I know that term cursed soldiers (żołnierze wyklęci) is used to describe post-WW2 anticommunist resistance in Poland, but in my opinion after 1989 that title fits these soldiers better, because nowadays they're being disrespected and called communists by many right wing politicians and historians. It all started on September 17th, 1939, when soviets invaded Poland and started mass deportations of Polish citizens to camps in Siberia and all over russia. Many of these unfortunate souls joined the newly formed Polish Army in the East as soon as they had the chance. Even though they were under the soviet command, they still remained Polish, with Polish eagle on their rogatywka, the distinctive two finger salute, and the Polish flag. Their soviet "comrades" didn't treat them well, instead they put them on the most difficult parts of the front. An example of it is the Battle of Lenino (October 12, 1943), a baptism of fire for the new Polish Army. Soviet command sent them there ill-equipped, with no recon, artillery or air support. It was a bloody battle with many Polish casualties, but our soldiers fought well, driven by the urge to liberate their country from the german occupation. They fought their best in some of the toughest battles of WW2, all the way from Lenino in Belarus to the Battle of berlin. Yes, Polish forces took part in the final offensive on berlin, a capital of nazi german evil empire. Around 200 000 brave Polish soldiers fought against all odds in the berlin offensive. Polish flag day is celebrated to remember Polish soldiers who hanged our flag over berlin on May 2nd, 1945. For many of these heroes, war didn't end in 1945 because of things like Akcja Wisła or post-war Polish anticommunist resistance. During PRL, they were rightfully remembered as heroes (even tho their actions were often used to validate communism in Poland). Sadly, since 1989 they have been stripped of all their honor and dignity. Marginalized in school history books, gradually removed from stuff like street names or monuments and watered down to being communist puppets responsible for PRLs creation. I know that many people still see them as heroes, but the amount of hate I saw towards them both irl and online is just sad. Just because they fought germans using ppsh instead of a browning doesn't make them any less Polish. As of 2026, last World War II veterans are dying out, and it's sad to know that some of them lived long enough to see their reputation getting tarnished like that.

Polish People's Army- Forgotten heroes of WW2 and real cursed soldiers of post-1989 Poland