Polish soldiers on all fronts (and especially those of the underground army) used a lot of German equipment:


As I wrote earlier - Polish units fighting on Eastern Front captured German stocks of uniform and equipment. IIRC it was in early 1945 (February?) near Bydgoszcz. Since then you may find some photos of Polish soldiers equipped with various parts of standard German equipment, belts with "Gott mit uns" buckles included.Askold wrote:- Note the German beltbuckle.Piotr Mikołajski wrote:Why do you think that this soldier is in German service?Askold wrote:Polish Hiwi in German service
What Polish Government offered troops to Hitler? The government in exile was at war with Germany and the government of the General Government was staffed and run by Germans.Able wrote:.
Thank you very much for your views Domen, I find them very interesting.
I have been unable to find the size of the pre-war Polish Party.
Do you have any idea of its size please?
To offer you another take on nazi recruitment techniques.
One of my friends joined the Wehrmacht shortly after the Nazis invaded.
He told me that he joined to save his parents’ lives not his own.
From his account, the nazis put him, and a large number of other ethnic Poles in a cellar, which they then flooded.
By the time they were very close to drowning, and nobody had “volunteered”, the nazis told them that they would also drown their parents if they did not volunteer.
All then volunteered.
After we sank his sub, the French underground transported him across Europe to train the Free Poles in Persia.
Another friend, told me nazi recruiters in and around chatted Polish men and boys along the lines, you look Polish how about joining us, good food, good beer, good pay, women, etc.
From Wikipedia, I learnt that nazis set up huge screens showing films of the good life nazis lead on the food, drink, and luxury goods plundered from Occupied Europe to help recruitment through towns and cities in Polish Poland.
I do not know how successful they were.
Wikipedia also told me that the Polish Government offered Polish units to fight alongside the nazis on the Eastern Front.
Apparently, Evil Adolph turned it down.
Incidentally, you did not mention Katyn.
How do you feel Katyn would have effected recruitment of ethnic Poles by the nazis Doman?
.
If he was a Hiwi, I believe he would've had the armband.Askold wrote:[Split from "Polish Volunteers In The Wehrmacht"]
Polish Hiwi in German service:
(photo taken from BKA forum)
Bild 2: unser Koch, ebenfalls ein polnischer Hiwi, ruft unserem Patron etwas nach. links oben = unser Patron, rechts unten unser polnischer Koch
"Pirunja" seems to be slightly distorted vocative case of pierun - "(Ty) pierunie!". And pierun or pieron is a regional word used to address persons one is angry with.history1 wrote:Looks curios that the boss is running away, no idea what "Pirunja" should be. Doesn´t seem polish to me.
Thanks MJU!Njorl wrote:[...] "Pirunja" seems to be slightly distorted vocative case of pierun - "(Ty) pierunie!". And pierun or pieron is a regional word used to address persons one is angry with.
See entry in PWN dictionary.
Regards
MJU
I'm afraid there are no such numbers known. About 400 thousand of Poles were conscripted into the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and even SS but all of them were considered German citizens.JohnWithill wrote:What I would like to know is just how many Poles did volunteer
They wasn't organised in "national" units, they were sent to different German units.JohnWithill wrote:how they were organised
Try to find information about "Goralenvolk".JohnWithill wrote:I know Adolf was particularly keen on Alpine and Mountain units - did the Karpaty Army just dissolve - did the Podhalians get out or where they rounded up incarcerated and 'conscripted ?'
You mean those who were conscripted by Germans, tried to escape to Allied units and were captured by German units? Such people were considered traitors and were sentenced to death.JohnWithill wrote:I have a number of Polish frineds descended from the lucky ones who escaped and got to the UK - what befell those who were captured?