Dzieje wojska Polskich Sił Zbrojnych w latach 1940–1947. Stan badań i perspektywy rozwoju (część 2)
The history of the Polish Armed Forces in 1940– 1947. State of Research andProspects for Development (Part 2)

Summary/Abstract: The article presents the current state of research on a fragment of the history of the Polish military – the history of the army, i.e. land forces of the Polish Armed Forces existing in the years 1940–1947 and subordinated to the legal authorities of the Republic of Poland in London, as well as prospects for the development of this research. The author focused primarily on non-serial publications which have appeared since 1945 until today. Discussing the state of research, he presented the achievements of both emigration and national historiography. In the latter, he distinguished two periods: before and after 1990. He also discussed the achievements of Western historiography in this field. The author concentrated on the most important trends in historiography so far and on the predominant trends in editing sources, memoirs, biographies and monographs, which he grouped thematically. As far as scientific journals are concerned, the author just mentioned a few of the most important ones published in exile and two leading historical-military ones published in Poland. He also pointed to the most important Polish and foreign archives, which contain sources necessary for the reconstruction of the history of the Polish Armed Forces. The author also characterized briefly the potential of the particular scientific circles that conduct professional research on the history of the Polish Armed Forces. Discussing the prospects for the development of this research, he pointed out the suggested directions and topics that remain undiscovered. He stressed that there are still many areas awaiting scientific exploration. Casting light on the results of the investigations, including new findings, opens up the possibility of writing many articles, including source papers, because many aspects of the functioning of the Polish Armed Forces are still unexplored. It is also a field for many monographs and syntheses. The author concluded his deliberations with a short summary referring to the challenges and opportunities as well as possible risks and threats to future research.

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