London conference to examine role of Polish generals in allied effort during World War II
The role of senior Polish military commanders in the Allied effort during World War II will be examined in depth at a conference in London on June 20-21, organised jointly by the British Commission for Military History and the Polish Heritage Society (UK).
Norman Davies, UNESCO Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, is the keynote speaker at the event, which is supported by the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
The conference will specifically consider the contributions of three Polish generals and the 303 Polish Squadron, which was the most successful Allied air force unit at shooting down enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain. The generals to be discussed are:
• Lieut.Gen. Wladyslaw Anders, who commanded the 2nd Polish Corps in the battle for Monte Cassino during the Italian campaign; • Lieut.Gen. Stanislaw Maczek who commanded the Polish 1st Armoured Division in the Netherlands and Northern Germany; and • Maj.Gen. Stanislaw Sosabowski who commanded the Polish Parachute Brigade during Operation Market Garden, the attempt to achieve the crossing of the river Rhine at Arnhem.
The conference will be held at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London. In addition to Norman Davies, other speakers include Peter Devitt, Assistant Curator at the RAF Museum Hendon; Paul Latawski from BCMH; and George Cholewczynski, the biographer of Gen. Sosabowski. It will conclude with an open forum chaired by Maj.Gen. Mungo Melvin, President of BCMH.
“The role these generals played in the Allied war effort is yet to be fully appreciated. This conference will be an important step towards recognising their contribution.” said PHS Chairman Dr Marek Stella-Sawicki.
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