Military Timeline 1939–1946
No battle is fought in a vacuum. Combatants have reasons for volunteering or are conscripted.
They have specific knowledge of their own situation and a general understanding of the overall one but no one member of an
army, navy, or air force can know all the nuances and political wrangling that goes on in places far removed from the
battlefields.
This timeline is specifically connected to the Polish forces in World War 2 and intended to give context to the battles
that Poles fought, with and without live ammunition, within and and apart from conventional combat. Various sources include
cabinet papers, policies and notes of politicians, transcribed and often marked “Top Secret” at the time. They
provide insight into the psyche of some of those who played such pivotal roles in our histories.
The book an army in exile by Lieutenant-General Władysław Anders, Commander-in Chief of
the Polish forces in the USSR and Commander of the Second Polish Corps in Italy, has been a source that encouraged further
research. We thank General Anders' daughter, Anna Anders-Costa, for her permission to use the book in this section primarily,
and as background material in other stories.
This timeline is by no means complete. We are aware of the missing battles of the 1st Polish Armoured Division.
We encourage contributions.
—Barbara Scrivens