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] armed forces, including the ].]] ] armed forces, including the ].]]
==Lack of Polish participation== ==Lack of Polish participation==
The parade is also notable for claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded from taking part.<ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref> Although this is considered as one of the causes of the feeling of "]" in Poland, some claim they are erroneous because one Polish air force unit was invited to take part in the parade. The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard <ref name="Part 1">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade.<ref name="Part 2">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> On 6 July 1945 the British government officially recognised installed by the Soviet Union Polish communist ] and withdrew recognition from the London-based legitimate ]. Therefore the 1946 invitations to the victory parade were sent{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} to the new Soviet installed communist ] and not to ]. This invitation to send representatives was accepted{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} but no representatives actually arrived. ] newspaper reported in June 1946{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} “The Polish Government accepted{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}, but the contingent has not yet arrived.” The parade is also notable for claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded from taking part.<ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref> Although this is considered by some as one of the causes of the feeling of "]" in Poland, such claims are erroneous because Poles were invited to take part in the parade. The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard <ref name="Part 1">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade.<ref name="Part 2">The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England </ref> On 6 July 1945 the British government officially recognised Polish ] and withdrew recognition from the London-based ]. Therefore the 1946 invitations to the victory parade were sent <ref>Written answer from British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to question regarding Polish participation in Victory Parade 4 June 1946. ]</ref> to the ] <ref name="The Poles in Britain">Peter D. Stachura, ''The Poles in Britain, 1940-2000: from betrayal to assimilation'', Routledge, 2004, ISBN-10: 0714684449 </ref>
and not to ]. This invitation to send representatives was accepted <ref>Statement to Parliament by British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 5 June 1946. ]</ref> but no representatives actually arrived. ] newspaper reported at the time “The Polish Government accepted, but the contingent has not yet arrived.”
<ref>Dr Mark Ostrowski ''To Return To Poland Or Not To Return'' - The Dilemma Facing The Polish Armed Forces At The End Of The Second World War.''University of London (1996)ASIN: B001ONE4L8 <ref>Dr Mark Ostrowski ''To Return To Poland Or Not To Return'' - The Dilemma Facing The Polish Armed Forces At The End Of The Second World War.''University of London (1996)ASIN: B001ONE4L8
</ref> Some authors claim that the Polish government was ordered by the Soviet leadership to not send representatives. <ref name="The Victory Parade">Rudolf Falkowski, . Last accessed on 30 September 2009.</ref>
</ref>


However, the situation with Polish forces was more complex than with other nations.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} Although ], Polish forces were split between the ] which represented Poland and its goverment and ] which were under Soviet controll and took part in ]. After public and media outcry that no units from the ] had been invited to the London parade, invitations were extended to representatives of only one Polish airmen unit who had taken part in the ] <ref> ], “An Army in Exile” MacMillan & Co., London 1949. page 299 </ref>. But as ] noted in June 1946 “Unfortunately, it seems that none of the Polish servicemen who fought in the West under British command will take part. Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain were invited, but they do not wish to march unless Polish soldiers and sailors of the Western Command can march with them."<ref>Dr Mark Ostrowski Op.Cit </ref> It should be noted that, with the exception of the honour guard for each nation’s flag and the bands of certain nations, no units of any army or navy from any non-Commonwealth/Empire nation were invited to take part.<ref name="Part 1"/><ref name="Part 2"/> Although ], in 1946 Polish forces were split between the ] and ], which took part in ]. After public and media outcry that no units from the ] had been invited to the London parade, invitations were extended to representatives of Polish airmen who had taken part in the ] <ref> ], “An Army in Exile” MacMillan & Co., London 1949. page 299 </ref> to march in uniform <ref>Edward Lucas ]</ref> <ref>Edward Lucas </ref>. But as ] noted in June 1946 “Unfortunately, it seems that none of the Polish servicemen who fought in the West under British command will take part. Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain were invited, but they do not wish to march unless Polish soldiers and sailors of the Western Command can march with them."<ref>Dr Mark Ostrowski Op.Cit </ref> It should be noted that, with the exception of the honour guard for each nation’s flag and the bands of certain nations, no units of any army or navy from any non-Commonwealth/Empire nation were invited to take part.<ref name="Part 1"/><ref name="Part 2"/>


== See also == == See also ==

Revision as of 13:12, 30 September 2009

The Victory Parade advances down Whitehall.

The London Victory Parade of 1946 was a British victory parade held after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II. It took place in the United Kingdom capital of London, on June 8, 1946, mainly encompassing a military parade through the city.

Representatives of the Greek armed forces, including the Royal Hellenic Navy.

Lack of Polish participation

The parade is also notable for claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded from taking part. Although this is considered by some as one of the causes of the feeling of "Western Betrayal" in Poland, such claims are erroneous because Poles were invited to take part in the parade. The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8 June 1946 in London, England lists Poland as a nation scheduled to take part by parading its flag with an honour guard and lists the Polish airforce as one of the foreign airforces scheduled to parade. On 6 July 1945 the British government officially recognised Polish Provisional Government of National Unity and withdrew recognition from the London-based Polish government in exile. Therefore the 1946 invitations to the victory parade were sent to the Provisional Government of National Unity and not to Polish government in exile. This invitation to send representatives was accepted but no representatives actually arrived. The Times newspaper reported at the time “The Polish Government accepted, but the contingent has not yet arrived.” Some authors claim that the Polish government was ordered by the Soviet leadership to not send representatives.

Although Poland was the fourth largest European ally during World War II, in 1946 Polish forces were split between the Polish Armed Forces in the West and Polish Armed Forces in the East, which took part in Moscow Victory Parade of 1945. After public and media outcry that no units from the Polish Armed Forces in the West had been invited to the London parade, invitations were extended to representatives of Polish airmen who had taken part in the Battle of Britain to march in uniform . But as The Times noted in June 1946 “Unfortunately, it seems that none of the Polish servicemen who fought in the West under British command will take part. Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain were invited, but they do not wish to march unless Polish soldiers and sailors of the Western Command can march with them." It should be noted that, with the exception of the honour guard for each nation’s flag and the bands of certain nations, no units of any army or navy from any non-Commonwealth/Empire nation were invited to take part.

See also

References

  1. Lynne Olson, Stanley Cloud, A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II , Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, Excerpt (prologue).
  2. Kwan Yuk Pan, Polish veterans to take pride of place in victory parade, Financial Times, July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.
  3. ^ The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England Part 1
  4. ^ The Official Programme of the Victory Celebrations on 8th June 1946 in London, England Part 2
  5. Written answer from British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to question regarding Polish participation in Victory Parade 4 June 1946. Hansard
  6. Peter D. Stachura, The Poles in Britain, 1940-2000: from betrayal to assimilation, Routledge, 2004, ISBN-10: 0714684449
  7. Statement to Parliament by British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 5 June 1946. Hansard
  8. Dr Mark Ostrowski To Return To Poland Or Not To Return - The Dilemma Facing The Polish Armed Forces At The End Of The Second World War.University of London (1996)ASIN: B001ONE4L8 Chapter 1
  9. Rudolf Falkowski, The Victory Parade. Last accessed on 30 September 2009.
  10. Władysław Anders, “An Army in Exile” MacMillan & Co., London 1949. page 299
  11. Edward Lucas Okiem Brytyjczyka - Szokująca wizja Wprost
  12. Edward Lucas English translation of Wprost article
  13. Dr Mark Ostrowski Op.Cit Chapter 1

External links

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