Your conclusion is pretty much spot on, although Poles might have been anywhere in Europe when they were discharged from duty.
Currently, I'm piecing together my father's journey, who, at 18, was forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht. When the Allies landed at Normandy, he was in France and was either captured as a POW or surrendered to British Forces. It's well-known that Poles were determined to thwart Nazi ambitions and reclaim their homeland. From my father's own writings, I learned that he was sent to Edinburgh to join the Polish 1st Armoured Division. Their mission was to break through German defences along the English Channel from France, through the Benelux countries, eventually reaching Hamburg by VE Day.
I deeply regret not taking the time to discuss my father's wartime experiences and how he felt about starting anew away from his extensive family on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Thank you for sharing those brief yet insightful interactions you had with post-war Poles. It conjures vivid images in my mind of the characters you've described. Perhaps you have enough material to delve into an entirely new topic.
It brought a smile to my face when you mentioned Polish Pure Spirit, of which we had a lone bottle lingering around the house for what felt like years. As a curious child, I remember taking a sip of the innocuous-looking clear liquid, only to be met with a fiery shock in my throat.