World War I is considered the greatest armed conflict in history, When people discuss World War 11, they mention major entities such as the United States, Russia, and Germany. However, Poland, a country that was also affected by the war, perhaps even more so than the United States, is often neglected, despite the fact that Germany’s invasion of Poland started the war. And even though the Polish forces were not as significant as the forces of the United States, they played a significant role in the Allied victory. Although Poland was annexed and severely abused bv both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia in the beginning of World War 11 using determination and perseverance thev retaliated and created the fourth most influential Allied armv. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the east, beginning the Second World War. Shortly afterward, on September 17, Soviet Russia, allied with Germany at the time, invaded Poland from the west.
Because of the Nazis’ blitzkrieg tactics, Poland‘s capital, Warsaw, was quickly surrounded within two weeks As a testament to their determination, the small Polish force held out for as long as they could and, in fact, did more damage than the British and French did in 1940, but the invasion hardly lasted a month before fulfilling its mission;‘ Poland was divided between the Russians and Germans. The Nazis annexed western Poland and subjected the Poles to harsh mistreatment: they established an oppressive government with the objective of erasing Polish nationality, took Polish citizens as slaves, and made Poland the main killing ground of the Holocaust. Russia and Germany essentially enslaved approximately fottr million Poles, and annihilated nearly all of the three million Jews living in Poland, To make matters worse for the Poles, Great Britain and France, Poland’s allies, declared war on the Axis powers but took no effective military action.
As the war progressed, polish lands and buildings were greatly damaged by the constant battles that were raging on its territory. Poland was probably the most devastated nation at that point, yet the Poles found a way to retaliate, reflecting their perseverance, determination, and motivation to never give in to their enemies, Even though Poland was under the control of Germany and Russia, over time, the Poles were able to form several armies which greatly contributed to the Allied victory. Although Poland already had an army, it was quashed during the German invasion Almost immediately, the Poles formed two retaliatory forces~one in France and one in Nazi-occupied Poland— by the end of 1939 The Poles also formed another army in Britain during the summer of 1940, which was right after the Nazis’ victory over France, In 1941, when Germany invaded Russia, Joseph Stalin annulled his status as an Axis power and decided to become an Allied powen.
This aided the Poles immensely; because Russia was no longer allied with Germany, the Poles established two more armies in Soviet Russia. However, the armies were not the only Polish military forces; the Poles also possessed a “silent front,” or intelligence of the army Reflecting the Poles’ perseverance, an estimated two million Poles served from the beginning to the end of World War 11, making them both the only country to fight over the course of the entire war, From these statistics, according to the Ministry of Public Affairs of Poland, “It can be concluded that Poland put in the field the fourth greatest Allied army”. The Poles’ determination and perseverance during World War II is just another example of their refusal to succumb to their enemies. Poland displayed another instance of these traits during the 10‘h century, when a series of Polish rulers established the country as a European power during a time when other entities, such as Rome, Spain, and France, were already prominent.
Yet another occurrence of the Poles’ willpower took place when they were confronted by the quickly-growing Ottoman Empire during the Polish Jagiellon Dynasty. The Poles were able to hold off the Ottomans and retain their nationalities; even though the Ottomans had the greater forces, the Poles had the greater willpower. Although the Polish lands were eventually consumed by the Russians during the 18”” century, the idea of Polish independence was still kept alive. This idea of independence sparked Polish rebellions and uprisings, much like the way the idea of American independence from Britain did, and in 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte established a small Polish state The Poles, by fighting for their independence and nationality, fully portray the qualities of perseverance and determination; they demonstrate the trait to never give up because, in the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fall.”
