Free Poland

Even before the Red Army entered Poland in World War II, resistance to Soviet domination and communism had strong roots in Poland. Most recently, the *Solidarnosc* movement in the 1980s tried to push the communist government towards internal reform through nonviolent activism and strikes. Although they had some success in forcing the removal of individual corrupt officials, the imposition of martial law in 1981 turned many Polish democracy activists towards the path of direct action. As tensions in Europe began to mount, American, British and West German intelligence agencies stepped up their contacts with anti-Soviet Polish groups both inside Poland and in the expat communities in North America and Western Europe, notably including the Polish government in exile in London.

Before NATO troops even entered Poland, various groups of anti-communist saboteurs and partisans had begun a guerilla war against the Polish state and its Soviet allies. Some were disgruntled members of *Solidarnosc*, some were deserters from the armed forces, and some were even members of the Polish diaspora who had smuggled themselves into the country, sensing that the time to create a democratic Poland had finally come. Many of them claimed allegiance to the underground *Solidarnosc* organisation or to the London exiles, but in practice they acted almost entirely on their own initiative.

When NATO forces entered Poland, Free Polish soldiers acted as translators, guides and civilian liasons, in addition to fighting in battalion-sized units on several occasions. NATO intelligence and special forces soldiers infiltrated behind Soviet and Polish lines to assist anti-government forces. However, NATO forces were not always welcomed as liberators. Many ordinary Poles, while not with the USSR or communism, had lost friends or family to NATO nuclear attacks. Others were simply weary of war and hardship and did not see democracy as worth the price. In addition, many local Polish partisan units disagreed with NATO forces on military strategy, preferring to defend their own home areas from marauders or government units than to assist NATO in its strategic goals.

Despite the fragmentation of NATO forces in Poland, "Free Poland" remains a powerful idea. The Free Polish government set up by NATO troops has managed to survive and take control of an area of south-eastern Poland centred on the city of Rzeszow. Scattered communities across Poland have given their allegiance to the Rzeszow government, although often this is more symbolic than real. The Free Polish government is generally friendly to former NATO forces, but not unreservedly so - many of the communities they control have had problems with NATO deserters forming Marauder bands. Despite their rallying cries of democracy and liberalism, the free Polish government is not notably democratic, justifying military law and authoritarian measures as a wartime measure, although few believe that this measure will be abandoned any time soon given the dire state of what remains of Poland.

Free Poland's highest authority is the National Liberation Council, a rather unwieldy body of twenty-three representatives, in theory drawn from across Polish society, but with a heavy weighting towards military officers and priests. Many of its members don't regularly attend due to spending time in their field or just due to communication and travel difficulties. The Council elected a Chairwoman, choosing Gabriela Grajek, a former CIA officer and Polish-American who worked as an advisor to Free Polish forces during the NATO invasion. Grajek is known for being extremely anti-Soviet and prioritising the harsh punishment of anybody giving intelligence or assistance to Soviet or pro-Soviet forces. She recently had Colonel Witold Pomerski, a hero of the liberation of Rzeszow, executed after accusing him of passing information to the Polish People's Republic authorities in Lublin.

Although free Poland formally uses the same Polish flag as the Polish People's Republic, the World War II era *Kotwica* symbol was widely used as a symbol of resistance during the war, and is used in practice by groups that want to proclaim their allegiance to Free Poland.

**Controlled Cities:**

Rzeszow

Zlotoryja

Swiebodzice