Poles shed a lot of blood during World War II to defeat the Germans. Despite this huge sacrifice, they were not invited by the British to the Victory Parade in London. What was the reason?
The Third German Reich together with the Soviet Union conquered Poland in 1939. Both countries started terror, persecution and mass murder in the occupied territories. It was only after the Germans attacked the Soviets in 1941 that Stalin joined the Allies
Defeated but fighting on
Some Poles remained in the country and created the underground Polish Underground State – with its own army and civil administration. Those outside the occupied territories fought the Germans everywhere from Norway to North Africa; from France to the Soviet Union.
The Soviets, defeating the Third German Reich from the east, also began the brutal occupation of Poland. They created a puppet government, introduced terror and persecution of Poles who did not agree with communism. After war, most Poles did not want Soviet rule at home.
A victory parade with a hint of disgrace
On June 8, 1946, a ceremonial victory parade was held in London. The armies of the countries that had defeated the Axis powers: Germany, Italy and Japan marched there.
However, the British government led by Clement Attlee did not invite Polish soldiers to participate in the parade. The only exception were the pilots of the 303 Squadron, who fought the Germans over the English skies and showed themselves at their best, especially during the Battle of Britain. However, as a sign of solidarity with Polish soldiers, they refused to participate in the parade.
Why did the British not invite Poles? Well, they did not want to irritate the Soviet ally. Polish soldiers, who shed blood on many fronts, were inconvenient for Joseph Stalin because they opposed the occupation of their country by the Soviet Union.
Winston Churchill, then in opposition, regretted the situation. “We will never forget about their [Polish soldiers] bravery, nor about their combat successes, which are related to our own fame at Tobruk, Cassino and Arnhem” he said.
The British authorities corrected their mistake very late. It was only in 2003 that Tony Blair, Prime Minister of Great Britain, apologized to Polish combatants for the actions of his predecessors.