Incydent. Komitet Narodowy Polski wobec perspektywy usunięcia z Armii Polskiej we Francji ochotników wywodzących się spośród jeńców z armii niemieckiej (lipiec 1918 r.)
An incident. Polish National Committee on the perspective of defection from the Polish Army in France of the soldiers recruted from polish POW of the German army (July 1918)

Summary/Abstract: In the second half of June 1918, right after introducing the 1st Polish Rifle Regiment into battlefield, several desertions to the enemy’s side occured. The command of the regiment’s attempt at clarifying the situation caused that the meaningless incident transformed into a serious conflict, dangerous for the cohesion of the Polish army created in France since August 1917 and also having wider political implications. This event alarmed the Polish National Committee – the institution established in August 1917, representing the Polish cause in the West. PNC questioned the steps taken by the military authorities; in view of the significance of the problem Roman Dmowski, president of the organization, himself took on the task of examining and clarifying the problem. The Central Military Archives contain a thorough, 22-page report that is the result of this action. A broader background of the events was constituted by the problems of organizational and political nature, causing that the accession to the emerging army turned out to be a disappointment for many volunteers – as well as the defeats of the allied armies in spring 1918. Moreover, the whole incident is interesting in the context of relations between civil authorities and the army: their different priorities, hierarchy of needs, and also sensitivity.

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