6533b7d9fe1ef96bd126c54c

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Rozpracowanie oficerów - byłych jeńców wojennych w Wojsku Polskim w latach 1945-1948

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The Chief Information Office of the Polish Army conducted a review of Polish officers im p risoned in the German captivity during the World War II. As early as from the Danuta Kisielewicz year 1945 the Chief Information Office conducted counter-espionage investigations and inquiries in order to review and control the situation in the army, to draw conclusions about mobilization or promotion to higher ranks. Obtaining information on the officers was to determine a criterion of including them into the military service depending on their earlier service in the army and on the battles fought during the World War II, their political views and connections with the political camp related to th e “London” government. In the years 1939-1945 there were more than 18 thousand Polish officers held in the German captivity. After 1942 they were grouped in four officers’ prisoner-of-war camps (P.O.W. camps) i.e. II C Woldenberg (Dobiegniew))in Pomerania, Poland, VII A Murnau in Upper Bavaria, II D gross Born (Borne Sulinowo) in Pomerania, Poland and VI B Doessel in Westfalia. After the liberation of P.O. W. camps in 1945 by the allied armies , in the occupying zones of Germany the rewere prisoners of war placed in the following military zones: in the Amrican zone - Murnau (4950 officers), in the British zone - Luebeck - Schwartau (3660), Doessel (2748), Verden (1862), Paleborn (600),Poelz (460). In different time, in the years 1945-1947 most of them returned to Poland. After the war the officers i.e. former prisoners of war were admitted to the Polish Army, but first the irearlier service and activity in th e camp had been analysed, an dafter they had been a ccepted in to service, they were strictly supervised and controlled . They were treated as suspected and some steps were taken in order to confirm their loyalty o r hostility tow ard s th e system. Their service was to be o n ly tem p o ra ry u n til th e m o m en t o f p re p a rin g new cadres who would re p re se n t desirable ideology. Acco rd in g to th e in stru c tio n o f 9 N o v em b er 1949 th e Military In fo rm a tio n O rg an s w o rk ed o u t official characteristics c o n ta in in g a sh o rt b io graphy o f a given officer, in fo rm a tio n o n his service, fro n t-lin e battles, his stay in captivity an d his a ttitu d e tow a rd s th e au th o ritie s o f th e p o stwar Poland, th e USSR. O n th e basis o f th a t a co n clu sio n was mo v ed w h e th e r th e officer was demobilized or stayed in service. According to the data of Personal Department of MON (Ministry of National Defence)of November 1949 the rewere 657 former prisoners -of -war camp sin the Polish Army. In consequence of the intensified operation al investigation co n d u c te d in th e years 1949-1954, several h u n d re d officers, former war-prisoners, were released from the army.