The Poles soon became shock troops in Allied service, most notably in the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Italian Campaign, where the Polish flag was raised on the ruined abbey on May 18, 1944, as well as in the Battle of Bologna, also in Italy, and Hill 262 in France in 1944.[1] The Polish Armed Forces in the West were disbanded after the war, in 1947, with many former servicemen forced to remain in exile.