Poland is intensively rearming. The Polish Army and other foreign units that fought in the Red Army

THE GREAT DON ARMY At the same time, when the Zaporizhzhya Cossack army was being formed, the Don army was also being formed. Crowds of poor people flocked to the southern borderlands of Russia, who sought to find a free life here. Many of them were criminals who wished

THE BLACK SEA ARMY At the very end of the 18th century, a new, strong and original figure appeared in the Caucasus in the struggle between Russia and the mountain tribes that had begun to grow stronger and flare up. It was the old Zaporizhzhya Sich, thrown by force of circumstances far from their homeland on the shores of

Poland is one of the safest countries in Europe for both locals and tourists. And the very security in it is provided by the local police, always ready to help people, as well as the military forces.

Let's look at them in more detail in order to have an idea of ​​why Poland is considered one of the most defensive countries in Europe, and to know where you can turn in this state in case of an emergency.

Polish police - information for tourists

The police in this state began its formation in 1989, replacing the previous structure, recognized by the Polish authorities as ineffective. At that time, the police forces enjoyed a rather low confidence of the people, and could not perform qualitatively all the functions imposed on it.

After a series of transformations in 1990, the police received a modern structure and began to work according to new standards. Naturally, all transformations in the police system were carried out at the legislative level.

Today, the police are completely separate from other security structures in this country, including the army. Also, each police officer is protected from the influence of any political forces. The infusion of representatives of the old formation into the new police ranks was also limited.

It was these principles of police formation that made it possible to carry out reforms in it in the shortest possible time and as efficiently as possible.

Over the entire period of the formation of the new police structure, more than 100 thousand employees were replaced, and already at the beginning of the transformation, up to 40% of the main staff, who had not undergone retraining in due time, were fired.

Also, such main features of the work of this system as publicity, openness to the press and to local governments were developed.

Actions were taken to reveal the level of trust of local residents in such structures, numerous surveys, as well as police visits to schools and other institutions to get the public acquainted with representatives of law and order.

The modern police was able to implement all the tasks assigned to it, including effective work with citizens, entrepreneurs, local authorities, as well as increasing the overall trust in this structure, which in last years increased by 70%.

The Polish police are always open to cooperation with both local residents and tourists. Anyone in need can contact her personally by finding a policeman on the street or in the station. Also, tourists in Poland can contact the police hotline to call a brigade to a specific address or report problems.

The police force consists of three major major divisions. These are patrol, criminal and anti-terror. Patrol formations are most open to cooperation with private individuals, unlike criminal ones, they can provide their data publicly, therefore it is worth contacting them if you need emergency assistance in this country.

Upon accession to the EU, the police forces received numerous subsidies. Thanks to them, cars, motorcycles, ambulances were purchased in Poland for such formations, similar to those that are already in service with other police units in all countries of the Eurozone.

Some of them do not have identification marks, but are also listed on the balance sheet of certain structures, and thanks to them, a policeman can do his job effectively.

Currently, you can contact the Polish police on one common number 997 if you are calling from a landline number. If you call the police from your mobile, you need to dial the general service number 112, by which you can contact both the police and the ambulance, if necessary.

The structure of the police is, of course, a powerful unit that protects internal order Poland, however, it is in no way inferior to the armed forces of the state. Back in the 50s, it was the second largest after the Soviet one.

However, unlike many Baltic and even European armies, after the collapse of the Union itself, it actually did not lose its own combat capability and continues to build up its own power at the present time.

The defense forces of Poland today are fully staffed and represented by all branches of the armed forces. There is a fleet and a tank army, ground air defense, aviation, represented by airplanes and helicopters, artillery and armored cavalry. All parts form local forces without involving partners from other countries, unlike other states.

In 1999, Poland became a member of NATO, having rebuilt its own defense system to the standards of this bloc. Very quickly, the state also expanded its own army, thanks to which in just a few years it became one of the largest in this alliance, second in number only to the American and Turkish ones.

At present, the Polish army has completely switched from the draft principle of recruiting its own staff to the contract one. The size of the Polish contingent was somewhat reduced in comparison with 1998 (which, in general, was observed in all troops belonging to the NATO structure), and some of the weapons were also modernized.

In particular, German Leopard tanks were received (deliveries of which are ongoing), modern aircraft were purchased, which in this country are among the newest in the world. Air defense installations have also been upgraded.

