Poland (1918-1939, IInd Republic)

When looking at the Polish medals for the Second World War, we can see four different periods. Before the Second World War, until the German occupation, we have the Second Polish Republic. During the Second World War the Poles had their forces partly in the West and partly in the Soviet Union. The Polish Government in exile in London decided which decorations were awarded. From 1944 we however get the People’s Republic of Poland, that began instituting its own decorations. Finally since the collapse of the Soviet Union we have a new Polish Republic from 1990 on.

The Second Polish Republic.
After the First World War, a new Polish Republic emerged. The Poles received their independence on November 11th 1918. The young republic immediately found itself in war with the Ukrainian National Army for the city of Lwow. After conquering the city, the Poles got into another war, this time with the Bolsheviks of the new Soviet state. Finally the Poles succeeded in winning a final battle for the city of Warsaw. This resulted in a peace treaty with the Soviet Union in 1921. Many of the decorations date back to these heroic battles. Some old decorations from the First Polish Republic were...

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