министерство Внутренних Дел - Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del - Ministry of Internal Affairs (Soviet Communist: secret police)
	NIE - NO - precursor to Delegatura Sil Zbrojnych na Kraj (Polish Patriot: military)
	NKGB - Народный Комиссариат Государственной Безопасности (rus. abr. Narodnyi Komisaryat Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti - People's Commissariat for State Security) - (Soviet Communist: secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage)
	NKVD - НКВД - Народный Комиссариат Внутренних Дел - Narodnyi Komitet Vnutriennykh Del - People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Soviet Communist: secret police)
	NN - Nieznany i Niezidentyfikowany - Unknown And Unidentified
	Nom de guerre - French word meaning "name of war" or "war name"
	NOW - Narodowa Organizacja Wojskowa - National Military Organization (Polish Patriot: military)
	Nów - codename used by Nowogrodek units of Armia Krajowa. Other codenames were "Lotnisko", "Kurki", "Cyranka", "Las", "Grzyb"
	npl. - abr. "nieprzyjaciel" - eng. "enemy"
	NZW - Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe - National Military Alliance (Polish Patriot: military)
	NSZ - Narodowe Siły Zbrojne - National Armed Forces (Polish Patriot: military)
	obszar - eng. area
	Oddział Pozorowany - a tactical unit of Polish secret police conducting assasinations of Polish citizens, under the guise of being part of the democratic underground. In the internal secret police documents such units were referred to as "Brygady Realizacyjne", "oddziały antypartyzanckie", "oddziały partyzanckie ubrane po cywilnemu", "grupy bojowe w ubraniach cywilnych", "nie umundurowane grupy operacyjne"
	Okręg - geographical unit - presently an equivalent to voivodeship
	OP -Ooddział Podziemny - Underground Unit
	ONZ - Organizacja Narodów Zjednoczonych - United Nations, UN
	ORMO - pol. abr. Ochotnicza Rezerwa Milicji Obywatelskiej - Voluntary Reserves of the People's Militia. (Polish Communist: paramilitary police)
	Ostra Brama - Operation "Ostra Brama"
	OUN - ОУН - ukr. Організація Українських Націоналістів, Orhanizatsiya Ukrayins’kykh Natsionalists - Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
	p. - pulk - Regiment
	PAS - Pogotowie Akcji Specialnej - Special Emergency Executive (Polish Patriot: military)
	PKWN - Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego - Polish Committee of National Liberation precursor of RTRP (Polish Communist: provisional government)
	P.O. - abr. pelniacy obowiazki - eng. "serving as", or "acting as"
	podchorąży - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "pchor." - Officer Cadet
	podporucznik - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "ppor." - Secont-Lieutenant / 2nd Lt.
	podpułkownik - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "pplk." - engl. Lieutenant Colonel
	powiat - plural powiaty - abr. pow. - county, district, prefecture
	pp - pulk piechoty engl. - infantry regiment
	PPAN - Polska Podziemna Armia Niepodległościowa- Polish Underground Independency Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	Polski Ruch Oporu - Polish Resistance Movement
	Polski Związek Powstańczy - Polish Insurrection Union (Polish Patriot: military)
	porucznik - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "por." - Lieutenant / Lt.
	plutonowy - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "plut." - Master Corporal / Platoon Leader
	Powiatowy Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - (abr. PUBP) County Office for Public Security (Polish Communist: county office of polish police secret police)
	PPR - Polska Partia Robotnicza - Polish Worker's Party (Polish Communist: party)
	PPS - PPSh-41 - (Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina) - Soviet submiachine gun
	proniknoveniye - rus.проникновение - penetration
	provokatsiya - rus. провокация - provocation
	PRL - Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa - People's Republic of Poland (Polish Communist: government)
	przesłuchanie - interrogation; przesłuchania - plural - interrogations
	PUBP - Powiatowy Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - County Office for Public Security (Polish Communist: county office of polish police secret police)
	pułk - Military Formation - Regiment
	pułkownik - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "plk." - Colonel
	Resort - a nickname commonly used to describe all Polish communist internal security and foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence organizations - (Polish Communist: secret police)
	ROAK - Ruch Oporu Armii Krajowej - Resistance of the Home Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	rotmistrz - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "rtm." - Cavalry Captain
	razvedka - rus. разведка - "intelligence" or intelligence gathering
	RTRP - Rzad Tymczasowy Republiki Polskiej- Provisional Government of Republic of Poland - (Polish Communist: provisional government)
	Saper - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Sap." - Sapper
	SB - Służba Bezpieczeństwa - Security Service [of the Ministry of Internal Affairs] (Polish Communist: secret police)
	sierżant - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "sierz." - Sergeant
	Sielsoviet - rus. сельсовет- a Soviet governing unit, or an administrative-territorial unit of the Soviet Government
	śledczy - interrogator
	Służba Bezpieczeństwa - abr. SB - Security Service [of the Ministry of Internal Affairs] (Polish Communist: secret police)
	SMERSH - СМЕРть Шпионам - russ. acronym: Smert' Shpionam - Death to Spies - (Soviet Communist: secret police)
	SOE - Special Operations Executive
	sovetnik - rus. советник - "Advisor" or "Consultant" to secret police organizations in Eastern Europe.
