Polish Armed Forces in the West
The Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. Polish forces were also raised within Soviet territories; these were the Polish Armed Forces in the East.
Shoulder sleeve insignia of the Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish soldiers welcomed by the residents of Breda, Netherlands, 1944
Polish military grave (the text reads "unknown soldiers") in the cemetery at Grainville-Langannerie, France
126 German airplanes shot down by the 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Painted on a Hurricane.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, Also called the Polish Armed Forces And popularly called Wojsko Polskie in Poland are the national armed forces of the Republic of Poland. The name has been used since the early 19th century, but can also be applied to earlier periods. The Polish Legions and the Blue Army, composed of Polish volunteers from America and those who switched sides from the Central Powers, were formed during World War I. In the war's aftermath, the Polish Army was reformed from the remnants of the partitioning powers' forces and expanded significantly during the Polish–Soviet War of 1920.
Emblem of the Polish Territorial Defence Force
GROM special operations unit secures a section of the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq, 2003
Polish army's Rosomak armored vehicle on patrol in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 2010
A Polish Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon during a military exercise, 2019