Old fortress at Cieszyn, Silesian stronghold ceded by Piast rulers to Bohemia in twelfth century.
Courtesy Sam and Sarah Stulberg

Tadeusz Kosciuszko, leader of the Polish insurrection of 1794.
Courtesy National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.

The Polish people possess remarkably strong military traditions. Throughout their history, they have demonstrated their will to resist foreign invasion and occupation. Military men who fought for national independence were viewed among the country's greatest patriots. In periods of national travail, the people sought leadership from their military heroes--Jan Sobieski, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Józef Poniatowski, the young officers who led the 1830 uprising, Józef Pilsudski, and Wladyslaw Sikorski.

Data as of October 1992