By almost every measure the fate of the inhabitants of Poland was the terrible of any group in the Second World War. Following the destruction of its armed forces in the autumn of 1939, the Republic of Poland was partitioned between Nazi and Soviet forces. This title tells the story of Poland and the Poles in the Second World War.
Across the whole of Nazi-ruled Europe the experience of occupation was sharply varied. Some countries - such as Denmark - were allowed to run themselves within tight limits. Others - such as France - were constrained not only by military occupation but by open collaboration. In a historical moment when Nazi victory seemed permanent and irreversible, the question 'why resist?' was therefore augmented by 'who was the enemy?'. Resistance is an extraordinarily powerful, humane and haunting account of how and why all across Nazi-occupied Europe some people decided to resist the Third Reich. This could range from open partisan warfare in the occupied Soviet Union to dangerous acts of insurrection in the Netherlands or Norway. Some of these resistance movements were entirely home-grown, others supported by the Allies. Like no other book, Resistance shows the reader just how difficult such actions were. How could small bands of individuals undertake tasks which could lead not just to their own deaths but those of their families and their entire communities? Filled with powerful and often little-known stories, Halik Kochanski's major new book is a fascinating examination of the convoluted challenges faced by those prepared to resist the Germans, ordinary people who carried out exceptional acts of defiance.
A sweeping history of occupation and resistance in war-torn Europe, from the acclaimed author of The Eagle Unbowed Across the whole of Nazi-ruled Europe the experience of occupation was sharply varied. Some countries - such as Denmark - were allowed to run themselves within tight limits. Others - such as France - were constrained not only by military occupation but by open collaboration. In a historical moment when Nazi victory seemed permanent and irreversible, the question 'why resist?' was therefore augmented by 'who was the enemy?'. Resistance is an extraordinarily powerful, humane and haunting account of how and why all across Nazi-occupied Europe some people decided to resist the Third Reich. This could range from open partisan warfare in the occupied Soviet Union to dangerous acts of insurrection in the Netherlands or Norway. Some of these resistance movements were entirely home-grown, others supported by the Allies. Like no other book, Resistance shows the reader just how difficult such actions were. How could small bands of individuals undertake tasks which could lead not just to their own deaths but those of their families and their entire communities? Filled with powerful and often little-known stories, Halik Kochanski's major new book is a fascinating examination of the convoluted challenges faced by those prepared to resist the Germans, ordinary people who carried out exceptional acts of defiance.
To niezwykle ważna pr�ba ujęcia w jednym tomie losu zar�wno tych, kt�rzy zostali uwięzieni w okupowanej Polsce, jak i tych, kt�rym udało się z niej wydostać!Jesienią 1939 r. III Rzesza i Związek Radziecki podzieliły Polskę między siebie i zaprowadziły na jej terenie rządy terroru rasowego i ideologicznego. W trakcie kolejnych planowych �mord�w życie straciły miliony Polak�w. Polscy Żydzi mieli zniknąć, Słowianie zaś zamienić się w p�łanalfabet�w i niewolnik�w.Książka dr �Halik Kochanski wypełnia lukę w drugowojennej historii naszego kraju. Jest to niezwykle ważna pr�ba ujęcia w jednym tomie losu zar�wno tych, kt�rzy zostali uwięzieni w okupowanej Polsce, jak i tych, kt�rym udało się z niej wydostać. Wielu z tych ostatnich jest dobrze znanych. Byli pilotami myśliwskimi w bitwie o Anglię, kryptologami łamiącymi szyfr Enigmy czy bohaterskimi zdobywcami Monte Cassino. Jednak książka ta m�wi także o niezwykłych losach Polak�w, kt�rzy dostali się w pułapkę sowieckiego GUŁagu, polskich sierot w Indiach, polskich żołnierzy na Bliskim Wschodzie i polskich nauczycieli na terenie Węgier.Orzeł niezłomny oparty jest nie tylko na bogatej literaturze i dokumentach, ale także na licznych wspomnieniach i wywiadach ze świadkami wydarzeń, kt�rzy� dają �przekonujące świadectwo trwania narodu mimo skrajnie nieprzyjaznych warunk�w.