Polish Army uniform and cap

[StefanM]

Many thanks Tom, for the info on IPN's new book: Polskie Oddziały Wartownicze przy armii amerykańskiej w latach 1945–1989

Post-WWII Poles not only served with US Polish Labor Service but also served with the Mixed Service Organisation (MSO) a branch of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR). Mainly made up of released PoWs and DPs.

'... At the end of the Second World War, there were over 2 million Poles stranded in Europe. Although Poland had been the first nation to succumb to Hitler's aggression, its Army remained in the field throughout the war and by 1945, it was the fourth largest Allied army, behind the USSR, USA and Great Britain. After the war, without an independent homeland, many Poles faced a future in exile. Some emigrated but some remained in Germany, and were absorbed into military guard companies.

In 1947 the first British units employing Poles were formally established. They were formed in Fallingbostel on the site of the POW camps, in which some of the Poles had been incarcerated. 317 Unit MSO RASC was the first Polish tank transporter unit and it took the Diamond Ts and other equipment from 15 Company RASC. In 1952, 312 Unit MSO RASC, the second Polish Tank Transporter Unit, was formed. These two units were based in Fallingbostel and Hamm: from these the proud Polish tank transporter tradition within 7 Regiment was developed. Unit titles changed over the years, but the personnel were the same; loyal and hard-working with an outstanding reputation amongst the customer units.

The first three senior Superintendents were holders of either the Polish Victoria Cross, the Virtuti Militar (VM), or the Cross of Valour (KW). The most dynamic of the early Superintendents was Staff Superintendent Stanislaw Ostapowicz, an Austrian trained officer, who had fought with the artillery from 1914-18, later winning the VM and the KW, with two bars, in the Russian War. By 1939, he was commanding an artillery regiment with whom he served until captured by the Germans. Late in 1939, he dressed in the uniform of a dead corporal to avoid being taken for an officer when captured by the Russians. He escaped, only to be recaptured by the Germans. After the war, he set up an Officers' Mess for his Polish Officers in Fallingbostel, where behaviour was as strict as the old traditions demanded.

Although the MSO connection ended in 1985, the links remain with this special group of men. Each Christmas, 16 Tank Transporter Squadron hosts a party for Polish ex-members. On Christmas Day in 1990, whilst deployed on Operation Granby, the Commanding Officer's Orders Group broke bread together in honour of the Polish tradition. The flag of 7 Regiment is the Polish National Flag of white over scarlet and is flown at all Regimental locations. The Polish Eagle is proudly worn on the Mess Kit. The Regimental grace and toast are both Polish and one of the Regiment's centre pieces is a magnificent silver Polish Eagle. These men from Poland made a deep impression on everyone who ever had the privilege of serving with them. Their ethos and traditions will not be forgotten....' BAOR locations website

Today the British Army 7 Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps still wears a Polish eagle in tribute of working with the Poles of MSO-BAOR from MoD wesbite:

After the Second World War in 1948 the Regiment had under its command a Polish Mixed Service Organisation Squadron made up of Polish Soldiers. They were disbanded in 1987 yet the Regiment continues to proudly fly the Polish Eagle as its emblem and has a strong affiliation with a Polish Logistic Regiment.

The regiment also wears a small Polish eagle silver lapel badge worn on Mess Dress to this date

[Cenowski]

I believe I have got some few pages write up on the logistics unit in a magazine called Do Broni, if it can help out at all will photo it and post it

[Kingy]

All responses are greatly appreciated. On the basis of these I am assuming that since he was working on the German farm at the time of liberation, as opposed to being prisoner in a Stalag or whatever, he would have been given the US tunic at that point.

Presumably there was some process of liberating these farm prisoners and they would have been given options as to where they went and what they did. In his particular case he chose to remain working for the German farmer. This obviously says something positive about his and his fellow prisoners' treatment by that particular farmer.

Any references known for this process? My Googling hasn't borne fruit.

