Polish History New Zealand

January 4, 1940

General Sikorski and the French Premier signed a military agreement to form a Polish army in France. Despite equipment shortages, it was planned to form two infantry corps, an armoured division, up to 20 air force squadrons and auxiliary services. (http://www.polandinexile.com/polisharmy.html)

February 29, 1940

Anders’ cell was opened, his clothing brought to him. He and other prisoners were put separately into “Black Marias,” taken to the railway station and put into a prison wagon. (WA)

March 10, 1940

Anders arrived at Łubianka prison in Moscow. He had a bath, was given food, had his wounds “smeared” and put into cell no 34 with four beds.

Other prisoners were: Dunajewski, Jewish origin, former Deputy to the Commissar of Light Industry;
A Georgian engineer, possibly named Kavnadze. Anders could find no apparent reason for his arrest;
Molchanov, who Anders suspected was an NKVD spy/plant because he kept giving different accounts of his arrest.

Anders noted that one of the Łubianka rules was that it was forbidden to speak above a whisper. (WA)

“At some stage”

Anders was taken to Butyrki prison for a period of solitary confinement. (WA)

July 1940

Remnants of the Polish Army were being assembled and reorganized in the Glasgow area of Scotland as the 1st Polish Army Corps under the command of General Marian Kukiel. Their duties were building coastal defences initially along the coast between Fife and Angus and being re-trained on British equipment.

September 1940

Anders was transferred back to Łubianka.

September 27, 1940

Three-power Axis agreement signed in Berlin by Hitler, Galeazzo Ciano, foreign minister of a fascist Italy and Saburo Kurusu, Japan’s ambassador to Germany.

November 12, 1940

First conversation between Hitler and Molotov. (BCP)

November 13, 1940

Second conversation between Hitler and Molotov. (BCP)

November 13, 1940

Final conversation between Ribbentrop and Molotov in Ribbentrop’s air raid shelter. (BCP)