The most powerful units of the Polish army are considered to be ground, namely tank (in terms of scale they bypass even German formations), ground air defense. Aircraft in good condition. The crisis is to some extent experienced only by the fleet of this state, which, nevertheless, remains in service with submarines, in particular machines of the Norwegian Kobben type.

In recent years, as part of the modernization of their own Baltic fleet, the Poles have tried to create their own updated missile corvettes. However, this idea, due to the low funding of the industry, was not successful: only one corvette was created, while it did not receive missiles, and is currently used exclusively as a patrol vessel.

There is an opinion that all the reforms of the Polish army carried out in recent years, as well as the replacement of part of the weapons, somewhat reduced the defense capability of the state.

However, in reality this is not the case. In recent years, it has been possible to significantly strengthen the forces of Poland and make them one of the most powerful, at least in Western Europe.

Poland today is one of the few countries in Europe, on the territory of which there are no foreign troops. All units located on its territory have not changed their configuration since the Warsaw Pact, and they are deployed either on the western border of the state, or in the center of the country.

The situation with the armament of the Polish army is also quite ambiguous. Some of its parts are undergoing modernization unevenly, therefore they are at different levels of development. However, almost all types of troops have their own characteristics of weapons, in particular:

• Poland has the oldest fleet in the Baltic, which is equipped with guns from the 50s and 60s. In the coming years, they should be decommissioned, but there is currently no replacement for them, as well as developed strategies that would help bring the fleet to new level.
• The Polish Air Force is the only one in the world in which two main F-16 and MiG-29 vehicles are in service at once. And this is not counting helicopters, which also have a significant weight in the structure of this particular type of troops.
• The fleet of tanks of this particular country is the fourth largest in Europe. Moreover, it is currently the only army in which the development of a new tank is currently underway. And it should be a futuristic small-sized Andersen.

It is also interesting that Poland today is the only NATO member country that continues to expand its troops and constantly modernizes them. As a result, the army of this state in a few years will be able to become one of the largest in Europe, especially against the background of a noticeably declining contingent of other states.

And this despite the fact that in fact the budget of this industry in Poland is seriously limited. Despite a fairly wide contingent of units, the Polish army is not in the mood for expansion. It is completely focused on the defense of the state and does not count on assistance in military operations from other representatives of the NATO bloc.

24.04.2016 14:30

The other day we wrote about the Polish army. The fact is that the Poles decided to increase their ground forces by 50% and called their country "front-line".

We decided to inquire about how things are going with the "front-line" army. And they found the Polish military affairs somewhat neglected.

The article resonated with readers, in particular, we received the following comment:

Well, we respect the offended feelings of our brother Slav. Indeed, we are looking from our high bell tower and may not be objective. Considering the Polish army, taking the Russian one in comparison, is obviously incorrect.

It's like talking about the combat capability of some Gallic tribe, comparing it with the Roman legion.

But let's put the jokes aside.

Let's compare the Polish army with a neighbor. Let's take not a very large, but not a small country, also from the Warsaw Pact or from the USSR.

Ukraine disappears - it does not have an army there, but some kind of misunderstanding that has been shedding blood in boilers welded by miners for a year.

Hungary is a small country, the Czech Republic is also not suitable.

Oh, Belarus will do. Its territory, of course, is smaller than Poland's, it has no access to the sea, but oh well. Let's give Poles a head start.

The population of Belarus is 9.5 million people.

The population of Poland is four times larger - 38.1 million people, which also plays a plus for the country. More people, more taxes, more conscripts.

Accordingly, the strength of the army of Belarus is 65,000 people. The military budget is 746 million dollars.

The strength of the Polish army is 2 times larger - 120,000 people. And the budget is 9,650 million dollars, which is 12 times more than the budget of Belarus. And it kind of hints.

Let's look at the land forces of countries.

Their number among Belarusians is 64,932 people.

The Poles have 60 thousand people.

Opa, the ground forces are equal in number.

Let's look at the technical equipment.

The Poles' tank core consists of six hundred T-72M1s. Excellent Soviet tank of the second generation. True, time does not spare even steel, 40 years of service is, of course, a lot.

In addition, there are 232 PT-91 "Solid". It is a modernized version of the T-72M1, only new - it was produced in Poland from 1995 to 2002. These tanks are more competitive, have active and dynamic protection, improved optics.

Plus, Germany got 128 Leopards 2A4, but already old ones - they are 30 years old.

In total, 900 ancient obsolete tanks, of which only 232 PT-91s are anything serious, and even then with a stretch.

Let's look at the Belarusians.

Their shock steel fist is represented by 1446 T-72B.

