National Day of Memory of National Army Soldiers is officially celebrated recently, as the date of the conversion of the Armed Forces Union to the National Army became a state vacation only in the past year. It is simply a pity that so fewer veterans of the underground Polish Army have seen this moment, but it is undoubtedly to be glad that it was in the memorial relay of generations.
Indeed, the date of February 14, 1942, which is carried by the Chief Leader's order General Władysław Sikorski on the conversion of the Armed Combat Union to National ArmyIt's much more crucial than military. It is 1 of the fewer milestones in our history, which means an authentic effort to emergence above political divisions and mobilise society around a common and superior goal – to regain an independent state. This was happening on many levels, due to the fact that the creation of the AK was affected by both the interior situation in the occupied country and what was then happening on the fronts of planet War II. This is especially about the east Front, where 2 totalitarian states – the 3rd Reich and the russian Union – fought fierce battles, while at the same time General Władysław Anders' army was formed in russian territory.
Consolidation of the ZWZ-et into a compact, apolitical military organization was so a necessity for inactive different scenarios that could have happened on the east front. It was besides the beginning of a long road ahead of the main goal of Polish conspiracy – preparation of the universal uprising. Finally, which is frequently forgotten, was the end of General Sikorski's indiscretions and distrust of the command of the ZWZ-et, which he suspected was "saniness" and political diversion. These suspicions were besides covered General Stefan Rowecki “Grot”Which didn't make it easy for him to command the OGM. The Chief Leader, and in politics it seldom happens, admitted that he was unjustly judging Gen. Rowecki, and erstwhile he decided to appoint him as Chief Commandant of the Home Army, he wrote to him in a dispatch, among others: “You have given the General military activity in the country the right direction, aiming to unify the full military effort to rebuild the Armed Forces to win independence.” General “Grot” confirmed these words throughout the scope as the commander of the AK – an integral part of the Polish Armed Forces.
Statistics and rankings – “from the forest”
It's worth taking another note today. Namely on the next anniversary of the creation of the National Army, journalists frequently compose about it as the largest underground army in Europe and then the net warms up from comments that it is not true, due to the fact that the strongest guerrilla in Europe had a march. Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia. The number of about 800 or even 900,000 guerrillas of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia (as of 1945, erstwhile formally it was already a regular army to which the conscription was being conducted!) falls against about 360 – 390 1000 (the state from mobilization to the “Burza” in the summertime of 1944) of the arks.
According to these rankings, the second place after the Yugoslav Partisan (here, too, should be remembered of the rival to the communist forces of the Royal Yugoslav Army in Ojczyń, i.e. the Czechs Gen. Dragoljub Mikhailović "Draža", which in 1943 was over 100 thousand) is occupied by the russian Partisan estimated in forks from 250 1000 to 500 1000 people (including about 12 1000 Poles). On the second ex aequo or 3rd we would have the National Army, and right behind the podium, on the fourth, there is the Greek ELAS – the left-wing Greek People's Liberation Army, with over 100,000 guerrillas in 1944. Problem is, these are all estimates that are hard to verify...
Other factors besides find the real armed force, and above all the state of arms, and in this aspect of the Yugoslav partisan, Soviet, and to a large degree Greek, distance the National Army, in which the hunger for weapons was unmet until the end of the war. Tita's Partisans had their aviation, navy, artillery, and even armored weapons, and were powered by regular deliveries by both Western Allies and Soviets. The russian Partisan received supplies and trained people (most Red Army or NKVD specialists) from the alleged large Earth, the unoccupied part of the ZSRS. The AK, on the another hand, could number on drops from the West to a limited degree – due to the distance from the airbases and the capabilities and priorities of the Allied command. For planners from London and Washington, the beginning of the second front in Western Europe, mainly the opposition movement in France, was important, and after the findings that Poland would be in the russian zone, its importance was minimized even more. The discussion of the strength and abundance of the Polish armed underground should, of course, take into account the existence of inactive formations created by individual political parties, i.e. listing in order: Peasant Battalions of the People's Movement, National Armed Forces of the National Camp, the PPS People's defender (not to be confused with GL PPR) and the Communist People's Army. In addition to the AL and utmost national factions, the first 3 thanks to the action to merge the Polish underground were more or little subordinate to the AK leadership and entered its structures.
And yet the largest underground army
With numbers it is hard to discuss, but the declassification of the AK takes – let's call it – from the incorrect optics. Let us first quote Alexander Kamiński, who in the large Game – his book of conspiracy work published during the business for the Scouts of the Grey Lines – wrote: “We do not care about independency organizations being numerous. We do not care about as many people as possible. On the another hand, we are very curious in the fact that there is force, compactness, determination around the independency organization. We want people to consider it an honor to let them into the organization." It is worth recalling these words, erstwhile on the anniversary of the establishment of the National Army, erstwhile again, it will be exposed primarily to its mass and abundance and erstwhile ironic comments on this subject will be made in response...
The National Army was indeed a phenomenon in Europe, but not thanks to its guerrilla groups, but to the full military organization, which functioned despite the country's binding 2 unimaginably violent occupations (compared to occupations in another parts of Europe) – German and Soviet. The Polish Underground State was unprecedented, and its military – the National Army – with its staff and individual units: from the militant through training, propaganda, quartermaster in the production of arms and military justice after finishing, it was in fact the largest underground army in Europe.
Let us remember here another aspect. In Yugoslavia, thanks to its mountainous-foresting spaces, hard or even impossible to occupyive control, it was possible to make strong and large guerrilla groups with a reasonably regular structure and equipment (mundures, dense weapons, etc.). In fact, there was small conspiracy and underground. Different in Poland. The creation of an underground army in a completely occupied country, mostly plain and devoid of large forest, deserted remnants, that, erstwhile again, is simply a unique feat... “How is it: without large forest remnants?!” – the shouts will emergence here. And the Świętokrzyskie Mountains – for centuries the country of guerrillas, and Podhale, and the Nalibocka Forest in the Kresach Mountains, and Polesie with its impenetrable swamps, and – going alphabetically – the Augustów Forest, Białowieża Forest, Kampinoska, Niepołomicka Forest and so on...
Let us answer again with statistics: before planet War II in terms of forestry, the Republic of Poland occupied in Europe... 18th place. This alone is simply a lie about Poland as a country rich in forests. It's mostly the glory of partitions and large war. Polish forests for possessors were not only prey but besides a “enemy” favoring rebels against their power – especially in the Russian... Thus, in 1939–1945 the situation in comparison with the January uprising was somewhat different. A more hard – yet one more time a nation bound by a brutal – German and russian – business could make the Underground State and its underground military – the National Army.
Sources of quotes:
"National Army in papers 1939–1945", Volume II, Collective Work, Wrocław 1990.
Aleksander Kamiński, “Great Game”, Warsaw 2016.