Poland commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, and the 89th death anniversary of Marshal Józef Piłsudski on Saturday.
Wreaths were laid in Warsaw in front of the monuments dedicated to the Battle of Monte Cassino and Marshal Józef Piłsudski, architect of Polish independence in 1918 and its later leader from 1926 to 1935.
“Józef Piłsudski undoubtedly had that something - charisma, winning him the admiration and respect of his subordinates. He also had real achievements, and in many crucial moments influenced the course of our history. This truth we must recognize regardless of the reservations we may have about some of his actions,” the head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression Lech Parell said.
He also recalled the mood in the country following Piłsudski’s death in May 1935. “His death was an event noted throughout Europe, and for many of our compatriots it was a shock and the closing of an important life chapter. The commandant was present in the biographies of many of them, not only Legionaries, Peowiak, Pepes fighters, but above all ordinary Poles who identified with him in an unusual way. On the anniversary of his death, we remember these glorious events, because from them we derive the conviction that Józef Piłsudski deserved a place in the National Pantheon, and that he has become so entwined with our history that it is impossible to tell Polish history without him,” Parell stressed.
The Battle of Monte Cassino
Then the participants of the ceremony went to the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in the Krasiński Gardens, where wreaths were laid. The ceremony was attended by representatives of other countries that fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, including the United States. Among the participants was Tadeusz Skup, a veteran of the 5th Borderland Anti-tank Artillery Regiment, born in 1923.
On May 18, 1944, after extremely fierce fighting, soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps captured Monte Cassino Hill with the monastery above it. In the battle 923 Polish soldiers were killed, 2931 were wounded and 345 were reported missing. A few days after the capture of Monte Cassino, Allied troops broke through the Gustav Line along the entire offensive line. A few days later, Allied troops broke the Gustav Line across the entire attacking belt. On June 4, 1944, American troops entered Rome.
“Józef Piłsudski undoubtedly had that something - charisma, winning him the admiration and respect of his subordinates. He also had real achievements, and in many crucial moments influenced the course of our history. This truth we must recognize regardless of the reservations we may have about some of his actions,” the head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression Lech Parell said.
He also recalled the mood in the country following Piłsudski’s death in May 1935. “His death was an event noted throughout Europe, and for many of our compatriots it was a shock and the closing of an important life chapter. The commandant was present in the biographies of many of them, not only Legionaries, Peowiak, Pepes fighters, but above all ordinary Poles who identified with him in an unusual way. On the anniversary of his death, we remember these glorious events, because from them we derive the conviction that Józef Piłsudski deserved a place in the National Pantheon, and that he has become so entwined with our history that it is impossible to tell Polish history without him,” Parell stressed.
During the ceremony at Józef Piłsudski Square, the “Representative Song of the Polish Army,” or “We Are the First Brigade” was sung. Wreaths were laid on the slab of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and in front of the Józef Piłsudski monument.🎙Józef Piłsudski miał niewątpliwie to coś - charyzmę, zjednującą Mu podziw i szacunek podwładnych - powiedział szef #UdSKiOR @LechParell podczas uroczystości upamiętniającej 8️⃣9️⃣. rocznicę śmierci zasłużonego Marszałka. pic.twitter.com/7HqtjrDN3d
— UdSKiOR (@Kombatanci) May 11, 2024
The Battle of Monte Cassino
Then the participants of the ceremony went to the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in the Krasiński Gardens, where wreaths were laid. The ceremony was attended by representatives of other countries that fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, including the United States. Among the participants was Tadeusz Skup, a veteran of the 5th Borderland Anti-tank Artillery Regiment, born in 1923.
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the “Battle for Rome,” lasted from January 17 to May 19, 1944, and consisted of four battles between Allied troops and Germans in the area of the Monte Cassino monastery. The battle is considered one of the fiercest during World War II. In the Allied ranks fought Americans, British, New Zealanders, Indians, French and the 2nd Polish Corps under the command of General Wladysław Anders.Uczestnicy uroczystości udali się do Ogrodu Krasińskich w #Warszawa, gdzie pod pomnikiem Bitwy o Monte Cassino złożono kwiaty i wieńce upamiętniając tym samym Generała Władysława Andersa oraz Jego żołnierzy. pic.twitter.com/lFgUd0oxx9
— UdSKiOR (@Kombatanci) May 11, 2024
On May 18, 1944, after extremely fierce fighting, soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps captured Monte Cassino Hill with the monastery above it. In the battle 923 Polish soldiers were killed, 2931 were wounded and 345 were reported missing. A few days after the capture of Monte Cassino, Allied troops broke through the Gustav Line along the entire offensive line. A few days later, Allied troops broke the Gustav Line across the entire attacking belt. On June 4, 1944, American troops entered Rome.
