Opinions About Polish South American Volunteer cloth badge

[ccmax]

Hello,

I believe many here are familiar with the fact many South and North American volunteers joined the Free Polish forces in WWII; I obtained an example of their badge from a dealer and would appreciate comments about its authenticity.

Regards,

Cesar.

[ccmax]

An image of the badge's reverse.

[Maple Creek]

no idea

I have no idea if it's original or not, but if original, it's very cool. I had never heard of Polish volunteers from North and South America fighting with Free Polish forces in WWI. Interesting... Volunteering as a Polish-American from the US would have been problematic because of the Neutrality Act, but might have been an option for Polish-Canadians. Once the US and Brazil entered the war, most Polish-Americans volunteers would have joined their respective national military forces, but some numbers must have found their way into Free Polish units organized by the British. There is an interesting story there to uncover. I notice that the wto American flags are for Brazil and Argentina suggesting that the volunteers came from those two countries (but maybe not others?). Thanks for sharing.
Mark D.

[just]

Hello

http://www.ww2wings.com/wings/poland...insignia.shtml

cordially
Didier

[peter monahan]

Well, I've said this before and been corrected, but it seems a very odd thing to fake. What kind of market would there be for badges to a group nobody has heard of?

[byterock]

Personally I think these are post war blazer patches, Have seen the NA one before (Polish, US and old Canadain flag) but not this one.

[byterock]

Just a little history

The vast majority of Polish volentere where

1) Poles who excaped or not captured in Poland in 39
2) Poles released by Russia and after 41

Very few Poles who voleteeerd for the Canadain Armed servies where made part of the Polish Army in the west, they served with the Canadain Army and where attachec to various Polish units as trainers liason etc.

Many of the Poles fighting in the West who did not go back to Poland after the war were re-settled in Allied nations. Canada/US taking the most byut many stayed in the UK and some to SA the SPK (Polish Combatants' Association), where I think these patches come from, took a great part (and still does) in thier sucessful resettlement.

[GAMS1]

IMO a repro made after the original badges . Not a GB made quality ...
I had many of them in the 70's , sold with "surplus" prices, found with a large lot of various original polish badges from GB .
Nick

[ccmax]

Thanks all for the comments. In WWII about 500 hundred Brazilians of Polish origin ended up serving in the units organized under the British aegis.

Cesar.

[emmaorabelle]

A reproduction, in my opinion, of the io games original badges. Not a quality built in GB...
In the 1970s, I owned a lot of these that were offered at "surplus" prices and came with a ton of different original polish badges from Great Britain.