June 23, 1941: General Władysław Sikorski, leader of the Polish government-in-exile, broadcasted an announcement about the German invasion of Russia: What we have been anticipating has occurred. Though sooner than we had expected. The Nazi-Bolshevik combination which was at the source of the terrible disaster that brought about the fate of Poland has been shattered. Since dawn of June 22 the former accomplices are at strife. As the Germans advanced, Stalin was desperate for Allied aid. His government even mended diplomatic ties with Poland, and approved the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement of 1941. This granted ‘amnesty’ for all Polish deportees and POWs in Russia, with the promise that they would form an army to fight Nazi Germany. Polish General Wladyslaw Anders, newly released from Lubyanka prison, was chosen to lead the future Polish II Corp. Picture: German troops on the Eastern Front.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:48:28 +0000
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