Polish History
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History of the Lithuania and Poland
Both villages were north of Minsk, east of Vileika.
The area is known as "White Russia" and is now Belarus. Through history it has been controlled at differenct times by Lithuania, Poland and Russia.
Polonia Today Polish History Timeline

WW1 and the Rebirth of Independent Poland
Did you know that Polish immigrants across America volunteered to fight for Poland in WW1?
Haller's Army or The Blue Army as they were known, were trained in Canada and outfitted by the French. They fought in France under General Joseph Haller.
Help me build a website dedicated to them!
http://www.HallersArmy.com

NEVER FORGET AND NEVER FORGIVE! The Electronic Museum website
Terriffic site about Poland's history with personal stories of many valliant soldiers who fought and died for Poland.
Soviet Polish War 1919-1920 - Read how the Polish army beat back the Soviets shortly after becoming an independent country.
WWII and Poland's tragedies - a wide range of stories and history of the Poles who fought
The Katyn forest massacre of over 20,000 Polish army officers, police and judiciary officials in an attempt to eradicate the Polish intelligensia by Stalin. Brushed under the rug by the Allies until the 1950's this is a shame that cannot be forgotten.
Deported to Siberia: 1940 & 1941 over 2 million Polish people deported to Siberia and sentenced to death by Stalin

Poland's Tragic History in WWII:
A Forgotten Oddessy - film site with lots of information on WWII
It deals with the forgotten tragedy of 1.7 million Polish citizens of various faiths and ethnicities (Polish, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish) deported from eastern Poland (Kresy) in 1940-42 to special labour camps in Siberia, Kazakhstan and Soviet Asia. Some 120,000 of these escaped through Persia in 1942 as soldiers of Anders Army and their families - and eventually made their way to the West because their pre-war homeland was consigned by the Allies to remain under the hated Soviet regime.

"Passer-by, tell Poland that we fell faithfully in her service, for our freedom and yours, we Polish soldiers gave our souls to God, our bodies to the soil of Italy, and our hearts to Poland."
The Polish 2nd Corp and the battle of Monte Cassino

Electronic Museum - WWII
Links to stories about the deportations - contains lots of links to more sites with GREAT information on this subject
Michael Hope - Polish Deportees in the Soviet Union
Katyn Forest Massacre * Dedication Site * Memorial Wall * CNN
Louis FitzGibbon - Katyn Massacre: 'The Lost 10,000"

Shallow Graves in Siberia
Michael Krupa was born into a poor family in south-west Poland and was accepted into a Jesuit seminary. He ran away before taking his final vows and joined the army. Krupa survived Hitler's invasion but served ten years in a labour camp before escaping to Afghanistan after an epic journey. Here he tells his remarkable story.

Learn about Poland:
http://www.poland.pl/
Get an idea of how many conflicts throught history have involved Poland

Books on Poland and it's history

Revolution from Abroad: The Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia by Jan Tomasz Gross Jan Gross describes the terrors of the Soviet occupation of the lands that made up eastern Poland between the two world wars(39-41): the Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia. ...based on hundreds of first-hand accounts of the hardship, suffering, and social chaos that accompanied the Sovietization of this poorest section of a poverty-stricken country	Bitter Glory: Poland & Its Fate 1918-1939 by Richard M. Watt This book covers the history of Poland between World War I and World War II. The period was lively, to say the least, involving what are now almost-forgotten conflicts with most of Poland's neighbors, not to mention much political infighting and the period of the depression.
Shallow Graves in Siberia Michael Krupa was born into a poor family in south-west Poland and was accepted into a Jesuit seminary. He ran away before taking his final vows and joined the army. Krupa survived Hitler's invasion but served ten years in a labour camp before escaping to Afghanistan after an epic journey. Here he tells his remarkable story. Click on the book or the title to view Michael's website which contains exerpts from the book, photos, and information on how to purchase a copy of the book.
White eagle, red star: the Polish-Soviet war, 1919-20 Historian Norman Davies gives us a full account of the Polish–Soviet War, with its dramatic climax in August 1920 when the Red Army—sure of victory and pledged to carry the Revolution across Europe —was crushed by a devastating Polish attack. Since known as “the Miracle of the Vistula,” it remains one of the most crucial conflicts of the Western world.	Rising '44 by Norman Davies The Warsaw rising of 1944—not to be confused with the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943—pitted Polish heroes of the Home Army (AK) against the Germans in a two-month battle that left the city in ruins. The Allies abandoned the Poles and Stalin let the Nazis destroy the Poles for him.
A Question of Honor The first all-Polish squadron in the Royal Air Force, the Kosciuszko Squadron was formed from experienced Polish Air Force pilots who had fled their fallen country by way of Romania and France to England. This is their story and something to be proud of!	Monte Cassino Read about the Polish 2nd Corp's contribution to victory at one of the worst battles of WW11. Most of these men had come from Russian camps in Siberia. They had to make their way to Iran just to be able to reform as the Polish army under the British to fight and win this battle.
God's Playground, Volume 1 by Norman Davies "Superbly readable, rich in detail.... Davies understands and exquisitely conveys the importance of historical consciousness in Polish life.... This is beyond doubt not only the best book on Poland in the English language; it is the book on Poland. Anyone writing on Polish affairs- past or present- will have to read it. It is a masterly work." --The New York Times Book Review	Old Polish Legends This book was originally published during World War II in Scotland, home of the Polish Armed Forces in exile. There are eleven legends in this collection. One tells of a Duke who united the tribes and helped Poland develop and grow prosperous. Once, when he tried to take her eaglets from a mother eagle, she fought him so desperately she was wounded but would not give up. The Duke made that white eagle the badge of Poland, to symbolize freedom. Her blood was the symbol of bravery.
Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under German Occupation 1939-1944 by Richard C. Lukas, Norman Davies	Polish Roots by Rosemary A. Chorzempa Pioneering work on Polish family history is designed to provide the American researcher with the kind of information he needs in order to succeed in his genealogical research.