FALLEN POLISH SOLDIERS 3
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Polish Red Army Soldiers (and their little sister)
czesiabroandsis.jpg
Former Slaves of the Soviet Work Camps

A LIST OF KNOWN SOLDIERS, KILLED IN ACTION ON THE EASTERN FRONT DURING WORLD WAR TWO, WHILE FIGHTING IN POLISH UNITS OF THE RED ARMY, 1943-45.
 
NOTE: THIS LIST WAS PUBLISHED IN 1995 AND CAN NO LONGER BE CONSIDERED CURRENT AS NEW INFORMATION HAS LIKELY SURFACED SINCE THEN.
 
THE LIST IS IN TWO PARTS: THOSE SOLDIERS WHOSE BURIAL PLACE IS KNOWN AND THOSE SOLDIERS WHOSE BURIAL PLACE IS UNKNOWN.
 
The comprehensive list, published in 1995, includes the mostly Polish soldiers of various religious and ethnic backgrounds, killed in action, died of their wounds or of disease, from the moment of the organization of the first Polish unit (1st Kosciuszko Infantry Division) in May of 1943 to the surrender of the German Army on May 8, 1945. The list also includes those who died of their wounds or while clearing minefields after the end of the war with Germany.
 
Please note that the Soviet and Polish Communist governments were known to have "played" with the war dead statistics to suit their own needs. One must consider these lists to be preliminary, subject to revision as time reveals new information. In fact, a supplement to this series published in 1998 has already begun to address the misinformation.

This site is an extension of the "Soviet Invasion of Poland" web site which can be found by clicking on the link below.

CLICK HERE to visit the parent site "The Soviet Invasion of Poland."

This web site contains the names of Polish soldiers (and numerous civilians) who were killed in action, died of their wounds or went missing in action, while fighting in or in support of Polish units under the command of the Red Army during World War Two. Also included are a number of murdered civilians.
 
There are a total of 26,113 men and women buried. The names of 23,939 are known and the place of burial is known for 20,275. It is important to remember that most of the senior officers and generals (of which there are two listed here) in these units were Red Army Soviets, not Poles. 
 
The list was compiled by Barbara Affek-Bujalska, Leszek Lewandowicz and Edward Pawlowski, from a broad variety of sources, in  the book Ksiega Pochowanych Zolnierzy Polskich Poleglych w WW2, v IV, Zolnierze Wojska Polskiego na Wschodzie or in English, The Book of Buried Polish Soldiers Killed in Action During WW2, volume IV, Soldiers of the Polish Army in the East.
 
Although this web site lists only the names of the buried, most entries in the book are accompanied by some of the soldiers' personal data. A few full entries are included on these pages as examples.
 
In general, some 129,000 soldiers of the regular Polish Armed Forces perished on the fronts of World War Two as well as an estimated 200,000 soldiers of the underground armies. A further 28,000 - 30,000 were either murdered or perished in prisons or POW camps. These figures do not include civilian losses, which were much higher.
 
Notes:
  • The names are listed alphabetically by Polish spelling although the diacritical marks are not used here. For example, all of the surnames beginning with the letter "c" will appear together but that section will be followed by the surnames which begin with the Polish letter "c' ." Extra breaks have also been added where the 2nd, 3rd or 4th letters change with a diacritical, making the surname appear out of place alphabetically. See for example, the break between Bialski and Bialas (Bial/as). Look throroughly through the lists for names that you may be searching.
  • Some names appear on the original list to be out of place alphabetically. It is not possible to know if they are typographical errors or not, so they have been left in place but are bracketed.
  • Where the authors were not certain of the correct spelling of a surname, they have added the alternate spelling in brackets. Unfortunately, these alternate spellings have not been cross-referenced at this time.
  • Some of the surnames appear to have been russified. Also, there may have been errors made in going from the Polish to the Russian and back to the Polish again. Consider all names that are similar.
  • As with all compilations of this type, errors in transcription or typos will occur. The reading of poor handwriting in the original records is also a source of errors. 
  • There are doubtless omissions or errors contained in these lists. Corrections may come to light as time goes by and research continues. One cannot assume that all of the data is absolutely correct.
Please e-mail me (see "Contact Us" page) if you recognize a name and wish the details of the soldier's entry.

SOME ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE LISTS:
 
CW = cmentarz wojenny = war cemetery
KW = kwater wojenna = war section
MI = mogila wojenna, indywidualna = war grave, individual
MZ =  mogila wojenna, zbiorowa = war grave, communal
MI/R = mogila wojenna, indywidualna-rodzinna = war grave, individual-family
up. = upamientnienie = commemoration (where there is no known burial)

Our thanks to the work and dedication shown by the Polish ministries in the realization of the remembrance of those who died in the name of freedom.