T-72B - like the same ruins as the T-72M1, but not quite. This is already a third-generation tank due to the dynamic protection "Contact", plus, a gun stabilizer for firing on the move, and of the 9K120 "Svir" guided weapon system. This whole thing has been done since 1985. This means that these tanks are younger than the Polish T-72M1, they are over 30 years old. And in principle they are comparable to Leopards 2A4.

And the Belarusians have almost one and a half thousand of this stuff.

Plus, there are 69 T-80Bs.

Let's see what these armies have with infantry motorization.

Let's start again with the Poles.

BMP-1 - ancient junk. Produced from 1966 to 1979, these caterpillar coffins are now 50 to 37 years old and starting to break down. Every year, several vehicles go off the balance sheet of the army and are sent for scrap. But so far there are still 1300 of them.

The armored personnel carriers of the Poles are Finnish, new, a contract for 690 Rosomak is currently being executed.

There are also American Cougars, International MaxxPro, only 70 pieces, and 200 HMMWV.

Polish intelligence has 237 BRDM-2s. Good cross-country ability, but poor security, the machine, developed in the late 60s, is still produced under license in Poland.

What do Belarusians have?

BMP-2, which is a completely different story. It has been produced since 1980, which means that they are now no more than 36 years old. In terms of quantity - 875. And something tells me that among them, if anything, there will be more able to budge after preparation than among the Polish 1300 pieces of BMP-1.

Plus, a hundred BMD-1 and 136 BRM-1K.

Of the armored personnel carriers, Belarusians have 133 BTR-80s and 111 units of any junk such as BTR-70, MT-LB, BTR-D.

But there is a contract for the supply of 32 BTR-82A. This, of course, is 690 new Finnish armored personnel carriers, but still something.

Plus, the Belarusians have their own TMPC "Mul", which indicates the presence of their own developments and production capacities.

I propose to leave the artillery for later, but for now we can draw a preliminary conclusion.

The tank fist of the Belarusians is significantly superior to the Polish one, both in quantity and quality.

Belarusians feel a lack of armored personnel carriers, but they take superiority in infantry fighting vehicles.

Here is an example of how you can take care of the Soviet legacy with a small military budget while preserving equipment.

And where the Poles put 9 billion dollars every year, I frankly do not understand.

Although there is an assumption: the Yankees are milking their satellites. Who knows how much the Poles actually had to pay for Cougars?

Although, on the other hand, the Poles now have military reforms. Maybe in 5-10 years their army will be different.

It is widely known that the second world war three powers won - the USSR, Great Britain and the USA. It was they who made the most significant contribution to the cause of victory. Nevertheless, in addition to them, hundreds of thousands of representatives of other nationalities fought with the Wehrmacht troops in the ranks of the allies. The most numerous of them were the Poles, who fought not only as part of the pro-Soviet Polish Army, known to our citizens from the film “Four Tankers and a Dog”, and numerous partisan detachments operating in occupied Poland, but also in the troops of the Western powers. For many years, this last fact was preferred not to be spoken of in our country. The reason for this is big politics and the cold war.

The invasion of German troops into Poland on September 1, 1939 was lightning fast. By the end of the second week of fighting, the Polish army almost completely ceased to exist as a single organism. Scattered units in a panic retreated to the east. 17 days after the German attack, the threat came from this side as well. The Red Army, almost without resistance, crossed the Polish lines and rushed towards the German troops. In this situation, parts of the Polish Army withdrew to Hungary and Romania. Some managed to break into Lithuania and Latvia. Most of the remaining soldiers were captured by the Soviet or German armies. As a result, more than half a million Polish soldiers ended up in the camps in Germany and the USSR.

Meanwhile, the Poles who had escaped capture were not going to stop fighting. In different ways, they decided to make their way to Warsaw's allied France. Together with its army, the Polish military leadership intended to fight Hitler and, after passing through German territory, return home. Confidence in such an outcome of the case was promoted both by the authority of the French troops, who were considered invincible, and by the firm conviction that despite the seizure of territory, Poland still exists and is ready to fight. In September 1939, General Sikorsky managed to create a government in exile and agree with the Allies on the formation of a national armed forces. The personnel for them were the military who had made their way into the country, as well as representatives of the local Polish diaspora. Thus, already by the new, 1940, more than 40 thousand soldiers of the army of the 2nd Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gathered in France. In a few months, almost 82,000 people joined the new army. Of these, they decided to form two corps, as well as a number of smaller formations. However, due to unsatisfactory supplies, the Polish regiments looked impressive only on paper. Only half of the army was fully equipped, armed and retrained. Nevertheless, even in such a truncated composition, she still entered the fight with the enemy. The first to receive such an honor was the 5,000-strong brigade of Podhale riflemen under the command of Colonel Zygmund Shishko-Bogush.

