Zbycho

Articles

• "Kutschera" event

  Warsaw, Ujazdovské aleje On February 1, 1944, at nine o'clock and fifteen minutes, the shooting subsided, smoke still hanging in the air from grenades. The blood of Major General SS-Brigadeführer Franz Kutschera, the dreaded and hated executioner of Warsaw, solidifies on the muddy asphalt ...

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• Brigadier General Stanisław Skalski

  The most successful Polish fighter of World War II.

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• Black Brigade - Part I. "1939 - The First Fight"

  The Polish 1st Armored Division is undoubtedly one of the most famous units of the Polish army. The soldiers who served in it were participants in three campaigns of World War II - in September 1939 they defended Poland under the battle flag of the 10th Cavalry Brigade, then fought in France in the ranks of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and after reorganization in Great Britain into the 1st Armored Division , participated in the last stage of the war in Western Europe. Throughout its existence, the division maintained the continuity of its traditions, its basis consisted of the same units, the same soldiers and fought under the command of the same commander - General Maczek.

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• Black Brigade - Part II. "1940 - French Intermezzo"

  The Polish 1st Armored Division is undoubtedly one of the most famous units of the Polish army. The soldiers who served in it were participants in three campaigns of World War II - in September 1939 they defended Poland under the battle flag of the 10th Cavalry Brigade, then fought in France in the ranks of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and after reorganization in Great Britain into the 1st Armored Division, participated in the last stage of the war in Western Europe. Throughout its existence, the division maintained the continuity of its traditions, its basis consisted of the same units, the same soldiers and fought under the command of the same commander - General Maczek.

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• Black Brigade - Part III. "1944 - From Normandy to Germany"

  The Polish 1st Armored Division is undoubtedly one of the most famous units of the Polish army. The soldiers who served in it were participants in three campaigns of World War II - in September 1939 they defended Poland under the battle flag of the 10th Cavalry Brigade, then fought in France in the ranks of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and after reorganization in Great Britain into the 1st Armored Division , participated in the last stage of the war in Western Europe. Throughout its existence, the division maintained the continuity of its traditions, its basis consisted of the same units, the same soldiers and fought under the command of the same commander - General Maczek.

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• Friedrich Christiansen - Aviator from Zeebrugge

  The pilot from Zeebrugge - such a nickname was given to the naval pilot Friedrich Christiansen - an ace of air of the First World War, a holder of the Order of Pour le Mérite and an air force general in World War II. Unlike his more famous colleagues, the "Red Baron" Manfred von Richthofen or the "Eagle of Lille" Max Immelmann, his story is somewhat forgotten, albeit just as interesting.

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• Lieutenant General Stanisław Maczek

  Polish general, legendary commander of the 1st Armored Division, who fought from the first to the last day of the war, whose honor and conviction did not allow him to return to his homeland administered by the new lords of the East.

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• Lieutenant General Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski

  Polish general, politician and statesman, Prime Minister of Poland. During the Soviet-Polish War ( 1919-1920 ) he proved to be an excellent front-line general and in 1921 he was appointed Chief of Staff as a successful warrior. At the turn of 1922 and 1923, he was briefly Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. From September 30, 1939 the Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile. Sikorski died in a plane crash near British Gibraltar. The " timing " of his death during a severe crisis between the Polish government in exile, the Allies and the USSR after the revelation of the Katyn massacre still records various conspiracy theories.

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• The Katyń massacre

  The Katyn crime, one of the most horrific mass murders ever committed on prisoners of war, has been silent for many years not only in Poland, which was so tragically affected by the whole case, but also in a world where the facts were distorted according to their own power-political interests. Until 1990, the Soviet, and therefore Russian, leadership cowardly avoided confessing to this mass murder… It was not until 47 years after the crime that the Soviet Union admitted that the murders had been committed by its NKVD secret service, but to this day Russia has not punished the killers and has never apologized. Polish state or the victims of the victims.

