This is Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. During World War I, about 10% of American doughboys were Polish Americans. Although only 4% of the U.S. population was made up of Polish Americans, some 20,000 more served in Haller's Blue Army, a Polish organization fighting in France under General Joseph Haller. Poland did not then exist as an independent nation. In the late 18th century, Poland had been partitioned by Prussia, Austria and Russia. Early In World War I, General Joseph Haller had led Polish soldiers in the Austrian army in fighting against the Russians and Germans. The Poles suffered enormous casualties. Haller and his men eventually made their way to France, where a Polish army was forming to fight under its own flag but under French command. It became known as Haller's Blue army, so named for its blue French uniforms. In October 1917, Polish American men rushed to enlistment centers to join the Blue Army. Most Michigan recruits came from Detroit, but scores more joined from Grand Rapids, Bay City, Saginaw and the Upper Peninsula's Gogubik County. After one month's training in Canada, the recruits sailed for France, where they joined other Poles from all over the world. On June 18, 1918, the 1st Polish Regiment went into battle in the Champagne region of France. For the first time since 1813. Soldiers fought under the Polish flag, albeit under French command. In August, 227 officers and nearly 1,000 enlisted men were organized into the Polish Army Division. General Joseph Haller took command two months later. But the armistice in November ended the fighting before it could play a major role. The Polish troops had 206 men killed and nearly 900 wounded. More than half the dead were Polish American. During the peace negotiations, diplomats created an independent Poland. Haller's Blue army traveled to Poland, where it fought against Soviet troops determined to destroy the new nation. Bitter fighting ended in Polish victory and an Armistice in October 1920. Victory came at a cost of 2,800 Polish American casualties. In 1939, Poland was divided again, this time between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. World War II left Poland under Soviet domination. Poland regained full independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, and in 1998, the Polish government erected a monument in Warsaw to recognize the Polish American volunteers of Haller's Blue Army. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.