Research in Progress: Jewish Agency & Resistance in the Polish Army in Exile
April 15 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Jewish Agency and Resistance in the Polish Army in Exile (1940-1945)
This collaborative research project examines the largely unwritten history of Polish Jewish soldiers serving in the Polish Army in Exile during the Second World War, analysing their chequered experiences of military service within the allied but hostile structure of the Polish Army. Our investigation centres on collective and individual responses to the antisemitism encountered by these men and women, with particular attention to the departure en masse of nearly 200 from their bases in Scotland to London in the spring of 1944, where they resisted court-martial and successfully lobbied to join the British Forces. This presentation will set out the context of this episode and outline key findings from our forthcoming book, Fighting the Nazis, Fighting Racism: The Untold Story of Polish Jewish Soldiers Who Joined the British Army (Frontline Books / Pen & Sword).
Catherine Dille & Lucia Morawska