This military unit, which had undergone an accelerated retraining course, was to become part of the Anglo-French expeditionary corps. According to the plans of the allied strategists, he was supposed to go to the aid of Finland, which was at war with the USSR. However, the war ended earlier than expected in Paris and London. But without the participation of the Poles in the battles in the north of Europe, it still could not have done. True, instead of Finland, the Podgale brigade was sent to Norway, attacked in the spring of 1940 by Hitler. In early May, British, Polish and French units landed in Narvik Bay and forced the German units to retreat into the mountains. Subsequently, despite this initial success, the Allies were forced to evacuate. The weak Norwegian army by that time had practically ceased to exist, and on May 10 the Wehrmacht launched an offensive against Belgium, Holland and France.

Returning to Brest in the last days of the French campaign, the Podhale riflemen took part in the fight against the Germans. After several days of clashes, the brigade was destroyed. Only a few of the surviving soldiers managed to make their way to England. Most were taken prisoner.

A similar fate befell not only this connection. Almost all parts of the Polish army in France were utterly defeated. Despite resistance, in German captivity hit tens of thousands of people. Nevertheless, almost 30 thousand soldiers of the Polish Army managed to escape. They managed to reach foggy Albion, from where the Poles intended to continue the fight in order to return home. However, they were able to get to the continent only after four years. Until that time, the war with the Germans in Europe was continued by Polish pilots and sailors, who made their contribution to the overall victory.

Lost in the sands

After the news of the surrender of Paris and the subordination of the local French command to the pro-German government, the brigade, despite attempts to disarm it, still managed to retreat to the British in Palestine, and then to Egypt. The formation, which never took part in the battles, went to the Italian front in May 1941. It then took place in the African desert, three hundred kilometers west of Alexandria.

At the end of the summer, the Poles were taken to the besieged fortress of Tobruk in Libya. Here the shooters were opposed by the Italo-German troops of the famous General Erwin Rommel. On December 10, the city was released. The Poles, exhausted and exhausted by the long siege, heavy losses and unaccustomed, unbearable heat, nevertheless took part in the further English offensive. They were taken to Palestine for reformation only in May 1942. Subsequently, the Carpathian riflemen became part of the 2nd Polish Corps, formed from Polish units in the USSR.

Poles in Russia

Soon the news of the creation of the Polish army spread throughout the camps, prisons and special settlements of the Gulag. Citizens of Poland, who received freedom after a year and a half of hard labor, rushed to the city of Buzuluk in the Saratov region, where Anders set up his headquarters. Many arrived with their families. As a result, already in the autumn of 1941, the number of Poles, as well as Belarusians, Jews and Ukrainians, significantly exceeded the planned composition of the troops. Provide them with everything they need Soviet Union could not. At that time, the Red Army fought stubborn battles with the Germans on the outskirts of Moscow. Stalin also demanded the speedy entry into battle of the Polish divisions. Anders referred to their unpreparedness and lack of uniforms and ammunition.

As a result, in 1942, after a series long negotiations Churchill, Stalin and Sikorsky, it was decided to withdraw Polish units from the territory of the USSR to Iran and the Middle East. By the end of the summer, more than 100,000 Polish citizens and their families were evacuated. However, many Poles never managed to leave the Soviet Union. At the end of the war, several divisions of the pro-Soviet Polish Army were formed from them. Together with the Red Army, they took part in bloody battles for the liberation of their homeland and stormed Berlin.

Anders' army, after being reorganized into the 2nd Polish Corps, after a year of training and security service in the oil fields of Iran and Iraq, was sent to Italy, where in May 1944 it played a decisive role in breaking through the German defense line.

Monte Cassino

In mid-May 1944, the Anglo-American-French troops once again launched an assault on the Gustav Line, the Wehrmacht's defensive fortifications located south of Rome. Previous attempts to break through it were unsuccessful. The key point of the positions defended by the Germans was the Benedictine monastery, located on the steep and impregnable mountain of Monte Cassino.

The order to drive out the enemy and take possession of the monastery was given to the Polish corps. After several days of bloody battles, at the cost of hundreds of lives of the natives of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine, the monastery was taken. The road to Rome is free.

