Polska emigracja wojskowa w Pakistanie .......... 227

THE POLISH MILITARY EMIGRATION IN PAKISTAN

The end of World War II for a large group of Poles, mainly military personnel of the Polish Armed Forces in the West and their families, meant having to make a difficult and painful choice: whether to return to a state located in the Soviet sphere of infl uence or to remain in exile. This choice was particularly diffi cult for those Poles who, before the war, lived in provinces annexed by the Soviet Union. Many of them had already endured the tragic experience of the fi rst occupation from 1939 to 1941, deportation, labor camps, and torture in NKVD prisons. Many lost their closest relatives on the “inhuman land”. Such personal or familial experiences robbed them of any illusions and hope for the possibility of living safely in Poland, which was dominated by the “ally of our allies”. Knowledge about what was happening in the country after its occupation by the Red Army, which reached people through soldiers of the Home Army and National Armed Forces released from prisoner-of-war camps, as well as escapees or relatives remaining in Poland, also became fairly widespread and did not encourage return. Such refl ections were particularly frequent among representatives of the social elite, including the offi cer corps in exile. Another factor favoring staying in exile was also the (as it turned out, unfounded) belief in an imminent confl ict with the Soviets, popularly referred to as the “Third World War”, which was expected to bring full independence to Poland. In such a war, Polish emigrants wanted to actively participate on the side of Western countries. One of the countries that offered employment to demobilized Polish soldiers was Pakistan, established in 1947. The government in Karachi issued an appeal to Polish aviators, inviting them to take up contract service in the emerging Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF). The offer was directed not only to pilots with combat experience but also to other fl ying and technical personnel. The proposal was attractive because it provided an opportunity to continue working in their profession while retaining their military ranks (with the possibility of promotion). For the new state, the most important benefi t, aside from gaining skilled personnel for its fl edgling air force, was also the involvement of Poles in the training of new Pakistani staff. Interviews with Pakistani aviators who had been students of the Poles indicate the high level of professionalism and dedication they experienced from our compatriots. In a similar manner, though a few years later, Commander (later Admiral) Romuald Nałęcz-Tymiński joined the service of the Royal Pakistan Navy.