Władysław Anders significant event World War II
Władysław Albert Anders (11 August 1892 – 12 May 1970) was a general in the Polish Army and later in life a politician and prominent member of the Polish government-in-exile in London.Władysław Anders was a Polish general born in 1892 in Krośniewice-Błonie, then part of the Russian Empire. He served in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and later joined the Polish Land Forces after Poland regained its independence in 1918. During World War II, Anders was captured by Soviet forces and imprisoned but was later released to form a Polish Army to fight against the Germans alongside the Red Army. He led the Polish II Corps throughout the Italian Campaign, including the capture of Monte Cassino. After the war, Anders was deprived of his citizenship and military rank by the Soviet-installed communist government of Poland. He remained in Britain, working for the Polish Government in Exile and various charities. In 1989, after the collapse of communist rule in Poland, his citizenship and military rank were posthumously reinstated.World War II
Anders commanded the Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and was immediately called into action, taking part in the Battle of Mława. After the collapse of the Polish Northern Front the brigade withdrew towards Warsaw, and also fought heavy battles against the Germans around Mińsk Mazowiecki and in the second phase of the Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. After learning about the Soviet invasion of Poland, Anders retreated south in the direction of Lwów, hoping to reach the Hungarian or Romanian border, but was intercepted by Soviet forces and captured on 29 September, after being wounded twice.Anders was initially jailed in Lwów and subsequently transferred to the Lubyanka prison in Moscow on 29 February 1940. During his imprisonment, he was interrogated, tortured and unsuccessfully urged to join the Red Army.
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