Polacy w oddziałach czetników Draży Mihailovicia
Poles in Draža Mihailović’s Chetniks Forces

Summary/Abstract: Under the British influence, in the summer of 1943, a separate Polish military formation was created in Serbia, to cooperate with Chetniks under the command of general Mihailović. The formation consisted mostly of deserters from the Wehrmacht and workers who had run away from the Todt Organization. It was under the command of a cichociemni („Silent Unseen”) captain Józef Maciąg „Nash”, who was ordered to reconstruct in Serbia the Polish intelligence base „Drawa”. Both Maciąg and Mihailović tried to save their strength and waited for the creation of the second front in the Balkans. As this proved unacceptable for the British Government, which sought to develop the Polish formation and to make it take an active role in the war effort, the Polish forces had to start military operations quickly. In November 1943, the Polish forces in Serbia consisted of 200 soldiers. The situation drastically changed in early 1944, when Great Britain gave total support to Tito, and Mihailović demanded of Poles to take part in the fights against partisans. Obviously, it was completely unacceptable for the Polish government-in-exile based in London. The death of Captain Maciąg in unknown circumstances, on the run from German forces on 11 December 1943, also had dire consequences. This event eventually induced the Polish headquarters to order an evacuation of Polish soldiers from Serbia to Italy. Obviously, as the plan was not practical, only a small number of Polish soldiers were evacuated.

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