Size of Polish People's Army if no Katyn Crime?

CaliGuy

Banned
Would more officers allow for a much larger Polish force on the Soviet and Allied side during the war against Germany?
It would probably depend on how many healthy Poles there are in the Soviet Union who haven't already been drafted into the Red Army.
 
You're forgetting that there were actually two Polish armies organized in USSR. First one was established after Sikorski-Mayski agreement in 1941, when thousands of Poles were released from gulags to join the army led by general Władysław Anders (previously imprisoned in Lubyanka). That army was loyal to the Polish government-in-exile in London and in 1942 was evacuated from USSR to Iran and then Iraq to become Polish II Corps which later fought in Italy. Without Katyń massacre those officers most probably would have joint Anders' Army and left with them.
The second Polish force in USSR was organized by Polish communists; most of them were simply Poles who didn't manage to join Anders and were willing to fight against Germans. Due to lack of trained officers, many units were led by Soviet officers, sometimes (but not always) of Polish origin. Later they started to train new Polish officers, but there was still a significant presence of the Soviets in that force. That was what is now known as Polish People's Army, although I'm not sure it was ever its official name.
Anyway, no Katyń massacre most probably means that more Poles leave USSR with Anders; some of them might be late and join PPA, so the precentage of the Soviet officers there might be smaller. Only... the communists didn't trust the pre-war officers that much. OTOH IIRC part of the Polish officers murdered in Katyń were not professional soldiers, but reservists - in normal life teachers, doctors, lawyers, scienists etc. They might be accepted well enough, at least as long as they follow the official doctrine. So IMHO the PPA by itself would not be bigger (due to lack of recruits) but with somewhat smaller Soviet presence in its ranks.
 
Officers were exactly the sort of people who were motivated, and/or had the means, to reach the West one way or another, and that resulted in the Polish Army in the West having way too many officers and not enough privates. To the point that there were entire battalions made up by former officers who volunteered to serve as privates, if that allowed them to serve at all.
Sparing a few thousands of men from Katyń would have meant more manpower in general, including as soldiers if it came to that, but wouldn't mean having many more full units thanks to the presence of these cadres - the rank and file would still be missing, in the West.
In the LWP, naturally, you'd have more men, as seraphim74 mentions above.
I'd like to add that the Polish intelligentsia massacred in Katyń, even if some of them weren't officers, were exactly officer material. Middle-class, educated men who, even assuming they weren't reservists (and many of them were), would have been selected and trained as new officers. It was the Polish leadership - and that's why they were murdered, indeed.
 
It would probably depend on how many healthy Poles there are in the Soviet Union who haven't already been drafted into the Red Army.
Once Soviets reached Polish territory and estabilished their puppet government they started draft to Polish People's Army there.
 
You're forgetting that there were actually two Polish armies organized in USSR. First one was established after Sikorski-Mayski agreement in 1941, when thousands of Poles were released from gulags to join the army led by general Władysław Anders (previously imprisoned in Lubyanka). That army was loyal to the Polish government-in-exile in London and in 1942 was evacuated from USSR to Iran and then Iraq to become Polish II Corps which later fought in Italy. Without Katyń massacre those officers most probably would have joint Anders' Army and left with them.
The second Polish force in USSR was organized by Polish communists; most of them were simply Poles who didn't manage to join Anders and were willing to fight against Germans. Due to lack of trained officers, many units were led by Soviet officers, sometimes (but not always) of Polish origin. Later they started to train new Polish officers, but there was still a significant presence of the Soviets in that force. That was what is now known as Polish People's Army, although I'm not sure it was ever its official name.
Anyway, no Katyń massacre most probably means that more Poles leave USSR with Anders; some of them might be late and join PPA, so the precentage of the Soviet officers there might be smaller. Only... the communists didn't trust the pre-war officers that much. OTOH IIRC part of the Polish officers murdered in Katyń were not professional soldiers, but reservists - in normal life teachers, doctors, lawyers, scienists etc. They might be accepted well enough, at least as long as they follow the official doctrine. So IMHO the PPA by itself would not be bigger (due to lack of recruits) but with somewhat smaller Soviet presence in its ranks.
Later famous persons, who had been drafted into these Soviet-Polish troops: Last Communist Polish ruler Woyzeck Jaruzelski, Israeli president Menachem Begin, philosopher Zygmunt Baumann for example.
 
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