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| ==Lack of Polish participation== | ==Lack of Polish participation== | ||
| ⚫ | Although the parade is also notable for claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded from taking part by the British government<ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref>, and some consider this as one of the causes of the feeling of "]" in Poland, Poles were actually invited but chose not to attend. The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard <ref name="Part 1">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade.<ref name="Part 2">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> On 6 July 1945 the British government officially recognised the Soviet installed<ref>], 1982 and several reprints. ''God's Playground''. 2 vols. New York: Columbia Univ. Press. ISBN 0-231-05353-3 and ISBN 0-231-05351-7</ref> ] and withdrew recognition from the London-based ]. Therefore the 1946 invitations to the victory parade were sent <ref>Written answer from British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to question regarding Polish participation in Victory Parade 4 June 1946. ]</ref> to the Soviet installed ] <ref name="The Poles in Britain">Peter D. Stachura, ''The Poles in Britain, 1940-2000: from betrayal to assimilation'', Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0714684449 </ref> and not to ]. This invitation to send representatives was accepted <ref>Statement to Parliament by British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 5 June 1946. ]</ref> but no representatives actually arrived. ] newspaper reported at the time “The Polish Government accepted, but the contingent has not yet arrived.” | ||
| The parade is notable for the fact that almost all 228,000 ] who had served under British High Command in ] were excluded.<ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref> Instead, Poles from the ]-installed ] regime of ] were invited, but chose not to attend. | |||
| <ref>Dr Mark Ostrowski ''To Return To Poland Or Not To Return'' - The Dilemma Facing The Polish Armed Forces At The End Of The Second World War.''University of London (1996)ASIN: B001ONE4L8 | |||
| The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard <ref name="Part 1">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade.<ref name="Part 2">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> | |||
| ⚫ | On 6 July 1945 the British government |
||
| </ref> Some authors claim that the Polish government was ordered by the Soviet leadership to not send representatives.<ref name="The Victory Parade">Rudolf Falkowski, . Last accessed on 30 September 2009.</ref> | </ref> Some authors claim that the Polish government was ordered by the Soviet leadership to not send representatives.<ref name="The Victory Parade">Rudolf Falkowski, . Last accessed on 30 September 2009.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 15:59, 15 October 2009
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The London Victory Parade of 1946 was a British victory parade held after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II. It took place in the United Kingdom capital of London, on June 8, 1946, mainly encompassing a military parade through the city.
Lack of Polish participation
Although the parade is also notable for claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded from taking part by the British government, and some consider this as one of the causes of the feeling of "Western Betrayal" in Poland, Poles were actually invited but chose not to attend. The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade. On 6 July 1945 the British government officially recognised the Soviet installed Provisional Government of National Unity and withdrew recognition from the London-based Polish government in exile. Therefore the 1946 invitations to the victory parade were sent to the Soviet installed Provisional Government of National Unity and not to Polish government in exile. This invitation to send representatives was accepted but no representatives actually arrived. The Times newspaper reported at the time “The Polish Government accepted, but the contingent has not yet arrived.” Some authors claim that the Polish government was ordered by the Soviet leadership to not send representatives.
Poland was the fourth largest European ally during World War II but in 1946 Polish forces were split between the Polish Armed Forces in the West and Polish Armed Forces in the East, which took part in Moscow Victory Parade of 1945. After public and media outcry that no units from the Polish Armed Forces in the West had been invited to the London parade, invitations were extended to representatives of Polish airmen who had taken part in the Battle of Britain to march in uniform . But as The Times noted in June 1946 “Unfortunately, it seems that none of the Polish servicemen who fought in the West under British command will take part. Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain were invited, but they do not wish to march unless Polish soldiers and sailors of the Western Command can march with them.
See also
References
- Lynne Olson, Stanley Cloud, A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II , Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, Excerpt (prologue).
- Kwan Yuk Pan, Polish veterans to take pride of place in victory parade, Financial Times, July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.
- The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England Part 1
- The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England Part 2
- Davies, Norman, 1982 and several reprints. God's Playground. 2 vols. New York: Columbia Univ. Press. ISBN 0-231-05353-3 and ISBN 0-231-05351-7
- Written answer from British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to question regarding Polish participation in Victory Parade 4 June 1946. Hansard
- Peter D. Stachura, The Poles in Britain, 1940-2000: from betrayal to assimilation, Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0714684449
- Statement to Parliament by British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 5 June 1946. Hansard
- Dr Mark Ostrowski To Return To Poland Or Not To Return - The Dilemma Facing The Polish Armed Forces At The End Of The Second World War.University of London (1996)ASIN: B001ONE4L8 Chapter 1
- Rudolf Falkowski, The Victory Parade. Last accessed on 30 September 2009.
- Władysław Anders, “An Army in Exile” MacMillan & Co., London 1949. page 299
- Edward Lucas Okiem Brytyjczyka - Szokująca wizja Wprost
- Edward Lucas English translation of Wprost article