History

Polish Army in France Casualty List

The Polish Army in France was recruited primarily from resident aliens of the United States and Canada during the period from October 1917 through March 1919. Many of their recruitment papers have been located, but little was known until now of what happened to men who were sent to France between February 1918 and the Armistice of November 11th.

 

Recently, 1085 index cards were located in the archives of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago. No one knows when they were created, nor by whom. They appear to have been written by two different individuals, and most likely were transcribed from original sources. Judging by the ink and paper stock, this process was done decades ago.

 

The information is judged to be accurate and reliable, but additional supporting documentation will be required as materials are continually being unearthed. Most cards will list a surname, first name, a soldier's number (unknown reference at this point in time, but some guess that it is a soldier's number issued by the French army. These numbers do not match the recruiting numbers found on the A, B, or C forms.), a status of condition, a regiment or company, rank, and some additional information. A number of cards have limited information, others have more. No card has all of the information which is possible.

 

For cards which list an individual as being killed, a date and place of death is usually listed, as well as the next of kin. For those in a hospital, the location/city of the hospital is usually listed. For those being discharged, there are usually medical reasons for the discharge. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees of the amount of information available, but a copy of the card with translation will be provided.

 

To request a photocopy of a casualty card, please follow these directions.

 

A check or money order for $5 US is required and must be made payable to Dr. Paul Valasek.

 

Send your correspondence to:

Dr. Paul S. Valasek
2643 W. 51st Street
Chicago, Il. 60632-1559

 

Any additional information or questions on soldiers of the Polish Army in France, aka the Blue Army, named for their French issued blue uniforms, or Haller's Army, named for General Jozef Haller, their commanding officer, may be sent to the above address.

 

Data compiled by Dr. Paul S. Valasek

 

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Copyright © 2000 Dr. Paul S. Valasek. All rights reserved.

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