Synopses & Reviews
British-Polish relations during the Second World War were dogged by the fact that Polish demands on the Soviet Union threatened Soviet relations with Britain and the United States, and Soviet participation in the war. In this book Anita Prazmowska relates British policies and war-time strategy to Polish expectations and policies. She describes a tragic situation where Polish soldiers were trapped between the unrealistic plans of their government and the harsh realities of a war that they fought for Britain with no prospect of a satisfactory outcome for them or their country.
Review
"Prazmowska presents us with a well-done case study of hard-nosed diplomacy that makes a valuable contribution to our knowledge of wartime diplomacy and should be of interest to Polish and British historians alike." David Stefancic, Slavic Review
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-223) and index.
Table of Contents
Preface; Map; 1. The formation of the Polish government-in-exile: ideology and war plans; 2. Britain and German expansion in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe; 3. Britain's only fighting ally; 4. Britain, Poland and the Soviet Union, June - December 1941; 5. 1942, year of disappointments; 6. The illusion of an alliance ends; 7. 1943, the end of Polish-Soviet co-operation; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Index.