Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46
Along with thousands of his compatriots, Wladyslaw Anders was imprisoned by the Soviets when they attacked Poland with their German allies in 1939. They endured terrible treatment until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 suddenly put Stalin in the Allied camp, after which they were evacuated to Iran and formed into the Polish Second Corps under Anders’ command.

Once equipped and trained, the corps was eventually committed to the Italian campaign, notably at Monte Cassino. The author assesses Anders’ performance as a military commander, finding him merely adequate, but his political role was more significant and caused friction in the Allied camp. From the start he often opposed Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in exile and Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces in the West. Indeed, Anders was suspected of collusion in Sikorski’s death in July 1943 and of later sending Polish death squads into Poland to eliminate opponents, charges that Evan McGilvray investigates. Furthermore, Anders voiced his deep mistrust of Stalin and urged a war against the Soviets after the defeat of Hitler.
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Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46
Along with thousands of his compatriots, Wladyslaw Anders was imprisoned by the Soviets when they attacked Poland with their German allies in 1939. They endured terrible treatment until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 suddenly put Stalin in the Allied camp, after which they were evacuated to Iran and formed into the Polish Second Corps under Anders’ command.

Once equipped and trained, the corps was eventually committed to the Italian campaign, notably at Monte Cassino. The author assesses Anders’ performance as a military commander, finding him merely adequate, but his political role was more significant and caused friction in the Allied camp. From the start he often opposed Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in exile and Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces in the West. Indeed, Anders was suspected of collusion in Sikorski’s death in July 1943 and of later sending Polish death squads into Poland to eliminate opponents, charges that Evan McGilvray investigates. Furthermore, Anders voiced his deep mistrust of Stalin and urged a war against the Soviets after the defeat of Hitler.
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Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46

Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46

by Evan McGilvray
Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46

Anders' Army: General Wladyslaw Anders and the Polish Second Corps 1941-46

by Evan McGilvray

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$32.95 
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Overview

Along with thousands of his compatriots, Wladyslaw Anders was imprisoned by the Soviets when they attacked Poland with their German allies in 1939. They endured terrible treatment until the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 suddenly put Stalin in the Allied camp, after which they were evacuated to Iran and formed into the Polish Second Corps under Anders’ command.

Once equipped and trained, the corps was eventually committed to the Italian campaign, notably at Monte Cassino. The author assesses Anders’ performance as a military commander, finding him merely adequate, but his political role was more significant and caused friction in the Allied camp. From the start he often opposed Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in exile and Commander in Chief of Polish armed forces in the West. Indeed, Anders was suspected of collusion in Sikorski’s death in July 1943 and of later sending Polish death squads into Poland to eliminate opponents, charges that Evan McGilvray investigates. Furthermore, Anders voiced his deep mistrust of Stalin and urged a war against the Soviets after the defeat of Hitler.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781473834118
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Publication date: 04/19/2018
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Evan McGilvray has written several books on Polish military history for Helion and is writing a book about Poland, NATO and the failure of democracy in Poland since joining the European Union.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Map ix

Chapter 1 General Wladyslaw Anders, Origins and the Polish Army, 1892-1939 1

Chapter 2 1939-1941: The Division of Poland and Relations with the Soviet Union 13

Chapter 3 Amnesty and Evacuation 41

Chapter 4 The Formation of Second Polish Corps 79

Chapter 5 Anders and Sikorski, 1942-1943 89

Chapter 6 Italy and Monte Cassino 115

Chapter 7 Italy after Monte Cassino 131

Chapter 8 1945-1948: A New Poland and a Divided Europe 159

Chapter 9 Europe and Poland: Immediate Post-War Problems 175

Chapter 10 The End: 1947-1970 231

Endnotes 241

Index 269

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