Six Polish army veterans of the Battle of Monte Cassino have arrived in Italy to attend the 80th anniversary commemorations of the bloody fight for the mountain-top abbey.
Among those making what for many will probably be their last pilgrimage to the battle site is Major Stosław Kowalski. Born in 1922, he is the oldest survivor of Monte Cassino, serving in the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division.
Captain Władysław Antoni Dąbrowski is another who has traveled to Italy. Born in 1924, in 1940 he was arrested by the NKVD, the Soviet secret police, and deported along with his family to Kazakhstan.
In April 1942, he joined the Polish Army being formed in the Soviet Union. After military training, he served as a tank driver in the 15th Poznań Lancers Regiment from December 1943. He later served with the 2nd Polish Corps, fighting its way up Italy.
“These celebrations are unique as they mark the 80th anniversary of the battle. The last surviving veterans of the Polish 2nd Corps will join us. Only a few remain, and six will participate in our pilgrimage,” said Lech Parell, head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression (UdSKiOR) which is organizing the event.
“Monte Cassino symbolizes the glory of our [Polish] Armed Forces. When we think of Monte Cassino, we recall all the victories of Polish arms. Paying tribute to the soldiers who fought at Monte Cassino is effectively paying tribute to all soldiers who fought in World War II.”
Occupying a key position on the German Army’s defensive Winter Line, Monte Cassino withstood successive Allied attempts to capture it starting in January 1944.
Reduced to rubble by Allied bombing and artillery, the monastery was finally taken by men of the 2nd Polish Corps on May 18 after savage fighting. The battle claimed the lives of 923 Polish soldiers, and left 2,931 wounded, and 345 missing.
“The Germans were dug in on the top, and it took four months of various allied armies to dislodge the Germans,” Norman Davies, one of the world’s leading historians on Polish history, told TVP World in an interview. “At one point, the Americans sent in bombers, which flattened the abbey, but made the defenses ideal. The Germans simply came back into the ruins, and successive allied divisions were sent in to attack: the New Zealanders, the French, the Americans, the British, and it lasted from January to May.”
“The Poles, as it were, were the last major unit that hadn't been given a try, and they were the last to try and the first to succeed. It's unbelievable that they were attacking on a steep hill, you know, 5,000 feet high, and going almost straight upwards. But they did it, and eventually, the Polish flag was hoisted on the abbey.”
The veterans returning to Italy are accompanied by Polish President Andrzej Duda and clergy and veterans from other military campaigns.
The main ceremony marking the anniversary will be held on Saturday, May 18, at the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino.
Ceremonies will conclude on Tuesday in San Vittore del Lazio with flowers being laid before a monument honoring the fallen soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps.
Captain Władysław Antoni Dąbrowski is another who has traveled to Italy. Born in 1924, in 1940 he was arrested by the NKVD, the Soviet secret police, and deported along with his family to Kazakhstan.
In April 1942, he joined the Polish Army being formed in the Soviet Union. After military training, he served as a tank driver in the 15th Poznań Lancers Regiment from December 1943. He later served with the 2nd Polish Corps, fighting its way up Italy.
“These celebrations are unique as they mark the 80th anniversary of the battle. The last surviving veterans of the Polish 2nd Corps will join us. Only a few remain, and six will participate in our pilgrimage,” said Lech Parell, head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression (UdSKiOR) which is organizing the event.
“Monte Cassino symbolizes the glory of our [Polish] Armed Forces. When we think of Monte Cassino, we recall all the victories of Polish arms. Paying tribute to the soldiers who fought at Monte Cassino is effectively paying tribute to all soldiers who fought in World War II.”
Occupying a key position on the German Army’s defensive Winter Line, Monte Cassino withstood successive Allied attempts to capture it starting in January 1944.
Reduced to rubble by Allied bombing and artillery, the monastery was finally taken by men of the 2nd Polish Corps on May 18 after savage fighting. The battle claimed the lives of 923 Polish soldiers, and left 2,931 wounded, and 345 missing.
“The Germans were dug in on the top, and it took four months of various allied armies to dislodge the Germans,” Norman Davies, one of the world’s leading historians on Polish history, told TVP World in an interview. “At one point, the Americans sent in bombers, which flattened the abbey, but made the defenses ideal. The Germans simply came back into the ruins, and successive allied divisions were sent in to attack: the New Zealanders, the French, the Americans, the British, and it lasted from January to May.”
“The Poles, as it were, were the last major unit that hadn't been given a try, and they were the last to try and the first to succeed. It's unbelievable that they were attacking on a steep hill, you know, 5,000 feet high, and going almost straight upwards. But they did it, and eventually, the Polish flag was hoisted on the abbey.”
The veterans returning to Italy are accompanied by Polish President Andrzej Duda and clergy and veterans from other military campaigns.
The main ceremony marking the anniversary will be held on Saturday, May 18, at the Polish War Cemetery at Monte Cassino.
Ceremonies will conclude on Tuesday in San Vittore del Lazio with flowers being laid before a monument honoring the fallen soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps.
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