Cheers
Kingy

[StefanM]

All responses are greatly appreciated. On the basis of these I am assuming that since he was working on the German farm at the time of liberation, as opposed to being prisoner in a Stalag or whatever, he would have been given the US tunic at that point.

He may still have been wearing his Polish army uniform as many PoWs in forced labour did. Have attached photo of one such PoW in still in uniform and wearing 'P' patch.

Presumably there was some process of liberating these farm prisoners and they would have been given options as to where they went and what they did. In his particular case he chose to remain working for the German farmer. This obviously says something positive about his and his fellow prisoners' treatment by that particular farmer.

Your father-in-law would have had to register with the Allied occupational forces as former PoW and most likely as a DP with UNRAA if he opted not to be repatriated back to Poland. I have attached such a registration document issued to the same person as in the photo. He was also a landarbeiter (farm-worker). Each occupying force had its own type of registration paperwork for its area of control. Once registered with US occupational forces (US army liberated the area in April 1945) he most likely was kitted out with his US uniform as he was a PoW rather than a civilian forced labourer.

When did your father-in-law emigrate to Australia from Germany?

[Kingy]

Thanks for that Scorpion. Things are now becoming a bit clearer.
He got tied up with a German Fraulein and had a baby in December 1946 (my wife). The family lived in the staff quarters on the farm at Hodingen before emigrating to Australia. He worked there till 1950 and they left Bremerhaven on the 18 May1950 on board the Dundalk Bay.
We have been back to the farm a couple of times to see where they lived and met the farmer's family.
I have some photos of my father-in-law working on the farm wearing the cap I posted previously.
I also have a typed list of names of Polish prisoners which I can only assume were fellow prisoners on the farm. Let me know if these would be of any interest to you and I will post them.
Thanks again
Kingy

[StefanM]

I would imagine that your father-in-law still been registered as a Polish DP in 1950 but I don't know which UNRAA district Hodingen might have been to try and seek records.
I would very much like to see some more photos and the list of names when you have time to post them... maybe they should be in the Polish Forced Workers thread?

[Cenowski]

Kingy that paper you have would be proberly of be of great help to Polish Geneologists, you should try send a copy to some site maybe..... Is many people out there with missing information, especially during the war period

[A.J. Zawadzki]

As a brief aside, here’s a different angle to the use of army uniforms by forced workers. The picture below was taken on May 20, 1945 in Stalag VII-B located near Memmingen, Germany. My father is pictured on the bottom right of the photo, wearing a wz.36 uniform tunic and wz.37 pattern cap. He arrived here (after being freed from four years of slave labour) as it was a recruitment point for the Polish 2nd Corps. He told me that he obtained the items from one of the recently freed Polish POW’s. Stalag VII-B was liberated on April 28, 1945 by US forces. Presumably the other freed labourers in the picture obtained their uniform items the same way.

Regards,
Tony

[Kingy]

4th Skorpion here are the photos I referred to and which I assume were taken on the farm at Hodingen and also the list of prisoners. Hodingen is near Uberlingen on Lake Constance. My father-in-law's name by the way was Wojciech Hucko.
I will also post these on your Polish Forced Workers thread as you suggested.
He is the one in the group photo with the piano accordion, and the one on the left in the other two photos.
Tony what's with the Poles and the piano accordion? I've seen a few similar photos.As my father-in-law used to say," A bit of music, a bit of beer, a bit of vodka, a bit of dancin and a bit of romancin." Sounds good!
I don't know how he came to have the list of prisoners. Perhaps the farmer gave it to him as a reminder of his fellow internees.
Thanks again everyone
Cheers
Kingy

[StefanM]

Interesting list as you say.

I notice that your father-in-law's number under Obserwation habitant column 15685 is part of same sequence as No.8 on list: Kryk —15688 and No.11 on the list: Letowski—15689? So maybe they were in PoW camp together, assuming the numbers are PoW camp numbers and not Arbeitskarte numbers. Wonder what the purpose of the list? Maybe for the Red Cross as it is in French-Polish ?

The two undated photos I guess are post-war looking at your father-in-laws uniform.

Thanks again for sharing