Działalność sądów i prokuratury wojskowej w latach 1943-1945

Apply

Działalność sądów i prokuratury wojskowej w latach 1943-1945

Journal Title: Zeszyty Naukowe Akademii Sztuki Wojennej - Year 2011, Vol 2011, Issue 1

Abstract

The history of armed conflicts abounds in not only numerous heroic deeds. Although left unsaid, it is full of a great number of desertions, thefts and ordinary hooliganism. A high rate of crime and low level of discipline may influence negatively the effects of operations. Therefore both political decision-makers and commanders themselves have always paid a lot of attention to law enforcement and justice bodies and to effective activity of military courts and prosecutor's office. These bodies' operation is also greatly important after the war as soldiers' recovery from stress and their slackness is often accompanied with the feeling of impu¬nity. In the modern history of Poland, the establishment and development of mili- tary law enforcement and justice bodies have always been connected with the changes that took place in the army itself. At the end of World War II and directly afterwards, these bodies exerted a big influence not only on the course of operations but on the image of the army as well. They also caused many perversions and conducted actions against the law. In May 1943 at Sielce-upon-Oka in the Soviet Union, the first Polish "people's" army (V Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division) was set up under the initiative of communists - members of the Polish Patriots' Union. That army was completely dependent on the Soviet Union. Military prose¬cutor's office formed and cooperated within the headquarters was tasked to main¬tain military discipline and order. Following setting up new military formations, new prosecutor's offices were established, i.e. the Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division, r' Polish Armed Forces Corps in the USSR, Polish Army in the USSR and then on divisions' level. The first Polish Armed Forces' court martial in the USSR was the F' Division Court headed by a Soviet officer Lt. Col. Stefan Piekarski. The first division 's prosecutor was Corp. Hilary Mine, later promoted major on 7th July on the day of taking over the prosecutor's duties. After 2 months, on F' September 1943, the F' Corps' court martial was set up, and the Polish Army in the USSR court martial was established on 13th April 1944. Soviet officers affected greatly the functioning of both those bodies that in that initial period often played an exaggerating role in their decision making and adopting particular solutions. Until the end of the war both those bodies acted actively infiuencing essentially both the rate of crime and discipline. They also had a dominating influence on obeying the basic principle - law that should guide both these bodies. Unfortunately, they often did not comply with that principle. As the years passed, both the courts and prosecutors' offices evolved in a good direction being led by law and not by the will of military and political superiors and leaders.

Authors and Affiliations

Bogusław Pacek, Artur Rochnowski

Keywords

Prokuaratura wojskowa Sądownictwo wojskowe

EP ID EP71910
DOI -
Views 112
Downloads 0