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.

[Al-muell]

It's been a while, and the things have changed with the Ministry of Interior files, but the rest remains quite up-to-date.

Anyway, I have come across a realy good source of information on Polish WW2 combat awards. at least those to The Polish Army in the East (the 1st and 2nd Polish Army). In 1960's, 70's and 80's a series of books was published. Each of them covered the WW2 story of one of the Infantry Regiments of the 1st and the 2nd Armies. They are interesting for two reasons:
1.They give lists of KIA, MIA, wounded and awarded soldiers of the Regiment (with death, missing or wound date).
2.In the text they give examples of heroism of particular soldiers - simply put, from time to time a particular soldier's heroic deed is described and the information on awarding for it is given. So, if You have a document for the Cross of the Brave or Meritous on the Field of Glory medal and know the unit that soldier served in during the war, it is possible to research the award at low cost. From august I will start purchesing the books (I currently have only access to the three of them - for the 3 regiments of the 6th infantry division), so will be able to help by then.

[Taz]

Sounds very interesting Al :thumbsup

[Al-muell]

As mentioned before, the books on various units contain lists of awardees, KIA and MIA. There's an interesting genealogy site that compiles most of this data on-line:
Janusz Stankiewicz. Genealogia, przodkowie, badania genealogiczne, forum dyskusyjne
In the left-side menu You have various links - first describe the project, but later there are those that interest us more. Here, this would most likely be the WW2 information. So we should chose one of the categories:
Lata 1939-1947 informacje
Lata 1939-1947 informacje cz.2

There we have many other subcategories - most of them are the names of the units, but there are also things like "Killed in the fights with UPA" or the "Massacre of the professors of Lwów". For awardee information, it's best to find the unit name (so we need to know where the person served - such info may be found on older award docs and in the service booklets). When we open the proper subcategory, we may just look for the name (they are in alphabetical order with all the information compiled just in entry). If we are lucky, we will learn if that person was wounded/awarded with the combat awards (also soviet)/what post he/she held (but this have to be at least the company command level) in the years 1943-1946 (for the 1/2 Army units). If we are unlucky - no info will be found. WW2 Soviet combat awards to Polish troops may also be researched at podvignaroda site, but You have to be very careful with the transcription.

If You are looking for info from the earlier perids, it may also be found on that site.

Also worth checking - if You have a documentd VM cross:
KAWALEROWIE ORDERU VIRTUTI MILITARI

[Al-muell]

I am currently in process of purchesing of some interesting award commendations from the TWP in Gdańsk. I also always try to aquire any kind of ZBoWiD award commendations. The number of awardees covered is not too large, but it will be increasing. For this reason, I plan on creating (here, in a separate thread) a list of names that this documents provide information on.
The chance that anybody will have a matching group or a document is slim, but always exists. In such a case I can provide the award commandation or any other information in my posesion.