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• Kommandoverband Jaguar

  During the Second World War, there were situations when their own units in enemy uniforms and with their armament were sent into battle. Sometimes it brought surprisingly good results, but sometimes the "Trojan horse" tactic missed the point and was not successful. Always, but this way of fighting was a big risk for its participants - in case of captivity they could not count on any regrets…

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• Stutthof concentration camp

  Concentration camp Stutthof's monstrous history lasted five years, eight months and eight days. From September 2, 1939 to May 9, 1945 - 2,077 days ... Stutthof was the first Hitler concentration camp founded on Polish territory and the last liberated.

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• Major Henryk Dobrzański

  The last soldier of the defensive war in September 1939 and the first guerrilla fighter, this is how Major Henryk Dobrzański is called in Poland.

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• The shortest way!

  The motto of the Polish members of the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade was short, but at the same time very eloquent: " The shortest way " . Everyone in the brigade, from the commander to the youngest soldier, deeply believed that he would be the first to return home by parachute - the shortest route that led to his homeland.
  But as the future showed, the idea was naive, and despite initial British support for the idea, the Poles never flew home… The 1st Independent Parachute Brigade became a unit of a single battle: the landing at Arnhem as part of Operation Market Garden.

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• German Cross (Deutsches Kreuz)

  War Order of the German Cross - a high German decoration which was awarded after the previous decoration of the Iron Cross 1st Class 1939, Iron Cross 1st Class 1914 or War Merit Cross 1st Class with swords.

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• Oberleutnant Franz Alois Welz and his photogallery

  The winning contribution of the competition, which was announced on www.valka.cz by the rank group Austria-Hungary - kk Landwehr / ck zeměbrana. Perhaps you will like the memories of my long-time great-grandfather over his album " Bilder aus dem erste weltkrieg ". In the pictures, he managed to capture the daily life of the members of the convoy number 235 on the Galician front.

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• Tank Combat Badge (Panzerkampfabzeichen)

  This combat badge was established on December 20, 1939 for ground troops and November 3, 1944 for the Air Force (for the tank division "Hermann Göring"). Panzerkampfabzeichen was not awarded for the service of tank weapons or for staying on the front, but for a specific combat activity - tank combat.

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• Field Marshal August Neidhardt von Gneisenau

  In 1813–15 he was Chief of Staff of the Prussian Army, a participant in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, a key reformer of the Prussian army.
  One hundred years after the death of the field marshal, another famous German chief of staff, Heinz Guderian, characterized Gneisenau succinctly: Blücher's chief of staff, a brave defender of Kolberg, a brilliant soldier full of temperament, an excellent strategist and advisor to his commander in many victorious and losing battles.

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• The Polish units with a swastika in the emblem

  The swastika is one of the oldest symbols of humanity, but World War II fixed it in the public consciousness as a sign of Nazism. However, the swastika was used by military units on both sides of World War II. It was the first German victim, Poland, who used the swastika symbol in the insignia of regiments of Podhalan shooters and other mountain units.

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• Polish Navy during World War II

  In the years 1939-1947, the Polish Navy (PMW) operated within the Polish Armed Forces in the West (Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Zachodzie), its activities were exceptional in that the navy, unlike the Air Force and ground forces, did not interrupt its combat activities for a single day.
  In the article you will also find links to monographs of Polish ships by the author Tars , which should definitely not escape your attention.

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• Polish General and Marshal of France Józef Poniatowski

  Prince Józef Poniatowski was an important soldier, an honest man and a great patriot. Courage, fidelity to the ideals of independence and his heroic death made him a national hero.

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• Austrian medal "For bravery" - Part 1

  Austro-Hungarian medals " For bravery " commonly appear in our collections and among collectors. Here is the history of perhaps the most famous Austrian and Austro-Hungarian medals for military bravery. The more than one hundred and thirty years of awarding the medal during the reigns of six monarchs ( initially exceptional, but in the last years of World War I was quite common ) manifested itself in a number of variants. The development of this badge of honor has its own interesting section, very closely connected with the development of the Austrian army. Thanks to their tradition, the " For Bravery " medal has become a real symbol of the imperial armed forces, similar to the Iron Cross in Prussia and the St. George's Cross in Tsarist Russia.

