Some Polish books and links on the Polish Army 1918-1921

[ts]

List of some Polish books and links on the Polish Army 1918-1921, mainly on uniforms. The Poles of course have a huge litterature on the war, regiments and all such things.

The list is divided into books still possible to buy via book shops (1)
Books to buy second hand via for instance the very good Polish internet auction site allegro.pl (2)
Books where you possibly has to use Polish antiquarians (3).


1.
LEKSYKON WOJNY POLSKO – ROSYJSKIEJ 1919-1920, Janusz Odziemkowski, Warszawa, 2004.
As the title says, a lexicon on the period. Not as detailed, as one could wish, but gives an overview.

SZTANDARY KAWALERII POLSKIEJ XX WIEKU, Lesław Kukawski and Andrzej Jeziorkowski, Grajewo 2009.
The book deals with standards in the 20th century - and so also those of 1920. Beautifully illustrated with coloured drawings of the different standards. Sadly it does not cover the unofficial standars, which have existed.

KAWALERIA PRZECIWNIKÓW I SOJUSZNIKÓW WOJSKA POLSKIEGO W LATACH 1918-1921
POD REDAKCJĄ: Aleksandra Smolińskiego. Toruń 2003.
Describes in 4 articles the foreign cavalry on Polish soil. Budjonnis Red 1st Cavvalry Corps, the Cossacks going over and fighting for the Poles, the Ukrainian cavalry and the Lithauian cavalry. Some black and white photos.

THE WAR BETWEEN POLAND AND BOLSHEVIK RUSSIA, KARTA Centrę City of Warsaw History Museum Warsaw 2005.
A very nice book with lots of contemporary photos plus short texts.

POZNANCZYCY W WOJNIE POLSKO-BOLSZEWICKIEJ 1919-1921, Bartosz Kruszyński, Poznań 2010.
A very nice book on the Poznan troops, with lots of pictures.

ALBUM MUNDUROW 1 POLSKIEGO KORPUSU. Warszawa 2005.
A reprint of a booklet first published in 1919 by general Józefa Dowbor-Muśnicki, former commander of the 1st Polish Corps in Russia. Later he was commander of the Poznan forces. Not much text but it has colour plates with the uniforms in Russia, showing the various units, badges and such. Can still be bought through book stores.

Series "Zarys Historii Wojennej Pułków Polskich" and "Zarys Historii Wojennej Pułków Polskich w Kampanii Wrześniowej". These are small booklets with regimental and unit histories. The one series only describes the period of WWII. Most of these booklets can be found on the net to download for free. http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra

1 PUŁK SZWOLEŻERÓW JÓZEFA PIŁSUDSKIEGO 1918-1939. LESZEK ROŚCISZEWSKI Warsawa 1993.
Something like an Osprey book.

2.
O KAWALERII POLSKIEJ XX WIEKU, Cezary Leżeński/Lesław Kukawski, Wrocłow, Warsawa, Kraków, 1991.
About the cavalry 1917-1945. Has many black/white pictures and several colour plates, also some from the period 1920.

KSIĘGA KAWALERII POLSKIEJ 1914-1947, RODOWODY-BARWA-BROŃ, Henryk Smaczny, Warszawa 1989.
About the cavalry. Very often found cheap on offer, has many colour plates. Maybe not the most beautifully drawn pictures, but very instructive. Some of the plates are shown in the photo section here. Has short, but useful regimental histories. Seems not to be considered of great value by the Poles, but I like it.

POLSKI MUNDUR WOJSKOWY 1918-1939, Henryk Wielecki, BELLONA, Warsawa 1995.
Can be rather expensive, but is one of the few, if not the only book, which describes our period in great details. Does not give descriptions for the single units, but gives a good overall view. Has a lot of black/white drawings of details and colour plates with original uniforms.

TROFEA WOJNY POLSKO-BOLSZEWIKIEJ 1920 ROKU, Sztandary radzieckie w rekach polskich, Jarosław Pych, Warszawa 2000.
A fine little book on the captured Red Army colours and flags.

ZARYS DZIEJÓW WOJSKOWOŚCI POLSKIEJ (1864-1939), Wojskowy Instytut Historyczny, Redaktor Piotr Stawecki, Warsawa 1990.
3rd volume of a good, general work on the Polish army through the ages. This volume can often be found alone and surprisingly cheap. The pages 121-393 gives a very good description of the period 1917-1921, covering both the Poles in Russia, the Legions and the fightings in 1920. Surprisingly many useful details can be found in the work. Some black/white photos, but sadly of a rather bad quality caused by being printed on cheap paper. Has a good introduction to the various studies and lists the literature to the different periods and areas.

