This archived 2009 press release announced the launch of First to Fight, a book created to highlight Poland’s vital contribution to Britain’s freedom in the Second World War. It includes statements from Baroness Thatcher, senior military leaders, and members of the Royal Family, all stressing the importance of remembering the Polish forces who fought alongside Britain from the first day of the war. The release also outlines key historical facts, dispels common myths, and marks the dedication of the first official Polish Forces memorial in the UK.
Press Release: First to Fight and the Polish Contribution to WWII
- English
Table of Contents
Related Articles

Selected chapters from First to Fight, sharing powerful personal stories of Polish veterans from the USSR, Italy, Tobruk, the RAF and the Warsaw Uprising.

The Engineer
Jan Kasmirek’s The Engineer blends history and fiction in a tale of a Polish agent’s wartime missions, political intrigue, and survival amid betrayal and shifting alliances.
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SOE, Poles and the Balkan Connection
Polish and SOE agents operated across the Balkans—Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, and Romania—linking resistance groups, rescuing POWs, and sabotaging Axis supply routes.
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The Polish Navy
Poland’s small but valiant navy fought bravely in 1939, later joining the Royal Navy in exile. Polish ships served from Narvik to D-Day, escorting convoys and saving lives.
Read ArticleOperations
Forces
- The Technical and Non-Technical Services for the PAF
- Operation BARRIER (Bariera)
- Training Bases for the Polish Section S.O.E & Cichociemni
- Cichociemni & The Role of Couriers
- Trial of the Sixteen
- Polish Batallions
- The Wellington Crew No.304 Squadron (NZ-B) W5627
- Special Planning Unit 22
- Polish Resettlement Corps 1946 – 1948
- The Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade
People
Events
Places
Other
- Threads of History: Selected Chapters from First to Fight
- Press Release: First to Fight and the Polish Contribution to WWII
- History of the Stole
- Enigma
- Gallery of Photographs from the Victory Parade (10/07/05)
- Letter from 10 Downing Street (18/06/03)
- Translation of Article in The Polish Daily (11/09/03)
- Press Release – Poles at Victory Parade (9/07/05)
- Excerpt from A Question of Honor
Book Reviews
- Sunlight & Shadow: Memoirs of childhood in Poland and exile in Siberia.
- Project Eagle: The Top-Secret OSS Operation That Sent Polish Spies Behind Enemy Lines in World War II.
- Threads of History: Selected Chapters from First to Fight
- Press Release: First to Fight and the Polish Contribution to WWII
- Poles in World War II as seen in British fiction
- Poland Betrayed: The Nazi-Soviet Invasions of 1939
- Market Garden: The Island
- V Weapons Hunt: Defeating German Secret Weapons.
- Through Hitler’s Back Door: SOE Operations in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria 1939 – 1945.
- The Engineer