Researching Polish award groups

[Al-muell]

OK, the title may be somewhat misleading, since it's often impossible to research particular awards.
Even if it's combat award and You have the doc for it as well as good credencials from some scientific institution, it's hard to get any info from the Central military Archive. Similar thing with the Ministery of Interior emploees - their files are usually with the IPN and it's not easy to obtain any info from them if you are not from some trusted institution (which simply means... IPN or journalist with some pre-1989 opositional background, or at least a person with victim of the pre-1989 state security)
However, If You have a documented award group and some information regarding where the recipent lived, there may be some way to get some additional information on him/her.
For example, if the recipent was a party member (regardless which party, but PZPR would be best), his party personnal file should be in the local division of the state archives and those are open to the public. While working in the local Archive during a course, I even had the ocasion to see the memoires of the local party members, some of those describing their activity in wartime conspiracy or partisan movement.
Also it seems that there were veterans' stories published in local newspapers from time to time, and local newspapers can sometimes be found in libraries (e.g. Uniwersity Library of Wrocław keeps all local newspapers published since 1945).
This aer just the few thoughts, but I hope them to be helpful.