Polish Legions, 1914-19

Due to Poland's partitions and dissolution in the late eighteenth century, hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers enlisted in distinct units in the armies of many countries--primarily those of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires, but also those of the German Reich and the French Republic.

All these forces were uniformed and equipped by the parent armies, though often with explicitly Polish features. The collapse of Tsarist Russia in 1917 and of the Central Powers in 1918 allowed these diverse forces to unite in a recreated Polish Army under the newborn Second Polish Republic in November 1918. With full color illustrations of their unique and colorful uniforms as well as contemporary photographs, this is the fascinating story of the Poles who fought on both sides in the trenches in World War I and then united to fight for their freedom in the Russian Civil War.

Dr. Nigel Thomas is an accomplished linguist and military historian, formerly a Principal Lecturer at Northumbria University, now a freelance military author, translator, and military uniform consultant. His interests are 20th century military and civil uniformed organizations, with a special interest in Germany, Central, and Eastern Europe. He was awarded a Ph.D. on the Eastern enlargement of NATO. He is based in the UK.

Johnny Shumate works as a freelance illustrator living in Nashville, Tennessee. He began his career in 1987 after graduating from Austin Peay State University. Most of his work is rendered in Adobe Photoshop using a Cintiq monitor. His greatest influences are Angus McBride, Don Troiani, and Edouard Detaille.