Parts of Anders continued their offensive along the Adriatic coast of Italy. In July, they liberated Ancona, and ended their combat path in April 1945 in Bologna.

In the west of Europe

Finally, the order to send to the front was received. At the end of July, Maczek's division landed in France, where it became subordinate to the 1st Canadian Army, becoming its main strike force. A few days later, she took part in a tank battle near Caen, and soon - near Falaise, where she encountered the elite SS divisions "Leibstandarte" and "Hitler Youth". Once surrounded, the German units tried to escape from the cauldron created by him by the Anglo-American armies. The weakest point in the defense of the allies was the area in the area of ​​the commune of Mont-Ormel, through which the Nazis tried to break through. Polish units stood in their way. As a result of the three-day battle, the parties suffered heavy losses. The Germans, who abandoned all their armored vehicles, managed to get out of the encirclement. However, Machek's tankers managed to capture five thousand SS men. Among them, as well as among other prisoners captured by the Allies in France, there was a considerable number of Poles who replenished the greatly depleted composition of the division.

Soon, parts of the parachute brigade also entered the battle. In mid-September, they took part in the operation to seize bridges in the Netherlands. As a result of the fighting near Arnhem, the paratroopers suffered significant losses and only after several days of continuous battles behind enemy lines were they able to connect with the advancing British troops. In the future, Polish paratroopers did not take part in the war.

In the meantime, after a short rest, the 1st Polish armored division continued its offensive along the sea coast. Together with the Canadians, she participated in the liberation of Belgium and Holland. On May 6, 1945, the tankers accepted the surrender of the garrison of the German Kriegsmarine base in Wilhelmshaven. Now only a few hundred kilometers separated them from Poland. However, it was impossible to overcome them.

Return

The British and Americans recognized the pro-Moscow Polish government of national unity. Support was denied to the emigrant authorities. Under the circumstances, many Poles who were in Soviet camps at the beginning of the war refused to return to their homeland. They did not want to come to terms with the fact that Poland had become communist. As a result, most of the military decided to stay in the West.

Nevertheless, more than 100 thousand Poles, as well as natives of Belarus and Ukraine, repatriated to their homeland voluntarily.

In general, although the Polish troops in the Allied armies did not play a significant role in achieving victory in the West, their moral contribution to the fight against the Reich is quite large. Deprived of their homeland, the citizens of the Commonwealth fought the enemy wherever possible: from Norway to Africa and from Italy to Belgium and Holland.

1919-1938

In February 1919, Polish troops started a war against Soviet Russia, the war was officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Riga on March 18, 1921.

In the autumn of 1920, Polish troops fought against Lithuania, as a result of which the Vilna region was annexed and included in Poland.

In November 1923, units of the Polish Army, together with the police, took part in the suppression of the Krakow Uprising.

On March 31, 1939, the British government provided Poland with guarantees of the integrity of its territory.

1939-1945

The armed forces of Poland participated in World War II from September 1, 1939 until the end of hostilities in Europe. After the defeat of Poland by Germany, Polish formations continued to serve both in the armies of the Western Allies and in the Red Army of the USSR Armed Forces.

In September - October 1939, after the escape of the Polish government, some of the Polish troops and forces retreated to the territory of Hungary, Romania (only 84,600 Polish troops crossed the Polish-Romanian border) and the USSR. The authorities of these states have various solutions, placing them first in special camps, some allowed Polish soldiers to travel privately to France and the Middle East.

The Polish government, located in the city of Angers, in France, on September 30, 1939, agreed with the French government on the formation of 4 infantry divisions as part of the French Armed Forces. In October 39th, the Polish formations in the French Armed Forces numbered 1,900 personnel, and by mid-June 1940, about 84,500 people. The Polish soldiers were armed with French weapons and dressed in French uniforms, with Polish insignia (cockades, chevrons, and so on).

From October 1944, the post of commander of the Air Force of the Polish Army was held by F. P. Polynin, and from December 1950 to November 1956 - Colonel General of Aviation Turkel Ivan Lukich, remaining in the cadres of the USSR Air Force.

In 1954, the study of judo began in Poland (first - in the section of the Polish Weightlifting Union, in 1957 the Polish Judo Union was created). The training of judo instructors began at the Warsaw and Krakow Institutes of Physical Culture, judo training was included in the training program for border guards and military personnel of the airborne units of the Polish Army.

In 1968, the troops of the 2nd Army of the Polish Army ( 2 Armia Wojska Poland) under the command of a general of division