Polish People's Army

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Polish People's Army
Ludowe Wojsko Polskie
Emblem worn by LWP soldiers
Active	May 1943 – December 1989
Country	Polish People's Republic (1947–1989)
Allegiance	Polish People's Republic
Branch	Air Force of the Polish Army (1943–1947) Polish Air Force (1947–1989) Polish Air Defence Force (1962–1989) Polish Land Forces Polish Navy
Size	200,000 (1945)
Headquarters	Seltsy, RSFSR, Soviet Union (1943–1945) Warsaw, Polish People's Republic (1945–1989)
Patron	Tadeusz Kościuszko
Engagements	World War II - Eastern Front Battle of Lenino Operation Bagration Lublin-Brest Offensive Warsaw Uprising Battle of Studzianki Vistula–Oder Offensive Battle of Poznań East Pomeranian Offensive Battle of Kolberg Battle of Berlin Battle of the Seelow Heights Battle of Bautzen Prague Offensive Aftermath of World War II Anti-Communist Insurgency Polish–Ukrainian ethnic conflict (1945–1947) Czechoslovak Border Conflicts Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Battle honours	For Warsaw For Battle of Berlin
Commanders
First Secretary	Mieczysław Rakowski (last)
Prime Minister	Tadeusz Mazowiecki (last)
Minister of National Defence	Florian Siwicki (last)
Chief of the General Staff	Józef Użycki (last)

The Polish People's Army (Polish: Ludowe Wojsko Polskie, pronounced [luˈdɔvɛ ˈvɔjskɔ ˈpɔlskʲɛ]; LWP)^[1] was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the Polish communist state (1945–1989), which was formalized in 1952 as the Polish People's Republic.^[2]

The creation of communist-led Polish armed forces that were outside the command of the Polish government-in-exile was allowed and facilitated by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, following efforts made in the early 1940s by Soviet-based Polish exiles Wanda Wasilewska and Zygmunt Berling.

Initially called the Polish Army in the USSR from 1943 to 1944,^[3] it became the Polish Troops^[4] and Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland^[5] from 1944 to 1952, and thereafter the Armed Forces of the Polish People's Republic.^[6] During these restructurings, the Polish military was increasingly integrated into Soviet military and command structures, becoming comparatively more distinct and independent in 1956.

On 7 October 1950, the anniversary of the Battle of Lenino—one of the first major engagements of Polish Armed Forces in the East against Axis forces—was declared the official "Day of the Polish People's Army" by the People's Republic.