This Day in History: Polish Forces captured Monte Cassino (World War II)

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[Pyro7480]

The so-called Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino was fought by the 2nd Polish Corps under General Władysław Anders (May 11–May 19). The Indian divisions stationed there helped in the capturing of the main Gunnery for which a member of the Indian armed forces was awarded with the Victoria Cross for his daring raid into the gunnery and killing all there.

The first assault (May 11–May 12) brought heavy losses but also allowed the British Eighth Army under General Sir Oliver Leese to break through German lines in the Liri river valley below the monastery.

The second assault (May 17–May 19), carried out at immense cost by the Polish troops and the key out-flanking movement in the mountains by skilled Moroccan soldiers of the 4ème Division Marocaine de Montagne (French Expeditionary Corps CEF), pushed the German 1st Parachute Division out of its positions on the hills surrounding the monastery and almost surrounded them. In the early morning of May 18 a reconnaissance group of Polish 12th Podolian Uhlans Regiment occupied the ruins of the monastery after it was evacuated by the Germans.

The capture of Monte Cassino allowed the British and American divisions to begin the advance on Rome, which fell on June 4, 1944 just two days before the Normandy invasion.

[Pyro7480]

[muawiyah]

Monte Casino ~ my uncle, an American Infantry Scout, was seriously wounded at this battle, as was my wife's uncle who was awarded a Silver Star for his service.

A friend of mine at work was a young lawyer working in the Army Jag at the time. As part of a graves registration detail, he had to visit the site. Told me that there were all sorts of men killed ~ white men, black men, brown men, yellow men, and so on. The whole world was there.

It was his first experience with death on a broad scale. Still, he said that you only felt sympathy for our guys, whoever they were, and none for the Italians and Germans whose bodies were bloating in the Sun.

[Pyro7480]

Ping

[CarrotAndStick]

The Indian division was the largest voluntary force in the whole of WW-II.

[agere_contra]

It's invidious to pick out the "best" troops on the Allied side, but the Poles were awesome at Monte Cassino.

And - lest we forget - the French were pretty useful in that operation too.

[PzLdr]

Probably the best defensive position in Europe.

[Cheburashka]

Red Poppies on Monte Cassino

D`you see those ruins on the hill-top?
There your foe hides like a rat!
You must, you must, you must
Grab his neck and cast him from the clouds!
And they went, heedless of danger
And they went, to kill and avenge
And they went stubborn as ever,
As always - for honour - to fight.

Refrain:

Red poppies on Monte Cassino
Instead of dew, drank Polish blood.
As the soldier crushed them in falling,
For the anger was more potent than death.
Years will pass and ages will roll,
But traces of bygone days will stay,
And the poppies on Monte Cassino
Will be redder having quaffed Polish blood.

They charged through fire like madmen,
Countless were hit and fell,
Like the cavalry at Samosierra,
Like the men at Rokitno years ago.
They attacked with fury and fire,
And they got there. They climbed to the top,
And their white and scarlet standard
They placed on the ruins `midst clouds.

Refrain:
Red poppies on Monte Cassino ....

D`you see this row of white crosses?
Polish soldiers did honour there wed.
The further you go, the higher,
The more of such crosses youl'l meet.
This soil was won for Poland,
Though Poland is far away,
For Freedom is measured in crosses
When history from justice does stray.

Refrain:
Red Poppies on Monte Cassino...

[MarcinPL]

In 1812 one of the Polish lancers lost his headwear.
Jerzmanowski ordered him to go back and retrieve it
to prevent the enemy from claiming any trophy
taken from this regiment. It was unusual since many
French troops panicked before Cossacks and left
behind their wounded, weapons, not to mention
headwears.

[TomSmedley]

American navigator Walter Miller participated in the air raid that devastated Monte Cassino, the oldest monastery in Europe. In penance for that action, he wrote the epitome "atom doom" novel A Canticle for Leibowitz. I just finished reading it again, and was amazed at how well this bleak story held up over the decades.

[lizol]

The only problem is, that it was not in defence of a good cause.

The Spaniards were defending their coutry against Napoleon.

[MarcinPL]

Do you know story about Polish Battle of Thermopylae?? Battle of Zadwórze on August 17, 1920

[lizol]

I've heard such a description (Polish Thermopylae) was applied to the Battle of Wizna

[MarcinPL]