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• Austrian medal "For bravery" - Part 2

  Austro-Hungarian medals " For bravery commonly appear in our collections and among collectors.
  Here is the history of perhaps the most famous Austrian and Austro-Hungarian medals for military bravery. The more than one hundred and thirty years of awarding the medal during the reigns of six monarchs ( initially exceptional, but in the last years of World War I was quite common ) manifested itself in a number of variants.
  The development of this badge of honor has its own interesting section, very closely connected with the development of the Austrian army.
  Thanks to their tradition, the " For Bravery medal has become a real symbol of the imperial armed forces, similar to the Iron Cross in Prussia and the St. George's Cross in Tsarist Russia.

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• Russian Military Cross of St. George and the medal For bravery

  A new look at the issue of the Russian Military Crosses of St. George and the Medal of Valour.

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• With saber against tanks – the absurd myth of the Polish September 1939

  The legend of Polish cavalry attacking German tanks with sabres and pikes is perhaps the most famous myth of the September 1939 campaign. I believe that it is impossible to determine exactly where and when this myth originated, but it is still alive both in Poland and beyond its borders. The myth was created during the entire Polish campaign and the years that followed. The fact that such an attack would have been a clear suicide, and no commander in his right mind would have given such a stupid order, in no way diminishes the popularity of these stories, repeated with wonder even by well-known authors. It proves that it is very difficult to remove any stereotype, however utterly absurd, when it is so deeply ingrained.

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• Spanish Cross (Spanienkreuz)

  The Spanish Cross was established by a decree of Adolf Hitler on April 14, 1939. It was awarded as an award for "brave and heroic deeds and an expression of gratitude for the merits of German volunteers in suppressing Bolshevism in the Spanish Civil War."

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• Squadron leader Eugeniusz Horbaczewski

  Polish fighter ace of World War II

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• Stalin's hangman - Vasili Blokhin

  A figure with a brown, leather hood stood in the doorway, a long butcher's apron on its uniform, and leather gloves with cuffs up to his elbow. Her face was covered by large flight goggles.
  Tokarev froze in horror and dropped the cards on the ground. He had just seen the horrible personification of Death.
  … Here we go - said Death.

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• Commemorative ring of the 21st Infantry Regiment

  The article, originally published in the SIGNUM magazine of the Club of Falerists in Brno and with the consent of the authors and the editors of the magazine, is published on the website www.valka.cz . This article discusses, based on an examination of a set of documents from the estate of a member of the officer corps of Marshal Foche's 21st Infantry Regiment, about the ring, as a special award, in memory of the unit's service.

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• Military Order Virtuti Militari

  The oldest Polish military order, which is awarded for bravery in battle, is inextricably linked with the history of Poland, which affected its development with all its famous and tragic twists. For more than 215 years, it has been the highest combat award of a Polish soldier and means the same to him as the British Victoria Cross, the American Medal of Honor or the German soldier the Iron Cross. Generations of Poles are brought up in respect for people awarded the Order of Virtuti Militari. Holders of blue-black ribbons are rightfully respected and respected citizens.

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• War Cross of Merit (Kriegsverdienstkreuz)

  At the beginning of World War II, Germany lacked an award that could recognize the merits of civilians and military personnel. The German Army Command designed the War Merit Cross as a lower level of the Iron Cross, which would be awarded for merit and not for heroic deeds during the war.

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• Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz)

  History of origin, development, variants and classes of the Iron Cross in the years 1813 - 1957

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• Land Army - Armia Krajowa (AK)

  The Land Army, Polish Armia Krajowa (AK), was the most important representative of the resistance and became one of the largest underground armed organizations in the whole of occupied Europe. It established an integral part of the Polish Armed Forces and was subject to the London government in exile. Its organization, discipline, training and number of combat operations confirmed that it was a significant resistance force - a real army of the Polish underground state.

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