gov.pl – 06/12/2020
Beginning with the establishment of The Tadeusz Kościuszko Polish Army Training Camp, commonly known as Camp Kościuszko in October 1917, until its dissolution in March 1919 – over 22,000 Polish volunteers from North America were trained.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski played a large role in the preparations for the creation of the camp and the consent of the authorities of the three countries for its creation, i.e. France, the United States and Canada. The commander of the camp was Canadian Colonel Arthur D’Orr LePan. After two months of training at the Kościuszko Camp in Niagara-on-the-Lake, 20,720 Polish volunteers were successfully dispatched to the Polish Army formed in June 1917 in France. It was an unprecedented event in the history of the United States and Canada, because only the Polish ethnic group organized their army in Exile. The Polish Army in France, called the Blue Army uniforms, was recruited from Poles – volunteers from Europe and other continents. Soldiers were transported at the expense of France to Europe with thirty ships. From July 1918. troops of this army under French command fought with Germany on the front in France. In October 1918, General Józef Haller became the commander of the Blue Army.
In the spring of 1919, the formation was transported to Poland and joined the Polish Army, fighting in the Polish-Ukrainian (1919) and Polish-Bolshevik (1919-1920) war. These soldiers fought with determination and heroism in defense of Polish borders. They undoubtedly played a great role in the work of liberating Poland after the partitions.