POLSKI MUNDUR WOJSKOWY, Zdzisław Żygulski jun./ Henryk Wielecki, Kracków 1988.
Describes Polish uniforms through the ages, and so also 1920, but mostly in general terms. Has several good colour pictures of original uniforms from 1920.

BARWA I BRON SIŁ ZBROJNYCH WIELKOPOLSKI W LATACH 1918-1920, Andrzej Jeziorkowski, Tadeusz Jeziorowski, Jarosław Łuczak, Bogusław Połak, Marek Rezler. Koszalin1988.
A very competent and specialized book dealing with the Poznan forces. Marek Rezler, later director for the Museum in Poznan, has here made a very detailed study on the uniforms and colours. It has several plates with uniforms, distinctions, badges and colours. Is normally cheap and a good buy.

KSIĘGA CHWAŁY PIECHOTY, wydana przez Departament Piechoty M. S. Wojsk. Warsawa 1937-1939. Reprint by Bellona 1992.
Big, fat book commemorating the Polish infantry and its actions 1917-1921. A similar book is also on the cavalry.

3.
KALENDARZ ŻOŁNIERSKI NA ROK 1920.
WARSZAWA 1919, KSIĘGARNIA WOJSKOWA. MIN. SPRAW WOJSKOWYCH, DEPARTAMENT NAUKOWO-SZKOLNY, SEKCJA IV.

J. 3. NAUKA JAZDY KONNEJ, 'WYDANIE II, WARSAWA -1919, KSIĘGARNIA WOJSKOWA, MIN. SPR. WOJSK. Departament Mobilizacyjno Organizacyjny. SEKCJA REGUŁ. 1 WYSZKOLENIA

If anyone see these books for sale, then I am very interested. They are not expensive books, but of course not easy to find. It is books published for the private soldiers and tell about the military life, how to do this and that. Saw them on Allegro, but someone bid a little more than I  Frown


A lot of useful informations can easily be found on the net, not least informations on Polish organization and the single regiments. It is just to start in one end and then click around.

Some useful links:
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu%C5%82ki_piechoty_Wojska_Polskiego_II_RP
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu%C5%82ki_kawalerii_Wojska_Polskiego
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojsko_Polskie_II_RP_w_okresie_pokoju

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PolishEasternFront/
A rather sleepy group, but it has several contemporary pictures in photos.

http://ksiegarnia.bellona.pl/index.php?c=new
The main publisher of military books.

http://derela.republika.pl/index.htm
On armoured trains.

http://www.wojsko18-39.internetdsl.pl/wrzesien/index.htm
On weapons

http://www.konflikty.pl/
A page with reviews on military books

http://odkrywca.pl/kawaleria-rosyjska-1920,475683.html
A Polish military history forum.

http://www.odk.pl/
Internet bookshop. Good for inspiration, but I have never got them to answer on mails.

http://www.weu1918-1939.pl/ZBZ.html
Here can be found lots of good stuff. Too much to describe. Just visit the page and look around.

http://www.wanax.pl/index.php?d=szukaj&producent=93
Internet bookshop. I have not tried it.

http://www.bookmaster.pl/historia/historia-polski/wojna-obronna-1920-roku/ksiazki/3021/
Internet bookshop. Works fine.

http://wn.com/Polish_Russian_War
Film clips.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=81062
Film clips.

http://www.york.cuny.edu/~drobnick/russo.html
The Russo-Polish War, 1919-1920: A Bibliography of Materials in English

http://allegro.pl/literatura-ksiazki-3725
Auction site with military books.

http://allegro.pl/polska-wp-do-1939-14592
Auction site with contemporary photos.


And for those more interested in the Polish uniforms of the Napoleonic period, I can highly recommend the series of books from Karabela
http://karabela.waw.pl/index.htm
You will not find any better books on the subject and they are very cheap for their contents of colour plates. The later ones have English subtitles and short texts, but the pictures alone are worth the price. The first published volumes you will have to buy second hand. The one on the generals and staff has become rather scarce, while the one on the cavalry minus the lancers very often is offered.

[cuprum]

The big work and good library! 
A lot of the interesting information.
Thanks.

[traveller]

Excellent info, thanks!

[koz10]

Excellent stuff! Thanks very much!

Shouldn't this be in the "Interwar" section?

[David]

It depend if you see the Russian Civil War 1917 to 1922. which included polish war etc
which is how i would see it, but could be in both sections.

