Military contacts between Poles and Turks during WWI

Those who claim that there has never been a war in the world’s history without the participation of at least a few Poles are not overly exaggerating. This was the case with WWI too, when Poles, deprived of their independence, were forced to wear the uniforms of practically all the powers fighting in this conflict. Some of them were present on the Ottoman fronts, particularly in the Dardanelles, serving in the Ottoman, French and ANZAC units, as well as on the Russian cruiser Askold. Short information on some of the individuals including Ludomił Rayski and Włodzimierz Steyer is given in the article. The author draws attention to the relatively large group of soldiers, sailors, officers and advisors who served during WWI in the Ottoman Empire in German or Austria-Hungarian uniforms. As an example of mutual military contacts seen from the Turkish perspective, the author mentions the Ottoman 15th Corps, which played an important role in the clashes in Eastern Galicia in 1916-1917. The practical and symbolic meaning of this episode for the Polish nation is also explained. The author observes that no matter which country’s uniform Poles wore, the experience they gained on the Ottoman fronts of WWI did help some of them to forge a brilliant career in their national army after Poland regained her independence in 1918