Polish Armed Forces in the East. Anders Army and how it impacted Polish citizens

You could say that the difference between citizenship and nationality is an invention of philosophers. It caused an extremely important political dispute in 1941, impacting the fate of many Poles, who after the outbreak of World War II were sent to prisoner-of-war camps in the east.

How did General Anders Army save Polish POWs?

General Anders Army had a chance to save tens of thousands of Polish citizens with the consent of the USSR, which was just invaded by Germany. However, the USSR authorities tried to limit the recruitment to the Anders Army only to people holding Polish citizenship, depriving the Poles of Ukrainian, Byelorussian, and Jewish nationality of their salvation.

The General Anders Army’s conscription committees disregarded the Soviet authorities and accepted Polish citizens regardless of their nationality. Many families were rescued by these actions and the Anders Army also took care of Polish women and children, including orphans.

Tens of thousands of people walked the so-called Trail of Hope, through Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Italy to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with Allied forces.

Eventually many Polish soldiers ended up in the United Kingdom where they settled down, had families, and lived all over the UK. Maybe your father or grandfather was one of them?

If you are still not sure of the origin of your ancestors and do not know whether you have a chance to apply for Polish citizenship, please contact us. We will help you with the necessary formalities so you can enjoy having your Polish passport.

What are the benefits of European Union citizenship?

European Union (EU) citizenship comes with several benefits, although it’s important to note that EU citizenship is derived from the citizenship of a specific EU member state. This means that the citizens of individual member states, such as Poland, automatically become citizens of the European Union upon acquiring national citizenship.

How could Polish citizenship be lost?

While assessing eligibility toward Polish citizenship by descent, we analyse facts confirming that Polish citizenship was held by one of your ancestors, but also, we need to review all the fact and events that took place in your Polish ancestor’s life, that could possibly impact his or her Polish citizenship and cause loss of Polish citizenship.