Prelude to Arms: Polonia and the Struggle for Polish Independence in World War I

The cause of restoring an independent Poland stirred much interest among the American Polonia during World War I. The Polish Falcons and Polish National Alliance were especially active in the struggle. These efforts needed to be carried out discreetly or in the form of individual voluntarism in the earlier phases of the conflict, so as not to conflict with the policy of US neutrality. After the entrance of the United States into the Allied coalition in 1917, a considerable number of volunteers from America swelled the ranks of the Polish armed forces.