An exhibition titled "Foreigners in the Warsaw Uprising", which presents their stories, opened on Saturday in the courtyard of Warsaw's Royal Castle. The display was prepared by Poland's Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).
Speaking for Polish Radio's Information Agency IAR, the author of the exhibition, Dr. Marta Snarska, explained that apart from the Allied pilots providing airdrops - about 300 foreigners of numerous nations fought on land in the uprising.
"The story of Home Army's 535th Slovak Platoon is told on one of the first panels of our exhibition - and there is a reason for that. Commanded by Mirosław Iringha "Stanko", this platoon had a very international character - including Slovaks, Poles, Georgians, Armenians, Ukrainians, Hungarians... Interestingly, it was the only unit in the uprising that had the right to use its own national colours."
- the expert noted.
Among the foreigners fighting in the Warsaw Uprising were deserters from the Wehrmacht and units collaborating with the Germans, escapees from Nazi POW camps and labour camps, as well as prisoners freed by the insurgents.
The Institute of National Remembrance's president, Karol Nawrocki, pointed out that the Hungarians also sympathised with the insurgents.
"They refused to provide the Nazis any assistance in suppressing the Warsaw Rising. Furthermore, they helped the Poles - civilians and soldiers alike. We present the Allied forces air support too - provided by the Canadians, the New Zealanders, the Australians, the British, the Americans, the South Africans..."
- Karol Nawrocki added.
The "Foreigners in the Warsaw Uprising" exhibition will be available to the public in the Grand Courtyard of Warsaw's Royal Castle until September 30, 2024.
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Source: IAR