Battle of Zadwórze (sometimes referred to as the "Polish Thermopylae") was a battle of the Polish-Bolshevik War. It was fought on August 17, 1920 near the train station of Zadwórze, a small village located 33 kilometres from the city centre of Lwów (now Lviv). The battle, lasting roughly 24 hours, resulted in the complete destruction of the Polish forces but at the same time halted the Soviet advance, preventing the forces of Siemion Budionnyi from seizing Lwów and so contributing to the successful defence of Warsaw. History Eve of the Battle By mid-August 1920 the Red Army broke all Polish lines of defence and was marching towards Warsaw. The Polish headquarters prepared a plan to counter-attack the Red Army on its left flank from the Wieprz River area, in what became known as the Battle of Warsaw. To gather enough forces for the offensive, Gen. Józef Piłsudski, Polish Commander in Chief, ordered all available units to move to the Wieprz area and withdrew a number of formations from the Polish Southern Front, leaving only two-and-a-half infantry divisions to oppose the 12th Red Army and Budyonny’s cavalry. The city of Lwów was left with merely token forces defending the Upper Bug river line against three Russian armies (9th, 13th and 14th). After several days of heavy fights, the 1st Cavalry Army under Siemion Budionnyi broke through Polish lines of defence and started its march towards Lwów. The civilian inhabitants of the city started to organise resistance and build field fortifications, anticipating a long siege. Several thousand civilians, mostly students and veterans of the 1918 Battle of Lwów, volunteered for the self-defence units. Ill-equipped detachments are sent towards the front line and fight in several battles (among them battles of Kamionka Strumiłłowa, Ruda Siedlecka, Chodaczków, Krasne, Busko, Biłka Szlachecka, Kurowice, Streptów, Zuchorzyce and Laszki Królewskie), but were unable to stop numerically and technically superior forces of the Red Army. Battle Among the volunteer units organised in Lwów was a group of soldiers of Major (later a general) Roman Abraham. In the morning of August 16, the 1st battalion of Polish 54th Infantry Regiment was sent from Lwów towards the village of Nowosiółki (east of the town of Krasne) in order to help the endangered units formed by Roman Abraham. Upon its arrival, the battalion found the town occupied by the Red Army and recaptured it. However, the following day it was endangered by encirclement and was ordered to withdraw towards Lwów. In the morning of August 17 it was taken by surprise near a train station in the village of Zadwórze and was completely destroyed by forces of the Red 6th Cavalry Division of the 1st Cavalry Army. All Polish soldiers, approximately 200, were killed or missing. At the same time a battalion of approximately 500 volunteers organised by Roman Abraham under command of capt. Bolesław Zajączkowski was marching from Krasne along the Lwów-Tarnopol rail road. On August 17, shortly before noon, the group reached the village of Kutkorz, it was attacked with machine gun fire from the nearby village of Zadwórze. Capt. Zajączkowski ordered his men to form a line and started an assault towards the village. After a short fight, 330 Poles captured the train station. However, the village was not taken and soon the Polish forces were counter-attacked by the units of 6th Cavalry Division. By dusk the Poles' ammunition was almost completely depleted, yet the Polish unit managed to repulse six consecutive cavalry charges. Captain Zajączkowski decided that the further defence of the station was impossible and ordered his units to retreat towards Lwów. However, the retreat was halted by a three Bolshevik airplanes strafing the Polish defenders. After suffering heavy casualties, Zajączkowski ordered his men to organize a last pocket of resistance near the lineman's hut. After hand-to-hand combat with sabres and bayonettes, the Polish resistance was broken. Out of 330 Polish soldiers who seized the train station earlier that day, 318 were dead. Several dozen wounded Poles were captured by the Red Army and most probably murdered. Captain Zajączkowski himself committed suicide in order not to be captured by the enemy. Only twelve Polish soldiers returned to the Polish lines to recount what had happened during the battle. Aftermath The battle was a complete disaster for the Polish forces that were almost completely annihilated. However, the 11 hours long fight halted the advance of the whole 6th Cavalry Division for almost 24 hours. This allowed for the strengthening of the defences of Lwów. In addition, because of the defence of Zadwórze, the 1st Cavalry Army of Siemion Budionnyi could not reach the forces fighting in the Battle of Warsaw and attack the undefended right flank of the forces of Józef Piłsudski advancing towards the rear of the Red Army forces around Warsaw. When the forces of Budionnyi finally regrouped and restarted their march northwards, it was already too late and the Battle of Warsaw ended with a complete defeat of the Red Army. The 1st Cavalry Army was later defeated in a Battle of Komarów, which became known as "the biggest cavalry battle since 18th century". Because of the heroic defence and high casualties, the battle of Zadwórze was nick-named the "Polish Battle of Thermopylae". Tomb of an Unknown Soldier in Warsaw Among the Polish soldiers killed in the battle was 19 years old Konstanty Zarugiewicz. A student of the 7th course of primary school and a veteran of the 1918 defence of Lwów, for which he was awarded with Virtuti Militari and Krzyż Walecznych. His body was never found. In 1925 when the authorities of Warsaw and the commanders of the Polish Army decided to build a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, his mother Jadwiga Zarugiewiczowa was chosen as the person to chose the coffin to be transported to Warsaw and buried in the grave. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Zadwórze

[lizol]

OK, OK, I'm not saying it didn't happen, just haven't heard of that.

However - I'd prefer we'd have less "Polish Thermopylaes" in Polish history ;-)))

[MarcinPL]

hehehe me too ;) more Kircholm, less Termopile

[mware]

My father fought as an artillery man during Cassino. He spent a month in hospital with trench foot. He was actually lucky that he did not lose his feet. He was treated with penicillin which saved them.