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Revision as of 23:32, 26 September 2009 view source213.158.199.144 (talk) Undid revision 316310311 by Jacurek (talk)Poles were not "excluded": they were invited.← Previous edit Revision as of 05:29, 27 September 2009 view source Jacurek (talk | contribs)9,609 edits -dear anon, please read the sources. The only unit that was invited was of the Div. 303 Polish air force. They refused to participate due to the fact that that no other Poles received invitationNext edit →
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There has recently been some controversy on the ] World War II site regarding the date of the Victory Celebrations in Europe and whether or not there was actually a Victory Parade held in London on VJ Day itself.<ref name="tongabbc">BBC WW2 People's War - ''VJ Procession and the Tramps by Gordon Sharrard''. (Online) Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/99/a4648999.shtml}</ref> There has recently been some controversy on the ] World War II site regarding the date of the Victory Celebrations in Europe and whether or not there was actually a Victory Parade held in London on VJ Day itself.<ref name="tongabbc">BBC WW2 People's War - ''VJ Procession and the Tramps by Gordon Sharrard''. (Online) Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/99/a4648999.shtml}</ref>


The parade is also notable for contemporary Polish claims that all Polish servicemen were excluded. Hundreds thousands of Poles had served in the ]. However, these claims ignore the fact that the government of Poland was invited, in precisely the same way as all other non-Commonwealth/Empire nations, to send representatives but, although the invitation was not rejected, no such representatives attended. Representatives of the Free Polish Airforce, including ] was the only Polish unit invited; it declined because the invitation was not extended to Polish army and navy units, despite Poland being ]. However, it should be noted that, with the exception of the honour guard for each nation's flag, no units of any army or navy from a non-Commonwealth/Empire nation were invited to take part. The parade is also notable for the exclusion of all Polish servicemen; hundreds thousands of whom served in the ] as one of the largest Allied contingents. The ] was the only Polish unit invited; it declined because the invitation was not extended to any other Polish units, despite Poland being ]. Poles were expected to attend the ] since the Western Allies did not want to antagonize ], whose ] claimed Poland under their ]. This is considered one of the causes of the feeling of "]" in Poland.<ref name="VicPar">Rudolf Falkowski, . Last accessed on 31 March 2007.</ref><ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref>

Poles had attended the ] and contemporary Polish claims are that the Western Allies did not want to antagonize ], whose ] claimed Poland under their ]. This is considered one of the causes of the feeling of "]" in Poland.<ref name="VicPar">Rudolf Falkowski, . Last accessed on 31 March 2007.</ref><ref name="QoH">], ], ''A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II '', Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, .</ref><ref name="FT06">Kwan Yuk Pan, , ], July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.</ref> The only Pole present at the victory parade was Polish military attache in London Colonel Kuropieska, who attended as a diplomatic courtesy. <ref>http://www.angelfire.com/ok2/polisharmy/chapter1.html</ref>


== See also == == See also ==

Revision as of 05:29, 27 September 2009

The Victory Parade advances down Whitehall.

The London Victory Parade of 1946 was a British victory parade held after the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II. It took place in the United Kingdom capital of London, on June 8, 1946, mainly encompassing a military parade through the city.

Controversies

Representatives of the Greek armed forces, including the Royal Hellenic Navy.

There has recently been some controversy on the BBC World War II site regarding the date of the Victory Celebrations in Europe and whether or not there was actually a Victory Parade held in London on VJ Day itself.

The parade is also notable for the exclusion of all Polish servicemen; hundreds thousands of whom served in the Polish Armed Forces in the West as one of the largest Allied contingents. The 303 squadron was the only Polish unit invited; it declined because the invitation was not extended to any other Polish units, despite Poland being the fourth largest European ally during World War II. Poles were expected to attend the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 since the Western Allies did not want to antagonize Stalin, whose Soviet Union claimed Poland under their sphere of influence. This is considered one of the causes of the feeling of "Western Betrayal" in Poland.

See also

References

  1. BBC WW2 People's War - VJ Procession and the Tramps by Gordon Sharrard. (Online) Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/99/a4648999.shtml}
  2. Rudolf Falkowski, THE VICTORY PARADE. Last accessed on 31 March 2007.
  3. Lynne Olson, Stanley Cloud, A Question of Honor: The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II , Knopf, 2003, ISBN 0375411976, Excerpt (prologue).
  4. Kwan Yuk Pan, Polish veterans to take pride of place in victory parade, Financial Times, July 5 2005. Last accessed on 31 March 2006.

External links

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