WI General Sikorski doesn't die in '43, continues to lead Polish government-in-exile

I tried searching for this POD, but the site's search function tells me there are no existing threads about it.

So how would Polish government-in-exile have acted differently in 1944 and 1945 if Sikorski had not been replaced by Anders? I read that Sikorski was on reasonable if not cordial terms with the USSR, so maybe they could have organized more coordinated effort between the Home Army and the Red Army for the Warsaw Uprising? And would there have been more efforts in the immediate post-war era to reconcile the government-in-exile with the People's Republic of Poland?
 
I tried searching for this POD, but the site's search function tells me there are no existing threads about it.

So how would Polish government-in-exile have acted differently in 1944 and 1945 if Sikorski had not been replaced by Anders? I read that Sikorski was on reasonable if not cordial terms with the USSR, so maybe they could have organized more coordinated effort between the Home Army and the Red Army for the Warsaw Uprising? And would there have been more efforts in the immediate post-war era to reconcile the government-in-exile with the People's Republic of Poland?

Maybe, but I can't help but think that Stalin was motivated to punish Poland for the Polish-Soviet War, hence his willingness to not only cooperate with Germany in splitting up Poland, but staying back while the Germans hammered the Home Army at Warsaw. The problem with WWII is that Poland still loses, any way you slice it. Even if there was greater cooperation between the Home Army and the Red Army, I don't think that would mean Poland would be any more freer from Communism than OTL.
 
IOTL the Red Army was at the very limit of its logistics train when they approached Warsaw and dug in, so it was strategically very dangerous for them to intervene in intensive urban combat when they were stretched very thin and their positions were not yet consolidated against German counterattack. But I was thinking maybe the Uprising could have been delayed to allow for simultaneous uprising and a Red Army offensive.
 
IOTL the Red Army was at the very limit of its logistics train when they approached Warsaw and dug in, so it was strategically very dangerous for them to intervene in intensive urban combat when they were stretched very thin and their positions were not yet consolidated against German counterattack. But I was thinking maybe the Uprising could have been delayed to allow for simultaneous uprising and a Red Army offensive.

But why did they refuse the Allies planes transporting supplies to Warsaw to land on the Soviet airfields?
 
The shuttle runs would have been a net burden on the VVS at a time when frontal aviation desperately needed to make the absolute most out of its forward airfields. The VVS would have to sacrifice valuable tarmac space to make room for Allied transport aircraft, which would also require VVS escorts during their entire time in Soviet airspace, diverting fighters away from their duties at the front.
 
I tried searching for this POD, but the site's search function tells me there are no existing threads about it.

So how would Polish government-in-exile have acted differently in 1944 and 1945 if Sikorski had not been replaced by Anders? I read that Sikorski was on reasonable if not cordial terms with the USSR, so maybe they could have organized more coordinated effort between the Home Army and the Red Army for the Warsaw Uprising? And would there have been more efforts in the immediate post-war era to reconcile the government-in-exile with the People's Republic of Poland?

No. The difficulties you mention were not the result of some accident or misunderstanding. They were caused by Stalin's determination to gain complete control over postwar Poland by any means necessary. It was very convenient for Stalin to leave the Warsaw Uprising to its fate. Not only did the city cease to be the major organizational center for the Polish resistance, making it easier for Stalin to strengthen communist rule afterwards, but someone else even did the Soviets' dirty work for them. And as Stalin wanted complete control over the post-war government, there was no possibility of reconciliation with the government-in-exile after the war.

IOTL the Red Army was at the very limit of its logistics train when they approached Warsaw and dug in, so it was strategically very dangerous for them to intervene in intensive urban combat when they were stretched very thin and their positions were not yet consolidated against German counterattack.

For two entire months, during which the allegedly overextended and exhausted Red Army had no problem overrunning Romania?
 
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The 2nd Ukrainian Front faced less opposition on the road to Romania than the 1st Ukrainian and 1st Belorussian Fronts that were advancing through Poland. Different Front, different strategic situation. Red Army was not one monolithic bloc.
 

takerma

Banned
Stalin found a a simple clean way to do Katyn 2.0 and have Germans do it for him. There was no accident, misunderstanding or anything like that. Anyone who could potentially create problem for USSR had to die. Government in exile could do nothing about it.
 
The most Sikorski could possibly do (and its not guaranteed he would. he probably wouldn't), was to prevent Warsaw Uprising and Operation Tempest ("Akcja-Burza").

It would mean there would be stronger resistance against soviets post 1945. Not enough to kick Soviets out altogether, but make them less effective in supressing dissent.

But better POD would be Kazimierz Sonskowski (a respected and competent man) being appointed president-in-exile, which interned in Romania president Ignacy Moscicki considered, but he wasn't certain if Sosnkowski was still alive, and appointed a nobody like Rackiewicz.
Sosnkowski had no illusions about Soviets like Sikorski had, so he would've prevented Warsaw Uprising and Tempest.
 

takerma

Banned
That is a good idea, then Poles could try an uprising later on when Soviets started to kill people off. They would get crushed and Wallies would look even worse then they did in OTL. Maybe this can change some US actions in 50s when confronting communism. Hard to say.
 
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