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Military Archives are temporarily closed, is there some other way of getting information?


gjene 14 | 204
4 Feb 2014 #1
I have been told that the military archives are temporarily closed. Also, I have managed to find out what miliatry units that my grandfather belonged to. But so far I have been unable to find anything of either unit by googling it. The units are the 1st & 4th Signals regiment. Is there some other way of getting information on these units and their histories? I could send an email to the archives again, but I am not sure how long they will be closed. Where are they located in Warsaw? Since I will be traveling to Poland in April, I will be taking what documents I have to substantiate who I am and how I am connected to the person in question.
sobieski 106 | 2,118
4 Feb 2014 #2
You would have to go to Rembertów for that one.
Or check with the Army Museum?
OP gjene 14 | 204
4 Feb 2014 #3
Thanks. Seems I will be spending 2-3 days in Warsaw in order to get that part done and another issue that I have to get clarified.

Well, I finally got a response from the military archives. The only problem I have right now is that I am going to have to get their response translated before I can understand what it is they are saying and respond to it.

Well, I got the email translated. They claim they were unable to find the requested information. So I double checked the dates and locations of reactivation that was in the letter from my grandfather. The last location when double checked with what was available about the Soviet invasion and an unverified family story suggests that the 1 unit may have captured by the Soviets. So I sent the military archives another email to see if they have declassified documents pertaining to this issue. Hopefully they will respond with positive information.

Does anyone know if the Russians ever declassified their military records regarding Polish p.o.w.s'.? So far all I have heard is that the Russians have given the Polish government some records concerning the Katyn massacre. When I was going over the 1 letter that my grandfather had written up when he was applying for veterans benefits over 50 yrs ago he had listed all the points of operations where the 2nd unit worked. Apparently when I cross referenced the last point of location this unit was stationed at, Czortkow, Poland Sept. 17, 1939, it seems the Russians were in that area as well. This, also ties in with an unconfirmed story that an aunt told me that he may have been a prisoner and wanted to go with the officers of the unit but was prevented from doing so. One thing that may have set him apart and maybe be freed later was his ability to speak Russian, German, and Polish. The other issue is that I have not been able to find information on the web about either unit. Even if they had been assimilated or absorbed by another military unit in Poland there should have been something listed about the Signal Corps that was part of the Polish Armed Forces.

Still waiting for the archives to answer back in regards to declassified military records from Russia. So far, I have not been able to find a link to the declassified material and see what units were captured during the last 2 weeks of September 1939. Since the archives are trying to tell me that they are unable to locate the service records for my grandfather, I am trying to think outside the box to see if they may have duplicated his records and have them in a different location.

The military archives are claiming that they are unable to find my grandfather's military records and made an attempt to direct me to go through the Sikorski Museum in Great Britain. But that seems to be more of a red herring. Someone mentioned about needing identification in order to get married. If that is the case my grandfather turned 65 in 1964 and was living in Canada. I am wondering if he needed his identification to apply for his pension through the Canadian pension services or would he have applied directly through the Polish pension? How easy would it be to obtain pension records from Poland and what information would those records contain about military service and what would I need in documents to obtain those records.
Szybkowski 5 | 10
24 Feb 2015 #4
Merged: Where can I find my Great-Grandfathers' military records?

Hello everybody, a fair while ago I contacted the Central Military archives in Warsaw regarding my Great-Grandfathers' service. To my surprise they send me a letter stating that no documentation was found at the archive regarding him, most likely because the Germans burnt it in 1940. Despite this, I contacted Arolsen archives in Germany and received many IRO documents and a certificate of confirmation dated 1947 from the Polish government recognizing my G-Grandmother as his wife. This is a military document from a Senior Polish officer complete with the Polish crest and seal. On this document my G-Grandfathers' title is 'Strz. Jozefa Szybkowski'. Strz. = Strzelec which is a Polish military term for rifleman. That means as of 1947 the Polish government had documenation in their archives identifying my G-Grandfather (Whom had not set foot in Poland since 1939) as a Polish military serviceman. Where could this information have gone? Any other avenues for me to search aside from the CAW? My G-Grandfather was born in Daszyna, 1914 and joined the military in 1938, stationed at Kutno until breakout of war. He has written on his IRO records that he was mobilized at Kutno from 1 September 1939 - 18 September when he was taken prisoner. This leads me to believe that he was part of Armia Poznan. He had no relation to the British until service in the CM Watchman service in the late 40s, so no records there. Any input is appreciated.
OP gjene 14 | 204
23 Sep 2018 #5
A follow up to my first post. An aunt of mine finally gave me one document amongst about 6 others that I was after for some time. This document is dated 1922 and signed by a Captain Szumowski This document mentions the number at the time of issue and what type of medal my grandfather was given and what appears to be a serial number that may lead to his service records. In the top left corner it states Kadra. Komp. Zap. Baonu Telegr. Nr. 4 Ewidencja Glowna 3393/22/?. The last character(s) I do not recognize. Might be someone's initials such as L.W or C.W. Apparently this document states that my grandfather was given the Cross of Valour. I did get a response this time with a form that I must fill in and return. So I am hoping that I might get a positive response to what I am after.
Pan T. K.
24 Sep 2018 #6
That means as of 1947 the Polish government had documenation in their archives identifying my G-Grandfather

The pattern is that military and passport records which easily prove citizenship will not be acknowledged to exist, even when it is clear that they did. Short of finding a lawyer to demand access to such documents, your hopes of getting to see these records is extremely thin.
jon357 74 | 21,782
24 Sep 2018 #7
These people can be a mine of information. The organisation's run by (very elderly) volunteers so there may be a delay in any reply. They may be able to handle an enquiry in a language other than Polish, however that may delay things further: kombatantpolski.pl/pl/


Home / Genealogy / Military Archives are temporarily closed, is there some other way of getting information?
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