Comprehensive reference work on the Polish military eagle, heraldry, standards, badges, orders and insignia used by the Polish Armed Forces between 1943 and 1978.

Polish military symbols 1943-1978

This richly illustrated reference work explores the development of Polish military symbolism between 1943 and 1978. Published by the Ministry of Defence, the book examines the origins, evolution and official use of military emblems, standards, decorations, badges and heraldic traditions within the Polish Armed Forces.

Drawing on archival materials, military regulations and museum collections, the publication presents the history of the Polish military eagle, battle standards, naval flags, air force symbols, orders, decorations and service badges. It also discusses the educational and ceremonial role of military symbols and their place in preserving military traditions.

Richly illustrated throughout, the book is a valuable resource for collectors of militaria, researchers of military heraldry, badge and medal collectors, as well as enthusiasts of Polish military history.

The book covers:

• Military eagles and national symbols
• Standards, colours and battle flags
• Naval flags and pennants
• Air force insignia and symbols
• Orders and military decorations
• The Grunwald Cross and wartime awards
• Military badges and qualification insignia
• Military heraldry and traditions
• Ceremonial and educational functions of symbols
• Archival illustrations and documentary material

Details:

• Author: Kazimierz Madej
• Publisher: Ministry of Defence (MON)
• Language: Polish
• Year of publication: 1980
• Cover: Cloth-bound boards
• Pages: 192, richly illustrated
• Dimensions: 19.5 × 25.5 cm
• Weight: 0.59 kg

Condition:

• Pages with colour illustrations remain bright white, while some text pages show age-related yellowing.
• Clean and complete copy with no writing, markings or missing pages.
• Overall very good condition.

Table of contents translated from Polish:

Introduction – p. 5

1. EMBLEM OF THE POLISH PEOPLE’S ARMY – p. 8

• Origins of the eagle as a military emblem – p. 8
• Emblem in the units of the People’s Guard and People’s Army – p. 22
• Piast eagle as the emblem of the 1st and 2nd Polish Army – p. 24
• Emblem of the Polish People’s Army in the years 1945–1976 – p. 30

2. STANDARDS OF THE POLISH PEOPLE’S ARMY – p. 30

• The oldest battle signs and banners. Origins of the standard – p. 30
• Standards of the people’s partisans – p. 47
• Standards of the 1st and 2nd Polish Army – p. 50
• Post-war history of the standards of the Polish People’s Army – p. 66
• Naval flags and pennants – p. 72
• Air force symbols – p. 75

3. ORDERS AND DECORATIONS OF THE POLISH PEOPLE’S ARMY – p. 79

• Origins of orders and decorations – p. 79
• The Grunwald Cross – the order of GL and AL – p. 84
• Decorations of the Polish People’s Army during the war – p. 89
• Rules for awarding decorations – p. 98
• Decorations of military units – p. 102
• Honoring towns and villages – p. 103
• Other forms of rewarding heroic deeds – p. 104
• Decorations in peacetime – p. 105

4. BADGES OF THE POLISH PEOPLE’S ARMY – p. 108

• Historical and military origins of badges – p. 108
• Badges in the Polish People’s Army:
• Honorary, commemorative, and jubilee badges – p. 109
• Commemorative badges of course, school, and military academy graduates – p. 115
• Distinguished service badges – p. 116
• Specialist military badges – p. 118
• Youth military badges – p. 123
• Commemorative badges of cultural and educational events – p. 128
• Sports and tourism badges – p. 130

5. EDUCATIONAL AND INTEGRATIVE ROLE OF THE SYMBOLS – p. 132

• Using traditions of symbols in training and patriotic education – p. 132
• Methods of popularizing symbolism in society – p. 137
• Symbols of the Polish People’s Army and military ceremonies – p. 138
• Collecting as a significant form of popularizing military symbolism – p. 140

Conclusion – p. 141

Appendices – p. 147

• List of abbreviations – p. 147
• Key sources and studies – p. 151
• List of Illustrations – p. 187
• List of Appendices – p. 191

Shipping
Books are carefully packed for safe international shipping. Combined shipping is available, and shipping overpayments for multiple purchases are always refunded.

About Army Library
Army Library specializes primarily in books related to the Polish Armed Forces, including weaponry, equipment, uniforms, military vehicles, aircraft, and warships, with a particular focus on the World War II period.

We also offer a carefully selected range of specialist historical books and documentary albums dedicated to Nazi German concentration and extermination camps located in occupied Poland.