[ts]

As David correctly says: the Polish Wars are both a natural part of the RCW - and too a war between the two World Wars.
I depends, if you look at the Wars with Polish eyes, as wars for independence or in a Russian historic concept.
Parts of Poland had been a under Russia since 1814 and earlier, so the idea of an independent state was not quite natural to most Russian thinking.
Pilsudski was a left wing socialist and knew full well the thinking of his former comrades in Moscow.
He knew them all personally from his revolutionary days.
But first of all Pilsudski was a nationalist and saw Russia as Polands primary enemy - Red or White. And he worked all his life to free Poland, from what he saw as Russian occupation.
That is his reason for forming rifle associations and later taking part on Austrian side with the famous Legions. And later again to refuse to fight on any of the Western fronts. As result of his  refusal, he was sent to German military prison and most of the Legions were disbanded.
Possibly Pilsudski could have decided the outcome of the RCW, if he had let the Poles join the fight together with the white generals, when they marched on Moscow.
But Denikin categorically denied Poland any independence, as he and the Whites fought to restore the total empire of the old Zar-Russia.
As politicians the white generals were not very bright.
At the same time Pilsudski, as he knew the thinking of Lenin and friends, also knew Poland would be attacked, when and if the White generals were finished.
All so-called "peace-negotiations, he knew were big lies.
The Reds started to build up their forces along the borders of Poland already before the fightings against the Whites had ended. And as Pilsudski always preferred to attack first (one of his idols was Napoleon), he attacked these Red formations to delay any attack.
And continued to attack into Ukraine also in the hope of stalling any Red attack on Polands Eastern borders.
The expedition into Ukraine went wrong in many ways, not least as he was seen as the aggressor (which he certainly was - others would call it real-politics) by the Western countries. And even worse it all became, when the 1st Cavalry Corps of Budjonny arrived in Ukraine.
And to make it complete, now the Reds had on the Polish Eastern border collected whatever troops, they could lay their hands on, as the Whites were almost finished off.
So the so-called Polish Wars are a continuation by both the White and Reds to unite all the parts of old Zar-Russia.
Only else Finland and the Baltic states got independence from Russia, the rest was hauled back into the now socialist emporium. The areas were nominated as autonome states - but that was only in wording.
So if you look at the situation from Russian side, the wars are part of the RCW.
If you look at the situation from a Polish angle, then the wars are no part of Russian internal politics, as the Poles did not consider themselves to be part of Russia, but only temporarily occupied by Russia.

[Mark Plant]

My interest is more from a gaming point of view, where the Russo-Polish war is a natural fit as a campaign in the RCW. My "Poles" are a mix of my Freikorps and my Latvians/Red Guard, with White Russian Cavalry. I use the same Reds for Poland as anywhere else. My terrain is designed specifically to be both Polish and Ukrainian. I use the same rules, without any modifications.

As a wargamer I would find splitting the 1920 Polish campaign into a different board to be a real pain.

Politically I don't disagree with anything ts said, except to add that the Poles did not start fighting in 1920. People focus on the big 1920 campaigns, but the Poles fought Soviets and Galician Ukrainians all through 1919 too. The continuity makes finding a split point for "interwar" rather awkward.

[koz10]

The Polish-Bolshevik War was not a campaign of the Russian Civil War but a foreign war completely and, hence, could be listed in the interwar period. By definition, a civil war is between factions of one nation. Poland, at that time, was an independent nation. It's always been convenient for the Soviets to lump this war into the RCW, which they won, because they lost this war. To continue to consider it a part of the RCW is as inaccurate as thinking that infantry charges won battles in the American Civil War or that cavalry charged tanks in WWII. That being said I can see where it is easier to list this in this section because of the flavor of the war/period.

I agree with Mark that even though the largest of the battles were fought in 1920 a series of border clashes and battles were fought from 1919. I'm still building up my forces but, like many others, will use a mix of figs suitable for the RCW for my games.

[koz10]

I do need to save this list in my files. I've already got some of the books listed but would definitely want my library to be complete.

