In the case of Poland, it was the embassy in Warsaw and the consulate in Kraków where thousands of Czechoslovak civilians as well as military personnel were seeking shelter.
Lev Prchala, Czechoslovak general and former member of the autonomous government of Carpathian Ukraine, negotiated with his friends from the Polish military.
However, the Polish government was reluctant to allow any military organization of Czechoslovak emigrants, so the majority, about 4,000 Czechs and Slovaks, left the Poland in six transports between 22 May and 21 August 1939 to join the French Foreign Legion.
[2] The future Legion had a strength of about 700 infantry soldiers under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Ludvík Svoboda and in early July it moved from Kraków to an empty military camp in Bronowice Małe.
On 2 September, during the German bombing of the Polish airfield in Dęblin three airmen, 1st Lt. Štěpán Kurka, Lt. Zdeněk Rous and Lt. Andrej Šandor, were killed and became the first Czechoslovak servicemen fallen in World War II.
The recognition from the French government came shortly thereafter and the Czechoslovak Army in France was officially created on 2 October 1939, though the Western front saw no action for months.