The Ministry of Defense published unique documents on the liberation of Poland during the Great Patriotic War.
“Historical documents were declassified in July 2017, previously in open sources were not published and were available only to a narrow circle of specialists,” the ministry said.
The Defense Ministry noted that all documents, including reports, certificates, telegrams, and combat reports, demonstrate a benevolent attitude towards the Soviet military from the Poles.
For example, the published telegram of the Union of Polish Patriots says that the Poles who fought on the side of the Soviet troops erected a “bridge connecting us with the brotherly people.”
In addition, the appeal of the Military Council of the Polish Army to the USSR, which was published in July 1944, calls on the Poles to rise up to fight the Hitlerite invaders.
“Meet the worthy allied Red Army, which has the greatest merit in the victory over the Germans, and help our army and Soviet troops destroy the German armed forces,” the appeal says.
The Defense Ministry stressed the special importance and value of the reports and reports of the Red Army political agencies that reflect “the numerous cases of mass destruction, plunder and torture of the Polish population by the Hitlerites, the barbaric destruction of settlements and cultural heritage by the occupiers.”
The territory of Poland was occupied by German troops from September 1939 to February 1945. During this time, about six million Poles died, which was about 20 percent of the total population of the country.
During the Visla-Oder operation, during which the territory of Poland was liberated, more than 40,000 Soviet soldiers were killed.