POLISH GREATNESS BLOG: " BOOK SELECTIONS - "ZOLNIERZ POLSKI " ( Polish Soldiers)

Zolnierz Polski is a rare gem of a book illustrating Polish military uniforms of the World War II era, as well as that of the Polish People's Army. Each of the uniforms was drawn in minute detail - representing military dress of Polish fighting men - of land, sea and air. In addition to Polish uniforms, the book also contains drawings of weapons, ammunition, insignia, badges, medals and more! There is no other book like this on the web - or in the world!

When Poland was invaded by Germany and Russia in September 1939, the Polish army evacuated and eventually made its way to France, where they fought alongside their French allies. The uniforms worn by Polish soldiers were anything but "Polish" , and was decidedly French in design. But when France fell to the Nazis, the Polish armies fled to Britain and served under the British Army. Their uniforms were British design, but had the addition of distinctive "Poland" appliques on each sleeve. In this blog post, I have included just a few of the images presented in this book. Information about publisher of this book will be presented at the very end of this special series.

Many people do not realize that Poland was the 4th largest ally in World War II. What Poland lacked in numbers, they made up for in military skill, prowess and phenomenal courage and guts. The Polish soldier, then as well as now, is committed to fighting for freedom - and believes that there can be no freedom if others are languishing in chains.

Their motto has been and always will be - For Your Freedom and Ours.

POLISH ARMY

INSIGNIA 1939

Army 1939
Signs degrees on the epaulettes of jackets and coats trace troops and aviation.

  1 Polish Marszalek
  2 General weapons
  3 General division
  4 Brigadier General
  5 Colonel
  6 Lieutenant colonel
  7 Major
  8 Captain
  9 Lieutenant
10 Ensign
11 Ensign
12 Senior
13 Sergeant
14  Platoon Leader ( NCO )
15  Corporal
16  PFC
17  Private
Signs made ​​senior matt silver or ribbons in the same color.

POLISH NAVY

INSIGNIA 1939

 

Polish Navy 1939
Signs degrees on the epaulettes and sleeves Navy.

  1 Admiral
  2 Vice-admiral
  3 Rear-admiral
  4 Commander
  5 Lieutenant Commander
  6 Lieutenant Commander
  7 Captain
  8 Lieutenant
  9 Ensign
10 Ensign
11 Senior boatswain
12 Boatswain
13 Boatswain Mate
14 Mate
15 Senior sailor
Signs made ​​of a golden color belt, gold embroidery.

POLISH AIR FORCE IN THE WEST

1941-1945

Polish Air Force in the West 1941 - 1945
Signs degrees on the epaulettes sleeves and collars .

  1 PFC
  2 Corporal
  3 of plutonium
  4 Sergeant
  5 St . Sergeant
  6 Ensign
  7 Aspirant
  8 Student school cadets
  9 Corporal - pupil school cadets
10 Corporal - Cadet
11 Sergeant - Cadet
12 Ensign
13 Lieutenant
14 Captain
15 Major
16 Lieutenant colonel
17 Colonel
18 Air commodore
19 Brigadier General

Polish Armed Forces in the West 1941-1945
BADGES

 

Polish Armed Forces in the West, 1941-1945

  1 Generals - dark blue ( velvet ) , tabs crimson
  2 Infantry - dark blue , its yellow tabs
  3 Light Artillery - dark green ( velvet with officers ) , black tabs
  4 Heavy artillery - dark green ( velvet with officers ) tabs pulley
  5 Flak - dark green - its yellow tabs
  6 Artlyleria Boats - black and green pennants
  7 Cavalry and comp. recognition - pennants magenta - navy
  8 Weapon Armor - black -orange pennants
  9 A link - black ( velvet in ofic . ) Tabs blue
10 Sappers - black ( velvet in ofic . ) , Belt tabs
11 Columns Auto - black , orange tabs
12 Accomplished longitude - black ( velvet in ofic . ) Tabs white
13 Accomplished weapons - light green ( velvet in ofic . ) Tabs black
14 Accomplished train - light blue, magenta tabs
15 Accomplished stewardship - sapphire , crimson tabs
16 Health service - Cherry ( velvet in ofic . ) Tabs navy
17 Accomplished Veterinary - Cherry ( velvet in ofic . ) Light green tabs
18 Arboriculture - raspberry ( velvet in ofic . ) Tabs black
19 Gendarmerie - pulley , its yellow tabs
20 Chaplaincy - golden embroidery on patkach color uniforms .

