What did the Russians do to the Polish?
Soviet soldiers often engaged in plunder, rape and other crimes against the Poles, causing the population to fear and hate the regime. 50,000 members of the Polish Underground State were deported to Siberia and various other Soviet Labour camps.
What did Stalin do to the poles?
In one notorious atrocity ordered by Stalin, the Soviet secret police systematically shot and killed 22,000 Poles in a remote area during the Katyn massacre. Among some 14,471 victims were top Polish Army officers, including political leaders, government officials, and intellectuals.
Who survived the Katyn Massacre?
Stanisław Swianiewicz
Stanisław Swianiewicz (7 November 1899 – 22 May 1997) was a Polish economist and historian. A veteran of the Polish-Bolshevik War, during World War II he was a survivor of the Katyn Massacre and an eyewitness of the transport of Polish prisoners of war to the forests outside Smolensk by the NKVD.
Was there a Polish resistance?
The Polish resistance movement in World War II (Polski ruch oporu w czasie II wojny światowej), with the Polish Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance movement in all of occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation.
Did England help Poland in ww2?
They were loyal allies to the British. Britain was bound to defend Poland from attack by Germany in a mutual pact of loyalty between the two nations signed in August 1939. After their troops could not hold off the German invasion, much of the Polish military came to Britain to re-group.
Is Polish different from Russian?
Although both Polish vs Russian are Slavic languages, their writing systems are completely different. Polish uses Latin letters, just like English. This makes Polish a much much easier language to learn than Russian. Russian on the other hand uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
How many Poles were killed by Stalin?
From 1945 to 1948, the Soviets deported to forced labor or concentration camps in the Soviet Union from 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 Poles, of which 585,000 may have died. Hundreds of thousands and possibly near 1,000,000 Poles were killed in Soviet terror and repression.
What happened to Polish soldiers after ww2?
Polish officers were murdered or deported eastwards to Soviet concentration camps. Following the end of WWII, over two hundred concentration camps for Polish civilians were put up in Poland. The Soviets also used existing camps, which had been in use under the Nazi occupation.
When did the Russians admit to Katyn?
In November 2010, the Russian State Duma took a big step toward healing a decades-old rift with Poland by officially accepting Soviet responsibility for the Katyn massacre — the mass killing of some 22,000 Polish military officers, religious figures, and intelligentsia in 1940.
