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3 May 1791 |
Poland establishes its constitution. |
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24 October 1795 |
Austria, Prussia and Russia divide Poland into three zones, subdue the territory and erase the name of « Poland »……. |
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29 November 1830 |
Insurrection against Russians who mobilize troops to fight against France. |
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1830-1831 |
Uprising of Poland against Russian authorities’ policy of repression and recuperation of land in the Lithuanian zone. |
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29 January 1831 |
Poland proclaims its independence and sets up a national government. |
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26 May 1831 |
Russians take over the country again and on the 8th of September Warsaw is occupied. |
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1839 |
Suppression of the Polish language in East Poland. |
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17 October 1849 |
Polish compositor and pianist Frederic Chopin dies in Paris at the age of 39. |
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22 January 1863 |
New Polish uprising against powerful Russia. |
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12 March 1917 |
Nicholas II is overthrown, Poland is now under German authorities.. |
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11 November 1918 |
Poland gains independence. |
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August 1920 |
The Bolsheviks attack Warsaw but thanks to Jozef Pilsudlski the enemy was put to flight. This battle is known as « the miracle on the Vistula river » |
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12 May 1926 |
Military coup – Marshall Jozef Pilsudski overthrows democracy. |
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1st September 1939 |
Nazi Germany invades Poland without prior war declaration.
Irina Kalitowitz, our mother, is in Warsaw on that day. |
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September 1939 |
France and Great Britain declare war on the 3rd Reich |
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17 September 1939 |
The Soviets invade Poland eastern territories.
Mass deportation of soldiers and civilians to Siberia and various massacres such as Katyn, west of Smolensk in 1940. |
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17 October 1939 |
Census of Polish nationals in France. |
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17 November 1939 |
Beginning of mobilization of Polish regiments that will operate as allied units and distinguish themselves on the French territory.
France is going to look for and mobilize this potential of experienced and motivated soldiers in all neutral European countries in order to keep on fighting. |
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Februar 1940 |
General Sikorski, the Polish Head of Government in exile in France, inspects his regiments (80 326 soldiers) including the Parthenay garrison. |
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14 June 1941 |
Irina Kalitowicz, our mother, is arrested in a raid in Warsaw and deported to Germany. |
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13 April 1943 |
Discovery of Katyn massacre by the Germans.
These executions were ordered by Stalin in March 1940.
22 000 prisoners were executed. One of our relatives (Bronislaw Kalitowicz) was killed there. |
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19 April 1943 |
Uprising of Warsaw ghetto. Mass deportation and execution of Jews. |
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July 1943 |
Volhynia massacre, an ethnic cleansing operation where 80 000 Poles were executed by the Ukrainian Insurgent army. |
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1st August 1944 |
Uprising of Warsaw.
The Soviet army stopped its progression and waited 63 days until German troops annihilated all resistance in the capital city before entering Warsaw. |
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10 September 1944 |
The Soviet army goes on the offensive against Warsaw. |
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2 October 1944 |
Capitulation of Warsaw, Polish troops surrender to Germans and give up their arms. |
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17 January 1945 |
The Red Army occupies the ruins of Warsaw. 38% of the city is destroyed. 6 millions were killed.
(In comparison, France was destroyed at 1.5%). |
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17,18 January 1945 |
When the Red Army approached, the German troops evacuate Auschwitz camp, one of the nine extermination camps on the Polish territory and 201 other detention locations. |
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27 January 1945 |
Liberation of Auschwitz. |
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5 October 1947 |
Creation of the Cominform, Russians dictate their domination. |
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14 May 1955 |
Warsaw Pact – Treaty that allies Eastern Europe against the ideology of Western Europe. |
