Fighting for Polish independence : the 100,000-man diasporic army in World War I and the conflicts of 1919-1921 / James S. Pula ; foreword by M.B.B. Biskupski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pula, James S., 1946- Author.

Biskupski, M. B. B., author of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Russo-Polish War, 1919-1920.

Polish diaspora.

Polish people--Foreign countries.

Polish people.

France. Armée. Légion polonaise.

France.

France. Armée. Légion polonaise--Recruiting, enlistment, etc.

Poland. Wojsko Polskie.

Poland.

Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America.

Poland--History, Military--1918-.

Physical Description:

viii, 242 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2026]

Summary:

"One of the substantial international outcomes of World War I was the emergence or reemergence of nation states in Eastern and East Central Europe based on ethnic aspirations. For the first time in English, this book chronicles the activities by which the Polish diaspora supported the restoration of an independent Poland including the recruiting of an army of over 100,000 men to fight on the Western Front with the French. It also covers the creation of the Polish White Cross to offer medical and other assistance to the troops, and the Gray Samaritans who functioned as social workers to bring relief to the newly independent nation. The book also follows the Polish army in France as it moves to postwar Poland to battle a Bolshevik invasion and the relief organizations as they followed the army to provide support to the civilian population suffering from the wartime destruction, population dislocations, and widespread hunger and diseases. No other ethnic diaspora came close to the political pressure, military contribution, and humanitarian relief efforts undertaken by the international Polish communities living abroad."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. The Origins of American Polonia

2. A Shared Identity and Purpose

3. War Ravages Polish Lands

4. Creating an Army

5. The Bayonne Legion

6. The "Blue Army" in France

7. One War Is Over, Another Begins

8. The ƯPolish-Bolshevik War: Phase I

9. The ƯPolish-Bolshevik War: Phase II

10. Assisting Sovereign Poland

Conclusion

Appendix A: Paderewski Calls for "a Free, United and Independent Poland!"

Appendix B: Polish Army Recruitment Centers in the United States and Canada

Appendix C: Decree Forming the Polish Army in France, June 4, 1917

Appendix D: Members of the Polish National Committee in Paris

Appendix E: Order of Battle for the Kiev Offensive, April 25, 1920

Appendix F: Polish American Recipients of the Virtuti Militari

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781476699172

1476699178

OCLC:

1516185214

Publisher Number:

90104333437