Active 1942–1947 Branch Land forces Role Mountain warfare | Country Poland Type Infantry | |
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Engagements Tobruk, Alem Hamza, Bardia, Monte Cassino, Gothic Line, Ancona, Bologna | ||
The 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (Polish: 3 Dywizja Strzelców Karpackich, sometimes translated as 3rd Carpathian Infantry Division), also commonly known as Christmas Tree Division due to the characteristic emblem, was an infantry division of the Polish Armed Forces in the West that fought during World War II on the Italian Front. It was formed in 1942 of the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade and the forces of Lieutenant-General Władysław Anders' Polish 2nd Corps evacuated from the Soviet Union.
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The division participated in the North African and the Italian Campaigns (1941–1945) as part of the British Eighth Army. Notable actions in Italy include the victories in the Battle of Monte Cassino, Ancona and Bologna. Disbanded after the war, most soldiers chose not to return to the new, Communist Poland. After the war, the division was housed at Hodgemoor Camp in Hodgemoor Woods, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England. They maintained a presence there until 1962. There were, and may still be, many Polish families in the area.
Commanders
Order of battle
The division's order of battle between 1943 and 1946 was as follows: