Formations of special forces of the Polish Armed Forces in the West and the forms of their use by the government in exile

Abstract

During World War II, the first units of special forces were created in the Polish Armed Forces in the West, which played an important role in ensuring that the exile authorities are a reliable ally. The first of them was the so-called Cichociemni, used from 1941 to support the resistance in occupied Poland. In 1942, the first Independent Commando Company was formed, which was involved in operations on the Italian front together with the 1st Polish Corps. A year later the Independent Grenadier Company was organized for special operations in occupied France and Germany together with the resistance movement organized on the basis of the local Polonia. These formations enabled fighting in another unprecedented dimension, constituting an important element in maintaining a strategic advantage over the Third Reich.