How to obtain Polish Military Records – WWII Army Service

Tracing the military history of your Polish ancestors can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Polish military records contain valuable information that can reveal details about your family’s past and the historical context in which they lived. This article will guide you through different types of Polish military documents, making it easier to discover your heritage. Whether your ancestors served in the Polish army, navy, or air force, these records can provide crucial insights for genealogists, particularly for those with roots in the UK and USA.

Types of Polish Military Records

Polish military records come in various forms, each offering unique details about a service member’s life. These records include enlistment papers, service records, pension records, and discharge papers. Enlistment papers often contain personal information like age, birthplace, and physical description. Service records provide details about assignments, promotions, and military engagements. Pension records offer information about a veteran’s life after service, including their financial status and benefits received. Discharge papers summarize a service member’s career and the reasons for their discharge.

Accessing Enlistment Papers

Enlistment papers are a great starting point for uncovering your ancestor’s military service. These documents provide valuable information, including personal details, enlistment date, and the unit they served in. For genealogists, enlistment papers help establish a timeline and location of military service. These papers are usually stored in national or military archives, such as the Central Military Archives in Warsaw. Many have been digitized and are available online, making it easier for researchers from abroad to access the information they need.

Grandfather in the Polish Army – military records

To understand the experiences of the soldiers who joined the Polish Anders Army, one must delve into their earlier hardships. Many of them had endured deportation to Siberia by the Soviet authorities during the early years of the war. These harrowing journeys and years of captivity in the harsh Siberian winters left an indelible mark on their lives and fueled their determination to fight for freedom.

Records from 1918-1939

Military records from the interwar period (1918-1939) provide a glimpse into a crucial time in Polish history, covering the rebirth of Poland as an independent nation and its military reorganization. These records include those of the Polish Army, which was re-established after World War I, as well as documents from various military schools and training facilities. They often contain enlistment details, service records, and pension documents. These records are invaluable for understanding the role of Polish soldiers in the nation’s early years of independence. They are typically held in national and regional archives, including the Central Military Archives in Warsaw. Additionally, some records from this period may be found in local archives and military museums, providing a broader view of Poland’s military history during this transformative era.

Collection of the Order of War Virtuti Militari

The War Order of Virtuti Militari is the highest Polish military decoration, awarded for exceptional bravery and valor on the battlefield. Established in 1792 by King Stanisław August Poniatowski, it is one of the oldest military orders in the world.

The Polish Army in France – military records from 1940-1941

These records, such as demobilization documents, provide detailed information about individual soldiers, including their rank, service duration, units of assignment, and personal details like date and place of birth, profession before enlistment, and marital status. Additionally, these records often note the location where soldiers were stationed, their post-service residence, and any allowances they received upon demobilization. Such documents are invaluable for researchers and genealogists, offering a comprehensive view of the military and personal lives of Polish soldiers during this turbulent period.

Polish military records after 1945

If you are looking for information about your ancestors after 1945, a good solution would be to analyze the records of soldiers registered in the Regional Military Recruitment Offices. These were key administrative units of the Polish Armed Forces responsible for recruitment, mobilization, and personnel management. Their main tasks included maintaining military records, conducting conscription, and collaborating with local authorities to ensure efficient mobilization and replenishment of military units.

By utilizing the collection of records of soldiers registered in the Regional Military Recruitment Offices, we can find documents prepared from 1945 onwards, including personal record sheets containing the following data:

1. Surname and first name, father’s name
2. Military rank
3. Year and month of birth
4. Place of birth
5. Nationality
6. Occupation
7. Parents’ occupation, parents’ place of residence
8. Socio-political activities until 1939, from 1939-44, from 1944 onwards
9. Education: a) civilian (what and where graduated), b) military (what and where graduated)
10. Knowledge of foreign languages
11. Academic degree: any works or inventions
12. Any criminal convictions, when, where, by whom, for how long
13. When (year, month, day), where, through mobilization or voluntarily joined the Polish army
14. Previous military service (or partisan unit), where, when, in what position
15. Participation in the war of 1914-1918, where, when, in what position
16. Participation in the war with Germany from 1939, where, when, in what position
17. Presence in the area occupied by Germans from 1939-1944: where, when, activities during this period
18. Any wounds or injuries, where and when
19. Orders and decorations, when awarded
20. Marital status (married, bachelor), wife’s maiden name and first name, children’s names, their age, and place of residence

Polish Anders Army Records

The records of the Polish Anders Army, including personnel files, battle reports, and personal diaries, have been meticulously preserved in various archives and museums. These documents provide valuable insights into the experiences of the soldiers, their wartime activities, and their post-war lives. Researchers and historians continue to study these records to piece together a comprehensive understanding of this chapter in Polish history.

Personal records contained the following information:

1. Surname and first name
2. Year of birth
3. Nationality
4. Religion
5. Occupation
6. Permanent residence in Poland
7. Last place of stay in Poland: a) at liberty, b) after imprisonment
8. Reason for leaving Poland
9. Date of imprisonment
10. Date of leaving Poland
11. Place of stay in the USSR before amnesty: a) prisoner camps, b) prisons, c) labor camps,
d) settlements, e) other places of stay
12. Date of release
13. Places of stay in the USSR after amnesty
14. Employment in the USSR: a) in prisoner camps, b) in labor camps, c) in settlements,
d) in other places

Service Records: A Detailed Military Career

Service records give a comprehensive view of an individual’s military career. These records include information about the units and divisions they served in, ranks held, campaigns participated in, and any awards or decorations received. For families, service records provide a narrative of their ancestor’s military experiences and contributions. Accessing these records may require visiting national or regional archives in Poland, but some may be available through online databases and genealogy websites that focus on Eastern European records.