Steven.
Before the capitulation of Poland, Polish forces troops started to form abroad. The exiled government of Poland in Paris announced it would fight alongside the Allies and created a Polish army in France. This was the beginning of the Polskie Sily Zbrojne (PSZ – Polish Armed Forces) in the West which fought until May 1945 in three theatres: Western Europe (1940 and 1944-1945), Norway (1940) and Mediterranean (North Africa in 1940-1942, Italy 1944-1945). The first Commander-in-Chief was General Wladyslaw Sikorski, who was also the Prime Minister of the government in exile. After his death (July 1943), his post was assigned to General Kazimierz Sosnkowski, dismissed in September 1944. After him General Tadeusz Komorowski, the AK Commanding Officer served until he became a German POW after the defeat of the Warsaw Uprising.
A stream of Polish soldiers and officers reached France through Romania, Hungary, Lithuania and Latvia. 43,000 were officially evacuated from Poland, while the rest made their own way. Poles living in France also volunteered for the army. Within a few months the Polish Army numbered 84,000 soldiers in four infantry divisions and two brigades. Also formed were four squadrons of aircraft and AA units amounting to about 7,000 troops. In addition, some Polish troops found their way to Syria (administrated by the French) where Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Karpackich was formed (Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade).
During the battle of France in May 1940 Polish units fought in the southern sector: the Polish Grenadier Division after one week of fighting was dissolved when the French-German armistice talks began; soldiers of the Brygada Kawalerii Pancerno-Motorowej (Armoured Cavalry Brigade) after the battles of Champaubert and Montbard destroyed their equipment on the order of their commander, General Maczek and withdrew south (later Maczek took the surrender of Wilhelmshaven on May 6, 1945); 2 Dywizja Strzelców (2nd Riflemen Division) stopped the German attack on the Clos-du-Doubs hills and on June 19 crossed into Switzerland to be interned. The Samodzielna Brygada Strzelców Podhalanskich (Independent Podhalan Riflemen Brigade) was included in the Allied force sent to Norway in May 1940 and took part in the battle of Narvik. Altogether, about 50,000 Polish soldiers fought defending France, 1,400 were killed, and more than 4,500 were wounded. Polish fighter pilots achieved 50 confirmed and 5 probable kills of enemy aircraft. After the defeat of France only about 20,000 men were able to withdraw to England.
Summarised from:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/commu...chbajan/gG5GhR
Tony