Polish Freedom Fighters on American Soil

Polish Freedom Fighters on American Soil is the story of immigrant Polish soldiers and Polish Americans — both men and women — who fought for Poland’s and America’s freedom. Along the way, they made multifaceted contributions to the development of the United States from the very beginning of the republic — including contributions of the highest order in economic life, military affairs, science and culture.

In this ground-breaking study, author Teofil Lachowicz, the internationally recognized scholar on Polish American military history, tells the story of Polish and Polish American soldiers in America from the Revolutionary War to the outbreak of World War II. This superbly-documented work sets forth the details of their struggles for Polish and American freedom — their travails, and their contributions to America over a span of almost two hundred years — drawing on reference materials that have never been used before.

Polish Freedom Fighters on American Soil describes the process which created the Polish veterans movement in the United States and Canada after the conclusion of World War I — from which, in 1921, emerged the Polish Army Veterans Association of America: a universal, apolitical organization open for membership to former Polish soldiers from various military formations. The Polish Army Veterans Association of America, the oldest organization of this type in the world — which survives to this day — eventually proved to be the most patriotic element of the Polish emigration in America.