Few people know that Poland declared war on Japan on 11 December 1941. The war of Poland against the Empire of Japan continued... 16 years old.
Four days after the nipponese attack on the American naval base Pearl Harbor, Poland was at war with the nipponese Empire on 11 December 1941. It was the first and only country to which the Republic declared war after regaining independency in 1918.
After the war of Japan was declared by the United Kingdom, besides the British Dominion and allied emigration governments: Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and the French National Liberation Committee decided to take this step. The then nipponese Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō did not accept the war declared by the Polish Government in exile. He justified his decision as follows: We do not accept the challenges of Poles. Poles, fighting for their freedom, declared war on us under British pressure.
Both countries remained formally in conflict with each another until February 1957, erstwhile the Agreement was signed to reconstruct average relations between the Polish People's Republic and Japan. For nearly 16 years of formal conflict, Polish and nipponese troops did not fight each another in any battle, but that does not mean that Poles did not fight the Japanese.
Poland declared war on Japan. Most celebrated characters
The most celebrated character here is the pilot Major Witold Urbanowicz, commander of Squadron 303, who shot down respective nipponese aircraft in the Far East serving in the Flying Tiger Squadron – the American Volunteer Group. 2 Polish passenger ships “Pułaski” and “Sobieski” were besides brought to the Far East, rebuilt into transports that carried British soldiers across the ocean.
Japan was 1 of the first countries in the planet to recognise Poland's independency (in 1919). Both countries maintained close political and economical relations for many years. Their cooperation besides ran in the intelligence field against the common enemy, the ZSRS. Despite the break-up of diplomatic relations in 1941, however, both countries maintained intelligence cooperation.
Squadron 303 visited by King George VI. Pilot Major Witold Urbanowicz stands second from the left in the background. (FOTO: public domain)End of war with Japan
You can talk about this conflict in half a joke, half a joke, that it was a 16-year war. Nevertheless, there were any legal consequences. At the surrender of Japan, the issue of relations with Poland was not regulated. This yet occurred in fresh York City 12 years after the end of planet War II.
Somehow the case was suspended and it was yet considered essential to regulate it. It was respective bloodless years and it was not so much about ending the state of hostility between our countries, but about legalizing and normalising relations.
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