Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza
The Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza (WOP) was the militarily organized border troop during the communist rule in Poland . It comprised up to 20,000 soldiers.
As the founding act of this force the closure of the can Oder-Neisse line until 10 June 1945 three infantry - divisions of the 2nd Polish army be considered. By November 1945, the entire new Polish state border were eleven infantry divisions and to guard tanks - Corps set up. The WOP was officially founded on September 13, 1945.
On March 20, 1948, the WOP was reorganized into brigades , which were spread over the following locations: Stettin , Koszalin , Danzig , Kętrzyn ( officers' school ), Białystok , Chełm , Przemyśl , Nowy Sącz , Gliwice , Kłodzko , Lubań and Krosno Odrzańskie .
To secure the maritime border, a brigade was set up in Gdańsk with three divisions in Gdańsk- Westerplatte , Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście .
The proportion of descendants from the working class and peasant class in the officers of this troop was given in 1949 as 78%. Most of the soldiers came from the Polish People's Army . At that time 5% of the troops were citizens of the Soviet Union or former officers of the Red Army , including the first commander of the WOP, Colonel Gwidon Czerwiński.
During its existence, responsibilities changed several times between the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior , whereby the military orientation of the troops was always maintained.
At the beginning of the 1980s, WOP units and material were used to suppress protests against the martial law imposed in Poland .
On May 16, 1991 the WOP was transformed into a police force, the Straż Graniczna (SG).