Speaking in front of the monument in Krasiński Gardens, Lech Parell said that the soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps are a symbol of all those who did not lay down their arms after the defeat in September 1939. He also recalled the various routes by which Poles ended up in Polish formations fighting on all fronts of World War II. “We also see those who supplied the Polish ranks through a route that is often forgotten and passed over in silence today, that is, those who were forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht and deserted at the first opportunity. Few today realize that there were 90,000 of them. Had it not been for them, reinforcements and replenishments would not have been possible, the victories at Ancona, the liberation of Belgium and the victorious battles for Breda would not have been possible,” Parell said.
Earlier, flowers were laid in front of the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw by the head of the Ministry of Defense and the Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
’Poland never gives up’: Defense Minister🎙Mówiąc o Monte Cassino myślimy także o wszystkich, którzy po "klęsce września" nie złożyli broni, tych, którzy przedarli się za granicę i służyli w polskich formacjach we Francji i w Anglii - powiedział podczas uroczystości jubileuszowych szef #UdSKiOR @LechParell. pic.twitter.com/OvkmaTcupQ
— UdSKiOR (@Kombatanci) May 11, 2024
Earlier, flowers were laid in front of the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino in Warsaw by the head of the Ministry of Defense and the Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“All those who doubted, gave up, and always lost. Poland never gives up, Poland always goes forward. We are strengthened by our tradition, our being. We are the heirs of these great traditions, of nationality. We will pay tribute and honor,” said the defense minister.
Saturday’s ceremonies inaugurated the official celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victorious Battle of Monte Cassino. Their centerpiece will be a ceremony that will begin on May 18 at 16:00 at the Polish War Cemetery on Monte Cassino with the participation of veterans of the 2nd Polish Corps, President Andrzej Duda and Senate Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.
A screening of the film “The Youngest Soldier of General Anders,” directed by Tomasz Łysiak, will be held Saturday evening at Warsaw’s Atlantic Cinema. The film tells the life of Capt. Krzysztof Flizak - the youngest soldier of General Władysław Anders, a hero of two nations, Polish and American. In September 1939, his father, a professional military officer, was arrested by the Soviet security service NKVD and sent to a POW camp near Smolensk. Krzysztof and his mother were deported to Siberia. In order to get into a youth company in General Anders’ army, which was being formed in the USSR, he gave his birth date two years earlier. With the Anders army, he walked the entire combat route. After the demobilization of the 2nd Polish Corps, he emigrated to the U.S. He served in the 101st Airborne Division. He fought in the Korean War, where he was wounded.Dziś rozpoczynamy uroczystości upamiętniające 80. rocznicę wielkiego triumfu oręża polskiego, jakim było zdobycie Monte Cassino. Wspólnie z dowódcami #WojskoPolskie złożyliśmy kwiaty przed pomnikiem bitwy. Cześć i chwała bohaterom! pic.twitter.com/2nmBw42jPn
— Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz (@KosiniakKamysz) May 11, 2024
On Sunday, a mass will be held at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army for the intention of all Polish soldiers who fought at Monte Cassino. After the liturgy, a concert by the Air Force Representative Orchestra from Poznań is scheduled.W stołecznym kinie Atlantic odbyła się premiera filmu pt. Najmłodszy żołnierz gen. Wł. Andersa w reżyserii @TomaszLysiak.
— UdSKiOR (@Kombatanci) May 11, 2024
Produkcja dokumentalna opowiada opowiada o życiu kpt. Krzysztofa Flizaka, bohatera narodu polskiego🇵🇱 i amerykańskiego🇺🇲. pic.twitter.com/rP2ZArplro
Saturday’s ceremonies inaugurated the official celebration of the 80th anniversary of the victorious Battle of Monte Cassino. Their centerpiece will be a ceremony that will begin on May 18 at 16:00 at the Polish War Cemetery on Monte Cassino with the participation of veterans of the 2nd Polish Corps, President Andrzej Duda and Senate Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.
Source: PAP, X, TVP World
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