Presentation of the broadcast "Anders' Army - Trail of Hope"

On Thursday, November 30, the Polish Post introduced a postage stamp from the "Anders' Army – Trail of Hope" issue. This is another in a series that recalls the tragic history of Poles who traveled across three continents, crossing the borders of the Soviet Union, hoping for a successful return home.

The stamp depicts General Władysław Anders and the logo of the Anders Community Foundation "WA," along with graphics from the ceremony of raising the banners at the building at 20 Prince's Gate on July 9, 1947. The stamp was printed using offset printing on fluorescent paper, in a 39.5 x 31.25 mm format, with a print run of 144,000. The sales sheet contains 12 stamps in a special tête-bêche arrangement. This technique involves printing a pair of stamps with one upside down relative to the other. 

The outbreak of World War II resulted in the partition of Poland between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 23, 1939. Following Germany's aggression against the USSR in June 1941, Hitler's alliance with Stalin collapsed, radically changing the political situation in Europe. Thanks to the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement of July 30, 1941, hundreds of thousands of Poles deported after September 1939 deep into the eastern territories of the invader had the opportunity to be released and join the Polish Armed Forces being formed there under the command of General Władysław Anders.

Thanks to his army, tens of thousands of Poles were saved, regaining hope for their own and Poland's freedom. However, the formation of the Polish army in the USSR was fraught with numerous organizational difficulties. Officer shortages, caused by mass executions in Katyn, Kharkov, Tver, Kiev, and Minsk in the spring of 1940, were noticeable. Joseph Stalin also refused to provide adequate food and medical supplies to Polish soldiers. Extremely weakened volunteers succumbed to disease in large numbers, often dying.

Given this situation, in December 1941, the decision was made to relocate the Polish Army from Central Russia to Kazakhstan and other Central Asian republics. Ultimately, after an agreement between the parties, Anders' Army was evacuated to Iran. The last soldiers left Kazakhstan in the autumn of 1942. Over 120,000 people left the USSR, embarking on a journey to freedom along the "Trail of Hope," which led through the Middle East and Italy, with the goal of reaching their beloved homeland.

The issue was created in cooperation with Anna Maria Anders, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino, and the Council of the Anders Community Foundation, as well as the Polish Institute and the General Sikorski Museum in London.

About the stamp:
designer: Andrzej Gosik
number of stamps: 1
value: PLN 3.90
circulation: 144,000 pcs
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 39 x 31.25 mm
paper: fluorescent
sales sheet: 12 stamps in the tete-beche layout
date of circulation: November 30, 2023