Posted on 02/02/2013 4:54:36 PM PST by the scotsman
'A Polish war hero with an incredible story of survival during World War Two has died aged 91.
Flight Lieutenant Czeslaw 'Tony' Rogers braved a 830-mile trek on foot across the Soviet Union's frozen wastes to India after being freed from a prison camp before eventually making it to Britain.
He then became a decorated Spitfire and Lancaster bomber pilot who flew daring RAF missions against targets in Germany.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Fascinating. RIP to a good man.
About fifty years ago I read the story of a Russian who was thrown in the gulag for criticizing Stalin in WWII.
He escaped and walked to India. He claimed to have seen two Yeti in the Himalayas during his trek.
I later read that his story was not taken as truth because of the Yeti claim.
'Can you imagine firing at Russian tanks from inside a grave? One of his friends was killed but Tony escaped and managed to make it back to his village.'
Krakow was taken by the Germans early in the war and the Russians didn't get there until 1945. He must have been shooting at German tanks or else fighting the Russians at another location.
Takes one’s breath away.
Poles were laughed at and impugned. But the real story was that they DID engage their enemy with courage and honor.
Hand Salute to Flight Lieutenant Czeslaw ‘Tony’ Rogers.
To!
The story was called The Long Walk by a polish officer. It has been republished and has been on our family’s homeschooling list for years.
Goodstory well told.
There was so much back and forth in those days, it’s hard to establish time lines and TRUTH.
A relative of mine claims that the Ruskies were indeed running rampant through Krakaow in the early ‘40s.
Don’t know, wasn’t there, were they drunk? Was it real?
WWII has SO MANY SECRETS that will NEVER be known.
I believe my UNCLE, he’s my blood. Could he be wrong? Yes.
One will NEVER know.
But when I read what your read, then I thought: “Krakow was taken by the Germans early in the war and the Russians didn’t get there until 1945. He must have been shooting at German tanks or else fighting the Russians at another location.”
We will never know. Young people fought a hard war. I’ll leave it at that.
Here’s the Wiki article on “The Long Walk”, which turned out to be fiction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C5%82awomir_Rawicz
Wow, like I needed more proof there were better men than me. RIP Lt. Rogers
I was always fascinated by this guy’s story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauri_T%C3%B6rni
Notfiction. Some aspects are questioned. And of course it is Wiki
Fiction. Wiki is Wiki, but there are other reliable sources which say it is fiction, even if it’s in some family’s homeschooling list. Sorry.
No, unfortunately, you are wrong.
There were SO many jokes about Polish pilots, tankers, infantry.
Poland sent LANCERS on HORSE BACK to meet german tanks. They knew they would be killed, they knew it was futile.
They attacked Panzers with horse and lance.
We all know how that turned out.
The Poles were brave. They paid a really bad price.
They refused to go down without a fight.
BS. But then, Soviet propaganda works and does wonders.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/myth-of-polish-cavalry-charge
The Long Walk by Slawomir Rawicz (New York: Harper, 1956) was reprinted several times and even digitized. However, as I read it, I began to question the narrative. The writer told of surviving more than a week in the Gobi Desert in the summer without so much as taking a drink of water, and of meeting "abominable snowmen" in the Himalayas. By the time I finished, I was convinced that this was a work of fiction.
LOL,
So, I have relatives who claim to have been there.
You have Stalinist claims that “It Never Happened.”
You may be correct, I may be wrong. I’ll take my families back over yours any day of the week.
So there we are, and there you have it!
History is what we remember.
Have a nice night.
It was the Stalinists who claimed that it happened. Very convenient for them. Have your relatives contact all those historians who have debunked the myth of Polish lancers attacking German tanks. It’s important to set history straight, even if the truth hurts someone’s familial feelings.
It was the Stalinists who claimed that it happened. Very convenient for them. Have your relatives contact all those historians who have debunked the myth of Polish lancers attacking German tanks. It’s important to set history straight, even if the truth hurts someone’s familial feelings.
LOL, That’s really cool.
Unfortunately, they just happen to be all DEAD!
Please let me know about all those “historians” who have “debunked” that so called “myth.”
BTW, I AM an historian, I’ll not bother you with my accolades because that would be construed as “high handed.”
But it includes post graduate degrees from NYU, GSAS ‘84.
Let the pissing contest continue.
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