Armia Ludowa
Armia Ludowa (
AL, pronounced ;
English People's Army) was a
World War II armed communist organisation in Poland. Its aim was to support
USSR military against the German forces and creation of a Soviet controlled communist regime in Poland[
1]
Resistance movement
On
January 1 of
1944, the "
Krajowa Rada Narodowa" (KRN) – "National Council of the Country" replaced the "
Gwardia Ludowa" (GL) – "
People's Guard" with AL. The KRN intended to gain volunteers from other groups, however they weren't successful.In its beginning the organisation counted 6-8.000 members, in July 1944 circa 30,000 members, with 6,000 of them being active partisans.[
2]
Army
Seven months after it came into existence, on
July 21,
1944, AL was integrated with the
Polish Military in the USSR and renamed the "
Ludowe Wojsko Polskie" (LWP) – "Polish People's Military". After the
Red Army and communist-backed
1st Polish Army captured Poland in
1944 and early
1945, most of the AL members joined the latter. After the war most of its members have joined the ranks of Ministry of Public Security in Communist Poland, dedicated to persecution of former independence movement and enforcing Soviet control over Poland[
3],[
4]
*
Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) Polish resistance under the command of legitimate
Polish government*
