Rees, Simon Betrayal of Poland. First-Hand Accounts from the Second World War

Hitler's Third Reich and Stalin's Soviet Union invaded Poland in September 1939, and the two autocracies showed extreme ruthlessness in their efforts to subjugate the Polish people. The death toll was almost unimaginably high, but Poles from all walks of life refused to submit at home or abroad. In June 1941, Germany turned its back on its ally, the Soviet Union, and Britain, the USA and the USSR eventually became partners in the war against Hitler. At various meetings and conferences, the "Big Three" agreed that post-war Poland would fall within the Soviet sphere of influence, and the Poles who were fighting for a free and independent country found themselves abandoned. After the day of liberation, they were faced with a difficult decision: to live in a Poland ruled by Stalin's puppets or to lead a life in exile. "Betrayal of Poland" is the first comprehensive English-language compendium of Polish eyewitness accounts from the Second World War. Two of the witnesses flew over the Third Reich and faced the deadly threat of night fighters and anti-aircraft guns. One fought in Normandy on Hill 262 and took part in the efforts to close the Falaise Gap, while another was parachuted into the Arnhem Campaign. Two saw the horrors of Auschwitz: one from behind the barbed wire and the other from outside. Others described the hell of deportation in Stalin's Soviet Union and their daily struggle for survival. After leaving the USSR and joining the Polish II. Corps, many of them fought at Monte Cassino. Finally, several witnesses recalled life under German occupation and how they joined the Warsaw Uprising - the unequal and ultimately losing battle against some of Hitler's most murderous units. With extensive appendices and several previously unpublished photographs, this work is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Poland or the Second World War.