Poland, Republic. A 1st Grenadier Division in France Medal; 1940-1970

Bronze, 35.3 mm, original ribbon, bruised, contact marks, very fine. Footnote: The medal was awarded to surviving members of the Polish 1st Grenadier Division in 1970, to mark the 30th anniversary of the participation of the Division in the Battle of France. The unit was formed in France from expatriate Poles, mainly from the mining areas of northern France and Belgium, after the fall of Poland in the Fall of 1939. By mid-1940, it numbered just over 16,000 officers and men and was heavily involved in the Battle of France in June 1940, giving an excellent account of itself but losing more than 5,000 men in the process. The inscription "4444 WYKONAĆ" is said to be from the code word issued to the unit after the fall of France, instructing it to make its way to Switzerland or Great Britain.