[David]

My understanding of history, is poland was part of russia untill the 1919-1920 war of independance from russia?
therefore you could say poland was part of greater russia, therefore it was red russian fighting polish russian if you know what i mean?
RCW was not just in russia there were other countrys that the RCW covered , the russian civil war was much wider than just Russia.
Which is why i have allways looked at it as 1917 to 1922 russian civil war.
There was no independant poland when i was born, it was part of USSR, so was it russian then, the same as 1914?
so i think this subject still fits here?
David

[koz10]

My understanding of history, is poland was part of russia untill the 1919-1920 war of independance from russia?
therefore you could say poland was part of greater russia, therefore it was red russian fighting polish russian if you know what i mean?
RCW was not just in russia there were other countrys that the RCW covered , the russian civil war was much wider than just Russia.
Which is why i have allways looked at it as 1917 to 1922 russian civil war.
There was no independant poland when i was born, it was part of USSR, so was it russian then, the same as 1914?
so i think this subject still fits here?
David

Polish territory had been absorbed by Prussia, Austro-Hungary and Russia at the end of the 18th century so only part of Poland was a part of the former Russian Empire; this land was occupied by Germany by 1915 and already lost to Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. Poland was established as an independent nation by the Great Powers through the Treaty of Versailles not through any type of breakaway action during the Russian Civil War. Poland wasn’t fighting to break away from Russia and this was no “war of independence” – she was already an independent state (and I doubt any Pole would ever consider himself a Russian Pole any more than a Prussian or Austro-Hungarian Pole – they were simply Polish.)  It’s not unusual that the Soviets included this war as a part of the Russian Civil War or ignored it at all as it was a source of embarrassment to have lost its first foreign war. It’s good propaganda.

Operation Mars was also erased from Soviet history because it was unsuccessful.

It’s interesting to find that you consider Poland to have been just another part of the USSR and not an independent nation after WWII just like it was prior to WWI.

[ts]

Polish territory had been absorbed by Prussia, Austro-Hungary and Russia at the end of the 18th century so only part of Poland was a part of the former Russian Empire; this land was occupied by Germany by 1915 and already lost to Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. Poland was established as an independent nation by the Great Powers through the Treaty of Versailles not through any type of breakaway action during the Russian Civil War. Poland wasn’t fighting to break away from Russia and this was no “war of independence” – she was already an independent state (and I doubt any Pole would ever consider himself a Russian Pole any more than a Prussian or Austro-Hungarian Pole – they were simply Polish.)  It’s not unusual that the Soviets included this war as a part of the Russian Civil War or ignored it at all as it was a source of embarrassment to have lost its first foreign war. It’s good propaganda.

Operation Mars was also erased from Soviet history because it was unsuccessful.

It’s interesting to find that you consider Poland to have been just another part of the USSR and not an independent nation after WWII just like it was prior to WWI.



My understanding of history, is poland was part of russia untill the 1919-1920 war of independance from russia?
therefore you could say poland was part of greater russia, therefore it was red russian fighting polish russian if you know what i mean?
RCW was not just in russia there were other countrys that the RCW covered , the russian civil war was much wider than just Russia.
Which is why i have allways looked at it as 1917 to 1922 russian civil war.
There was no independant poland when i was born, it was part of USSR, so was it russian then, the same as 1914?
so i think this subject still fits here?
David


A country named Poland under a strong central Government never really existed until Pilsudskis Poland, which was in reality created on a romantic dream fostered by authors like Sienkiewitz et al around 1850-1900.
Poland in former times was more a confederation of provinces under a nominal king, a middle age state-concept still upheld, when everyone else had moved on to absolute kings and so stronger central administrations. In Poland the magnates rules, just like the former high nobles in the West. And with the same disastrous results.
Poland never got such strong, absolute kings, and so never became the Mid-European power, it could have been. Instead it ended warring against, occupied, invaded and torn by the neighbouring states, from Turkey  Sweden, Russia, Saxony, Austria, Prussia to raids by Mongols and Cossacks.
The country is and was vast, having been even vaster, but thinly inhabited except for areas around bigger town and cities.
Which provinces/areas should after 1918 be part of the new Poland, was in reality decided by Pilsudski alone. And certainly his ideas were not like the thoughts of Paris 1918. And neither did Polands neighbours agree to what should be part of the new Poland.
The Poles of 1918 were certainly not all a bunch of nationalistic Poles, as the country was a mix of many nationalities. That is the main reason, why the first fightings and guarding of the new "borders" all are done by volunteers, not least ex-legionaires (the Legions were political soldiers, if ever there were such) and members of earlier Rifle Associations, Sokol and the POW, the Polish secret army organization.
In the start Pilsudski and the Polish politicians did not dare to use conscriptions. The masses of the people did not accept or agree to their policies, and the politicians knew it.
The new Poland was carved out by use of raw military force, political agreements, plebiscites and so on. The Poles lost some and won some. Some of the first fightings were about Lvov, pure civil war. Same goes for the Pommeranian and Silesian areas, where the adversaries were Prussians and Czechs. And in the East, Vilnius, which really was most Lithuanian, but also the beloved city of Pilsudski himself. When the Poles took Minsk, all Russia sprung up in rage. Suddenly the Red Army was flooded with, what it needed most of all, professional and educated Russian officers from the old Czarist army - now ready to fight for the Motherland against the arch-enemy. Even among the Poles were discords about, how to arrange it all. So for instance the new Poznan State first tried to reach a kind of Province status with Prussia. Pilsudski was certainly neither understood, followed, admired nor loved by many in that area.
Poland lost to Russia by Brest-Litovsk? It was an agreement between Red Russia and ex-Germany, so that agreement was later annulled.
The new Poland was alone the work of Pilsudski.
Its borders were alone decided by Pilsudski and fought for, not decided by any others. It was a pure "Heim ins Reich" hard-nosed policy based on a lifelong romantic dream.
Denikin and many other high officers were Russian officers and did not join the rebellion for a free Poland.
In the Red Army attacking were several red Polish regiments.
So, was it an uprising, one of the many the Poles have started against occupiers? There was no need for uprisings in the former Austrian and Russian occupied areas, only in the German occupied. And in those areas were fought rather hard with weapons.
Was it a singular war in Europe with no connection to the RCW? Pilsudski knew, Poland was next in turn, when the Whites had been destroyed. Lenin and friends were just as interested as the Whites in reassembling the old zar-controlled areas.
Pilsudski was certainly fighting to break away from Russia. He even started the WWI one day earlier than everyone else by occupying a town in the Rusian area and declaring it for free Polish!
What was agreed in Versailles, was what Pilsudski had been able to force through, not what the Western Powers had thought it should be.
No Pole would ever consider himself a Russian Pole any more than a Prussian or Austro-Hungarian Pole – they were simply Polish? Not in those days! For instance it was really a problem in the officers corps, who had been "raised" in which part of the new "country". The Austrian officers hated the Rusian ones, which they had earlier fought. The Austrian and Rusian ones still hated the former Prussians even more. And these three groups all hated the high nosed, self-confident "amateurs" of the Legions. But lucky enough all was in agreement of really hating the officers  coming from Hallers Blue Corps, not least as they were better paid. All this gave a lot of friction in the command system, until Pilsudski decreed, that all were Polish, took away the special Legion wezyke on the collars and gave all the same type - and so shut up.
Also among the civilians were disagreements on "national" lines, which accelerated after 1939. And again in 1945.
Personally I do not care, if the theme Poland 1918-1921 is put into the RCW or Inter War Group.
It fits both places and neither.
I doubt anybody can claim "the truth" on this issue.
If it is a problem for some, then let us make a poll on the issue and so settle it - before any miniature armies start marching 

[David]

history is written by the winner and when reading history it is better to get both side of the story to see the full truth and with a bit of common sense too.
Poland was not fully independant state till it was free of all outside controlling powers and its true borders layed down, which happened after the 1920 from what i have seen and lost in 1939.
History will always have a slant on it depending who has written it and what sources they have used.
David

[Mark Plant]

Denikin and many other high officers were Russian officers and did not join the rebellion for a free Poland.

Again I mostly agree with ts, but Denikin was not pure Russian. He was born in Wloclawek, to Catholic Polish mother and Orthodox Russian father.  He grew up in Poland. He spoke Polish as well as Russian.

In Denikin's case he chose to be Russian like his father. He could just as easily have chosen to be Polish, given his background.

(Denikin took over from Kornilov, who was Cossack and Kazakh. He was followed in turn by a man of Baltic German heritage. "Russian" was then a frame of mind, not an ethnic group.)

[koz10]

TS - you write quite a bit so it is clear you are knowledgeable about the period.  Despite the volume, it still doesn’t form the basis for a coherent argument that the Polish-Bolshevik War wasn't a war between two independent countries. Israel's neighbors do not recognize her, nor the extent of her borders. Is she not an idependent nation who has successfully defended herself from aggressors several times?

From 1919 through 1920 Poland was the aggressor against the Bolshevik state, not the other way around. There is evidence to support the peace feelers sent out by the Reds were genuine (e.g. the peace treaty with Estonia in Feb 1920, a treaty the Russians upheld until the Soviet Union reabsorbed the Baltic States 1940) though, given the track record of the Bolsheviks, Polish doubt of sincerity are understandable.

A poll isn't the answer either, though pushing lead is a great idea and I'm painting stuff up as quickly as I can.

History may well be written by the victors, however, it is often corrected by well educated historians.