I heard that some people in Poland think that Poles played key role in Berlin operation in 45. Here is data about losses of 1st Belorussian front in 11apr - 1may 1945.
Last row is ‘1 armiya Voiska Polskogo’, polish army formed in USSR. Columns are as follows: army name, KIA, WIA, MIA, other loss causes, total losses. Total losses for Poles are 7781, including 1656 dead. This data may be interesting for your friends in Poland Lancer. No offence or anything, i just think that such data may be interesting.
Data is posted by Russian historian Alexey Isaev, who is currently doing research in archives for his new book about Berlin operation.
http://dr-guillotin.livejournal.com/20837.html
Frankly speaking Sneaksie, this is the first time I read such opinion.
Where did you hear that?
Never heard about it… What I know and believe that most educated people know, is that 1-st Polish Infantry Division and some elements from Artillery Brigade were fighting in Berlin near Tiergarten. Their role was very, very minor, if you look at scale of the whole operation. Nevertheless they were there and it was a nice gesture of soviet command - it was this time considered as honour.
If we talk about “some people in Poland” perhaps you’re right, there are some which have their “knowledge” of history based on silly serials like “4 tankers and a dog”. In this case they perhaps think that war was won by one Polish T-34 tank supported by soviet seargant’s Chernousov platoon. LOL.
Be serious Sneaksie!
Cheers,
Lancer44
Hi Sneaksie, Kovalski, Lancer.
I never hear the point that Poles played key role in Berlin operation in 45. MAy be this is the result of nationalists hysteria in polish and russian forums.
But i hear that Poles brave battled together with the Red Army. ‘1 armiya Voiska Polskogo’ . It’s seems ,this army entered into the composition of 1 Ukrainian front on by the command of Konev.
I read some interestoing things about behaviour of polis soldiers. They practically never took German prisoners. They killed the majority of Germans. One Soviet officer recalled, that when Poles they directed to escort 60 captured Germans into the staff for the examination, the staff living reached only 6 German soldiers.
This was pay for genocide in Warsaw in 1944, he wrote.
It was possible to understand Poles. After this, recalled the officer, in their part of the German prisoners of war more never they left in private with the Poles.
Polish units participating in “Battle of Berlin”:
1st Infantry Div. “Tadeusz Kosciuszko”,
2nd Pomeranian Howitzer Brigade,
6th Independent Motorized Pontoon Battalion,
1st Independent Mortar Brigade.
Total: 12000 sodiers.
These units seized area near to the Technical University, Govermental District and Tiergarten Park.