Poster – Poles Fight On

“Poles Fight On,” with its dynamic image of a bayonet thrusting towards the reader in front of the white and red of the Polish flag, lists in the upper right corner the many battles of World War II that Polish forces (army, navy and air force) fought as part of the Allies — beginning with the defense of Westerplatte in the first days of the war, through battles in France and Norway in spring 1940, the Battle of Britain, the years-long Battle of the Atlantic, and the campaigns in North Africa and Italy. Read more....

This poster, which dates from 1944, is credited to three artists: Zygmunt Haar, Leopold Haar and Ludwik Wiechecki. It was published by the Polish Public Relations Unit.

Historically, military and wartime posters have been used to recruit, inspire, build morale, instruct, and/or influence allies and enemies. “Poles Fight On” is clearly intended to influence Poland’s Western allies. In addition to targeting those governments and their military, the poster may also have been used to reach out to Polish communities in those countries, who might in turn be able to exert influence on their respective governments.

In late 1943, the “Big Three” Allied leaders — Roosevelt (U.S.), Churchill (U.K.) and Stalin (Russia) — met in Teheran to discuss the progress of the war. The main topic of this meeting was the opening of a second front. At that time, Russia was bearing the brunt of the German assaults, and Stalin was pressing for a second front to be opened in Western Europe to lighten the pressure on his country.

They also discussed postwar settlements, including redrawing of Poland’s borders. However Poland, the fourth largest Allied military force in the European Theater, was not invited to this meeting at which its future was being arranged.

“Poles Fight On” is a poignant reminder to Britain and the United States that Poland has been a stalwart ally since the first day of the war. The list on the poster ends with Ancona — which would have been the Polish forces’ most recent notable battle at the time the poster was created. Nevertheless, in February 1945, the Big Three met again at Yalta, where Poland (once again not invited to the meeting) was finally consigned to the Soviet sphere of influence.

Despite this shameful treatment by its Allies, Poland did indeed fight on until the end of the war.

Our poster is reproduced with permission from a 1944 original in a private collection. Available in two types of paper and two sizes.

• Papers:
  • ENHANCED MATTE PAPER — Museum-quality poster made on thick and durable matte paper. The archival, acid-free paper yields brilliant prints to brighten up any room.
  • PREMIUM LUSTER PHOTO PAPER — A mixture of a gloss and matte finish, giving you a highly saturated look and maximum ink coverage. Slightly glossy, fingerprint resistant.
• Sizes (measured from outside edges of the paper; outside border width varies slightly depending on dimensions of original poster):
  • 18″ x 24″ (45.7 cm x 60.9 cm)
  • 24″ x 36″ (60.9 cm x 91.4 cm)
• Giclée-printing quality
• 10 mil (0.25 mm) thick


This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it might take us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

Our products are printed and/or made primarily in North America or Europe, usually depending on which location is closer to your shipping address. In many cases, however, the underlying components will be sourced from other countries, which may be reflected on a small “Made in” label or tag.