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General Wladyslaw Anders talks with British officials near a bunker

Captured by the Russians after the partition of Poland in 1939, Anders was released from the Lubianka prison in 1941 to lead the Polish POWs from Russia into Persia, where the British had offered to arm and equip them to fight against the Germans in the Western Desert. The resulting corps, Polish II Corps, became one of the most redoubtable military formations of the war. Its principal, and unforgettable, achievement was to capture Monte Cassino, 17-18 May 1944, after three attempts by others had failed. Anders subsequently led it in the battles up the Adriatic Coast and in the clearance of the Po Valley. Most of II Corps chose exile at the end of the war, and Anders remained leader of their community in England until his death.

Gen. Anders, commander of the 2nd Corps, before he died in London in 1972, expressed his wish to be laid to rest with his fallen soldiers near the monastery. After the war a cemetery was built at the foot of the Abbey by surviving soldiers of the 2nd Corps.

At its entrance, the engraved epitaph depicts their bravery and dedication to Poland.

In four languages it reads:

"We, Polish soldiers
For our freedom and yours
Have given our souls to God
Our bodies to the soil of Italy
And our hearts — to Poland"

Thank you Sam. Poland has proven they are truly an ally we owe much more to than we have given.

Czerwone Maki na Monte Cassino

Czy widzisz te gruzy na szczycie?
Tam wróg twój sie kryje jak szczur!
Musicie, musicie, musicie
Za kark wzi¹æ i str¹ciæ go z chmur!
I poszli szaleni, za¿arci,
I poszli zabijaæ i mœciæ,
I poszli jak zawsze uparci,
Jak zawsze za honor sie biæ.

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Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino
Zamiast rosy pi³y polsk¹ krew.
Po tych makach szed³ ¿o³nierz i gin¹³,
Lecz od œmierci silniejszy by³ gniew!
Przejd¹ lata i wieki przemin¹,
Pozostan¹ œlady dawnych dni
I tylko maki na Monte Cassino
Czerwieñsze bêd¹, bo z polskiej wzrosn¹ krwi.

Runêli przez ogieñ, straceñcy,
Niejeden z nich dosta³ i pad³.
Jak ci z Samosierry szaleñcy,
Jak ci spod Rokitny, sprzed lat.
Runêli impetem szalonym
I doszli. I uda³ siê szturm.
I sztandar swój bia³o-czerwony
Zatknêli na gruzach wœród chmur.

Refren:
Czerwone maki...

Czy widzisz ten rz¹d bia³ych krzy¿y?
To Polak z honorem bra³ œlub.
IdŸ naprzód - im dalej, im wy¿ej,
Tym wiêcej ich znajdziesz u stóp.
Ta ziemia do Polski nale¿y,
Choæ Polska daleko jest st¹d,
Bo wolnoæ krzy¿ami sie mierzy -
Historia ten jeden ma b³¹d.

Refren:
Czerwone maki..