FIRST POLISH ARMOURED DIVISION: 1938-47

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Detailed history of the 1st Polish Armored Division. Formed in Scotland in February 1942 from Polish exiles, its commander Stanislaw Maczek and many of its men had previously served in the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade, which had taken part in the Polish invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and offered tenacious defense against German and Soviet invasion of 1939. Under Maczek's leadership the division was trained and equipped along British lines in preparation for the invasion of France.

Attached to 1st Canadian Army, the division was sent to Normandy in late July 1944. It suffered heavily during Operation Totalize but went on to play a crucial role in preventing an orderly German withdrawal from the Falaise Pocket by its stand at Hill 262. They then played their part in the advance across Western Europe and into Germany.