Entitled From Warsaw to Rome: General Anders’ Exiled Polish Army in the Second World War, the book is the work of Martin Williams and makes extensive use of some newly discovered material from British archives.
The book was originally published by Pen and Sword in the UK two years ago.
It traces the history of Polish soldiers who were held prisoner in Soviet Russia following Poland’s defeat by Nazi Germany.
The soldiers were released by Stalin after intense negotiations by British and Polish politicians and military leaders, notably generals Władysław Sikorski and Władysław Anders.
In 1942, a Polish army that had been formed in the Soviet Union was evacuated to Iran and subsequently incorporated into the British Army as the Second Polish Corps.
In May 1944, around 40,000 Polish soldiers attacked and captured the hilltops of Monte Cassino in Italy, bringing to a close the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the western Allies in World War II.
Days later the Allied armies marched into Rome.
Williams argues in his book that the postwar fate of the Polish soldiers was shamefully ignored for years.
(mk/gs)