A book that charts the history of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, from its roots before the outbreak of war through to its disbandment in 1946.
While this book looks great and I will certainly purchase a copy, the ad is misleading. In 2022, Pen & Sword in the UK published (in English), “First Polish Armoured Division 1938-47, a History”, by McGilvray & Jarzembowski”. I purchased the book two weeks ago. It’s main shortcoming is a lack of maps, which it seems that this new book will go a long way to correct. Looking forward to it!
I was thinking the exact same thing! I’ve finished the book, but will also purchase this one, because of the maps and more info on their opponents. Should go well with the other books I have on this division. I have a soft spot for the FPAD, since they are the unit that liberated my maternal grand parents.
Hi again, Jay. What other titles on the division would you recommend? I have the two Polish-English volumes from Wydnawictwo Militaria as well as several Pegaz Bis titles in Polish. FYI, Keegan’s “Six Armies in Normandy” also has an account of the 1PAD during that campaign. Are there any others?
The ones I also have may not all be that great for everybody, as some of them are in Dutch. But they are:
1e Poolse Pantserdivisie (1st Polish Armoured Division), by Wim Grootenhuis. Not a fantastically detailed book, as it was written mostly as a passion project. Suffers from a lack of maps. Cheap book, so no harm no foul.
Poolse strijders over de Hondsrug (Polish warriors across the Hondsrug), by Harold de Jong. Goes into detail about what the FPAD did in northeast Netherlands (which is where my grandparents lived), The book has nice maps, as well as details about individual soldiers of the unit, who gave their lives liberating the Netherlands. The Hondsrug mentioned in the title is a ridge that runs along part of the region, literally meaning dog’s back.
Vergeten helden (forgotten heroes), by Johannes vande Voorde and Dirk Verbeke. Chronicles the division from Normandy to Wilhemshaven and is heavy on the visual side. Contains a nice amount of then and now shots. Won’t teach you anything new, but worth it for the visuals (if you can read Dutch, obviously).
Armoured Hussars, Images of the 1st Polish Armoured Division, 1939-47, by Janusz Jarzembowski. Doesn’t add facts or knowledge to the book we both already have, but has a ton of pictures. Which we all like.
No greater ally: The untold story of Poland’s forces in World War II, by Kenneth K. Koskodan. This book deals with more than the FPAD. It tells the different stories of what the Polish men did during the war, such as during the battle of France, the Herculean effort of Polish pilots during the battle of Britain, obviously the FPAD in northwest Europe, the Home Army and the Polish troops who fought under Soviet command.
Hello Jay and thank you for your extremely detailed response. It would appear that I have a few more books to look for! Especially the last two. Cheers!
My pleasure!
I highly recommend this book from Amazon. Easy to buy. Excellent unit history and 100 photos.
Thanks Matthew! I wonder how different it is from the co-author, McGilvray’s book that I have, ““First Polish Armoured Division 1938-47”? I will suppose that since both of his co-written books covers the same subject and the book I have came afterwards, I can skip the older title. But, again, I appreciate your feedback.