POLISH GREATNESS BLOG: " BOOK SELECTIONS - POLISH MILITARY "

Introduction

In this Special Series, "Polish Greatness Blog: Book Selections - Polish Military" you will discover a wealth of information about the Polish Military, in particular, a sampling of beautiful, colorful illustrations, graphics, and photographs of never-before-seen Polish uniforms and accoutrements from the prewar and interwar eras, as well as from World War II.

Though these books were all published in the Polish language, they are invaluable resources for historians, teachers, and students, as well as for all you dedicated, passionate Re-enactors! Do not despair - I will provide English translations to identify each image.

For the record, I must emphasize that I am not a book seller, nor am I affiliated with any of the publishing companies that will be listed at the end of this series. My only objective is to acquaint the reader with some exceptional books that he would not otherwise gain access to in the English-speaking world.

For those who are new-comers to Polish Greatness (Blog), this series, as well as many previous blog posts, will be a veritable revelation for you! It is a continual journey of discovery, knowledge, insight, and inspiration.

Few people realize that Polish history spans a thousand years!  Poland first emerged as a nation-state in the 10th century with the Piast Dynasty, ruled by Polish Prince Mieszko (c. 930-992 AD).  The following (brief) comparative timeline provides a fascinating "birds-eye-view" of the dawn of civilization and the status of the Polish nation vis a vis events that followed.  The Polish nation had shown to be already organized politically and militarily, while most of Europe was still languishing in a chaos. But I digress.

Year

930    Rule of Polish Monarchy begins.

1066  William of Normandy invaded England, and after the Battle of Hastings, was crowned William I of England.

1271  Marco Polo traveled to China in the court of Kublai Khan.

1337-1453  Hundred Year's War (battle between English and French Kings for control of France)

1385- 1572  The Polish "Jagiellonian Dynasty"

circa1387   Chaucer wrote "Cantebury Tales"

1428  Joan of Arc leads the French in battle against the English.

1438  The Incas begin their rule in Peru.

c. 1500 - 1770  Polish Husaria became the main cavalry of the Grand Ducy of Lithuania.
(Read about them in my Special Series: Great Polish Warriors- The Polish Winged Hussars)

1509  Henry VIII ascends the throne of England and Michaelangelo paints the celing of the Sistine Chapel.

1569-1648  The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the largest political-military union on European continent)

1609  Samuel de Champlain established a French colony in what is now Quebec.

1643  The Taj Mahal is completed.

1665  The Great Plague of London ravaged the city killing 75,000 people.

1675  Polish Piast Dynasty ended with the death of the last male heir.

1815-1871 Italian Risorgimento (Unification)





Polish Medieval Project
(produced by Rogvist Channel)
00:10:59min

Piast Dynasty Coat of Arms

Jagiellonian Dynasty Coat of Arms

 
 

COMING SOON!

Stay Tuned for the first book selection, "Zolnierz Polski"  Polish Soldiers, to be posted soon!

THE POLISH DIASPORA: FAMOUS POLISH PEOPLE - COMPLETE INDEX OF BLOG POSTS

Worldwide Famous Poles and People of Polish Roots (00:11:44min)



THE POLISH DIASPORA: Famous Polish people around the world.
A complete index of blog posts. Please click on the links below.

The Polish Diaspora: A Special Series - Introduction

The Polish Diaspora: Part 1 Famous Polish Canadians

The Polish Diaspora: Part 2 Famous Polish Americans

The Polish Diaspora: Part 3 Famous Polish Australians

The Polish Diaspora: Part 4 Famous Polish French

The Polish Diaspora: Part 5 Famous Polish British

The Polish Diaspora: Part 6 Famous Polish Brazilians

The Polish Diaspora: Conclusion Famous People Around the World