Poland’s contribution to the
Allied WWII effort
After the
wrote...
Under British operational command,
during the six years of the war at sea
(1939-1945), the achievements of the
Polish Navy can be summarised as
follows:
“The only thing that ever really
frightened me during the war was the
U-boat peril.”
• The Polish Navy sailed 1,213,000 nautical
miles.
• Jointly they escorted a total of 787
convoys and took part in 1,162 combat
patrols and naval actions.
• They sank 7 enemy naval surface craft, 41
merchant ships and 3 U-boats. 20 aircraft
were shot down and they had 10
probable kills.
• Own losses amounted to 461 men killed
including 23 officers, 8 officer cadets, 137
non-commissioned officers and 263
sailors. 7 naval craft sunk.
war,
Churchill
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE
POLISH NAVY & MERCHANT NAVY
DURING WWII OR IF YOU HAVE
MATERIAL TO SHARE PLEASE VISIT THE
FOLLOWING WEBSITES…
“THE BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC”
POLAND'S
CONTRIBUTION...
Kresy-Siberia
www.Kresy-Siberia.org
Merseyside Polonia
www.merseysidepolonia.com
Text credit to Michael Alfred Peszke,
“Poland’s Navy 1918-1945”
Photos courtesy of Kresy-Siberia Virtual Museum
• 51 officers and other ranks of the Polish
Navy were awarded the Virtuti Militari
(amongst many other medals).
Consulate General
of the Republic of Poland
in Manchester
...70TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT
LIVERPOOL
23-28 MAY 2013
ORP “Gen. T. Kościuszko”
“ORP Kościuszko” will be
one of 25 international
vessels arriving in Liverpool
on 24 May for the Battle of
the Atlantic events taking
place over the Bank
Holiday Weekend (23-28
May).
“ORP Kościuszko” was
named
after
General
Tadeusz Kościuszko, hero
of Poland’s struggle for
independence and a war
hero during the American
Revolution.
First commissioned in the
US
Navy
as
USS
“Wadsworth” (FFG-9) on 9
May 1980, it was gifted to
Poland by the
US
government on 28 June
2002 and is one of two
Oliver Hazard Perry-class
guided-missile frigates in
the Polish Navy.
“ORP
Kościuszko”
is
homeported in Gdynia
Oksywie
and
has
participated in numerous
NATO exercises in the Baltic
Sea.
Members of the general
public will be able to view
“ORP Kościuszko” every
day from 25th to 27th May.
Commemmorative
plaque
A special plaque has been
prepared in Gdańsk to
commemorate members of
the Polish Navy and Polish
Merchant Navy who served
in WWII and those who
gave their lives in the Battle
of the Atlantic 1939-1945.
The plaque will be shipped
in by “ORP Kościuszko” to
Liverpool’s
waterfront
where it will be unveiled on
Saturday 25 May at 12.00
noon at Liverpool Pier
Head by Polish Navy
personnel and members of
the Polish community in
Great Britain.
“ORP Kościuszko” will
depart
Liverpool
on
Tuesday 28 May, as part of
an armada of naval vessels.
The Polish Navy and Polish Merchant Navy during
the Battle of the Atlantic
Programme
With naval traditions since 1558 the Polish Navy was created on 28
November 1918 by Marshal Joseph Piłsudski, shortly after WWI.
May 23rd 2013
On 29 August 1939 the Polish Navy was ordered to escape the German
invasion and by 1 September three destroyers arrived at the port of Leith.
During the next 6 years Polish Navy, under British operational command,
expanded to 9 destroyers, 5 submarines, 2 cruisers, some 10 Motor Gun and
Torpedo Boats and a number of auxiliary craft.
12.00 PM
ORP “Kościuszko” arrives at Liverpool Cruise Terminal and will be
open for public viewing throughout the weekend events
The Polish fleet was heavily involved in the Battle of the Atlantic. All Polish
destroyers, but especially OORP “Błyskawica”, “Burza”, “Piorun”, “Orkan”
and HMS “Garland”, took part in keeping the ocean supply routes open.
Guarding convoys from the German U-boat menace was the strategic role of
Polish warships in the Atlantic. ORP “Piorun” took part in the search for the
German battleship Bismarck. She was the first destroyer to spot the
battleship and exchanged fire with her. The greatest single loss of life for the
Polish Navy was when ORP “Orkan” was hit by a U-Boat torpedo on 8
October 1943 in the North Atlantic. 178 Polish and 20 British crewmembers
went down with the ship.
The Polish Navy also escorted convoys in the Mediterranean Sea, notably to
Malta, and also took part in the treacherous Arctic Convoys. Major naval
operations also included Narvik, Dunkirk, Lofoten Islands, Tobruk, Dieppe and
allied landings in Normandy and Italy. The Polish Navy was an elite service,
numbering only 3,720 officers and sailors. However, this small force made a
considerable contribution during the Battle of the Atlantic and ultimate allied
victory in WWII.
The Polish Merchant ships became integrated into the Allied effort from the
first days of the War. Polish ships carried Allied troops to Norway, evacuated
British and Polish military from France, carried British children to the safety of
the New World and brought Canadian and American troops to Britain.
Throughout the Battle of the Atlantic Polish freighters carried valuable
cargoes all over the Atlantic and from as far south as Africa to the
northernmost points of Murmansk. Polish ships participated in the North
African invasion, the Salerno landings and the invasion of Normandy. The two
Polish transports ferried Polish troops of the II Army Corps to Italy and later
took part in the invasion of the South of France. Eleven ships were lost due to
enemy action and a number were the casualties of the inevitable horrors of
the sea. The major losses were OORP “Komendant Piłsudski", "Warszawa"
and MS "Chrobry".
May 25th 2013
10:30 – 11:00 PM
Presentation on the Polish Navy's contribution to WWII and the
Battle of the Atlantic will be held in the Merseyside Maritime
Museum Lecture Theatre
12.00 – 13:00 PM
Merchant Navy Parade with veterans and representatives of the
Polish community will start from the Cunard Building
Unveiling of the Polish Commemorative Plaque will take place at
Liverpool's Pier Head
May 26th 2013
12.00 PM
Commemoration at the Polish Armed Forces Memorial will be
held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire
May 28th 2013
ORP “Kościuszko” leaves Liverpool