	SS-RONA - Russkaya Osvoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armiya - Russian National Liberation Army (Russian Nazi: paramilitary)
	SS - ger. abr. Schutzstaffel - Protective Squadron (Nazi German: military-police)
	SZP - Służba Zwycięstwu Polski - Polish Victory Service
	starszy chorąży - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "st. chor." - Warrant Officer 1st Class
	starszy chorąży sztabowy - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "st. chor.szt." - Chief Warrant Officer
	starszy kapral - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "st. kpr." - Senior Corporal
	starszy sierżant - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "st. sierz." - Staff Sergeant
	starszy szeregowy - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "st. szer. " - Private 1st Class
	Stronnictwo Niezawisłości Narodowej - Association National Freedom
	strzelec - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Strz." or "strzel." - Rifleman
	szeregowy - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "szer." - Private
	szwadron - Company
	TAP - Tajna Armia Polska - Secret Polish Army a precursor to ZWZ (Polish Patriot: military)
	TW - abr. TajnyWspółpracownik - secret collaborator of secret police (a communist snitch)
	Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej - Provisional Government of National Unity
	UB - Urząd Bezpieczeństwa - Office of Security (Polish Communist: secret police)
	ułan - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Ul." - Lancer / cavalry man
	UBek - pol. deragatory slang word used to describe a secret police functionary, also UBol
	UBP - Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Ministry of Internal Security, precursor of SB (Polish Communist: government police ministry)
	UPA - УПА - Українська Повстанська Армія - Ukrainian Insurgent Army
	Urząd Bezpieczeństwa - (abr. UB) Office of Security (Polish Communist: secret police)
	Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - (abr. UBP) Office of State Security (Polish Communist: secret police)
	Virtuti Militari - Poland's highest military decoration for courage in the face of the enemy
	wachmistrz - Polish Military Rank - Abr. "Wachm." - Cavalry Sergeant
	WiN - Wolność i Niezawisłość - Freedom And Independence (Polish Patriot: military)
	Wojewódzki Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Voivodeship Office for State Security (Polish Communist: secret police voivodship office)
	Województwo - abr. woj. - "voivodeship", or "province", at times translated as "duchies", "provincs", "palatinate", "administrative district" or "region"
	Wolność i Niezawisłość - abr. WiN - Freedom And Independence (Polish Patriot: military)
	WP - Wojsko Polskie - Polish People's Army (Polish Patriot: military)
	WSR - Wojskowy Sąd Rejonowy - Regional Military Court (communist- military court)
	WSS - Wojskowy Sąd Specjalny - Special [Field] Military Court
	WUBP - Wojewodzki Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Voivodeship Office of State Security (Polish Communist: secret police voivodship office)
	WW - Wojska Wewnętrzne - Internal Security Forces (communist- military)
	ZG - Zarząd Główny - Executive Office, Head Office, or Main Office
	Zgrupowanie Stolpeckie - Eng.- Belarus hybrid, Group Stolpce (Polish Patriot: military, stationed in Stolpce, then in Russia, now Belarus and called Stoupcy)
	ZWZ - Związek Walki Zbrojnej - Association of Armed Struggle (Polish Patriot: military)
	Żegota - Polish Council to Aid Jews (Polish Patriot: military)
	ŻOB - Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa - Jewish Combat Organization
	żołnierz - engl. soldier
	żołnierze wykleci - engl. doomed soldiers, also cursed soldiers
	ŻZW - Żydowski Związek Wojskowy - Jewish Military Union (Jewish Patriot Organization with close ties with Armia Krajowa).