Bookvica

[POLISH ARMY PRE-1939] Polsha i ieio armiya [i.e. Poland and its army]

Lamov, L.M.

Item #2508

Moscow: State military publishing house, 1937. 134, [2] p., 1 folding map: illustrations; 17×12 cm. Original illustrated wrapper. Few tears to the wrapper, signs of rust from the staples on the spine, otherwise in very good condition.

First and oil edition. Printed by the main Military Publisher of USSR, the edition was aimed at the everyday reader, its purpose was to prepare the ideological ground for the upcoming annexation of part of the Polish territory. The author as often in the case with these publications, is hidden – the name on the title page is not real and the real identity of him remain uncertain. The purpose of the publication is to present the future enemy in a negative light. The book begins with the history of the confrontation between the Polish army and the Soviet Union at the end of the civil war, in 1920. It is worth noting that from the first pages the Polish government is called fascist, and the war of 1920 is called “the confrontation between the Republic of Soviets and the White Poles.”

In addition to military reviews, the Polish state is characterized in a particularly negative light. Quote: “The fascist state is strangling the peasant with unbearable taxes. What kind of taxes does the peasant not pay? There are about 100 different taxes in Poland.» The chapter on national oppression describes in detail the oppression of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. It is noted that more than 50% of the country’s territory is populated by various ethnic groups, and all of them are discriminated against. Anti-Ukrainian pogroms are mentioned separately. The methods of exploitation of the working class are described in detail. For example, at the Shlesserov Manufactory (a textile factory), half of the workers’ wages are paid in goods. The history of workers’ uprisings and resistance to the authorities is described in detail, with much attention paid to the shooting of workers in Lvov in 1936.
The Polish army is presented as a fairly powerful force. The author aims to explain that, in his opinion, the Polish ruling party is fascist and is actively preparing for war against the Soviet Union: mobilization is increasing, the number of weapons is on the rise as well. The unlucky position of the Polish soldier and the oppression by officers is emphasized separately. Examples of injustice are given, as well as quotes from soldiers’ letters home. In general, the author prepares the Soviet reader for the inevitable confrontation with Poland. One of the last phrases of the book: “The foreign policy of our neighbor – fascist Poland – in recent years is a policy of collusion with the main instigators of war in the West and East – with Germany and Japan. Therefore, our task is to be vigilant, to look both ways – to the East and to the West. If the fascist robbers try to attack Soviet soil, they will encounter not only the formidable, all-crushing force of the Red Army, but also the resistance of the workers and the oppressed of the whole world.”

Overall an interesting Soviet publication in light of what happened soon after. Rare.

Not in the Worldcat.

Price: $650.00