World War II - Invasion of Poland'39 & field kitchens

 Salvete Omnes, 

it is September already - times flies or tempus fugit. The most tragic anniversary in the Polish and world history - the day one of World War II.

 
Germany(Third Reich) & Slovakia invaded Polish 2nd Republic early in the morning of September 1st - committing atrocities like the bombing of Wielun on day one (during World War I, August 22, 1914  the Germans bombed the city of Kalisz).

The invaders and defenders, their armies, used hundred of thousands of horses, mostly for the draft work.

Providing food, especially hot food, for the soldiers was one of the most important logistic challenges they faced. Regimental field kitchens provided the most desired and needed hot meals. Teams of horses pulled this field kitchens.

..

.

Pacem Aetrenam 

Valete

80 years since the Nazi Evil was destroyed - conquest of Berlin

 Salvete Omnes,

soldiers of the Kosciuszko 1st Infantry Division's Light Artillery Regiment hung the Polish flag on the Siegessäule in Berlin

Late April and early May 1945 was hot around Berlin in Germany.
Soviet Red armies and Polish armies defeated and reduced to ashes the Nazi forces in and around Berlin.

Polish 1st Army tanks and wagon trains, horses also went on to destroy the Nazis

For the Polish people (Christians and Jews alike & others like our Muslim Tatars) the war started on September 1939, and lasted the whole period until that May 8, 1945 (when Breslau - today's Wroclaw - defenders also laid down their arms).
Along the Soviet armies storming Berlin there was the Polish 1st Army.

Some of the soldiers storming Berlin's streets started their war in September 1939, like lieutenant Konstanty Minuszyc, who was a sailor of the Pinsk Riverine Flotilla of the Polish Navy in 1939.

Some of the platoon commanders were former NCO's  of the KOP (see the label -KOP- for more information), who in 1939 fought the Nazi Germans and Soviet Red Army.

Communist Poland's soldier medal for the participation in the capture of Berlin

On May 3 like the Red Army Soviet units, the soldiers of Polish 1st Army also met with the American Army counterparts on the Elbe River. The Nazis were finished for good.

May 2 and then May 8 and thereafter were days of rejoicing for all these boys and young men who finally brought the evil of Nazi Germany to its end. Their wives, sisters, mothers and other loved ones and common citizens were also rejoicing these days of May 1945. 

For war-ravaged Poland, reshaped on so many levels (territory and ethnic make up - Poland became a mono-ethnic state) by Joseph Stalin and with the Polish population declined from 35 million in 1939AD  to circa 23 million in 1946AD, the new era was about to began:  the era of Communist Poland, the anti-Soviet civil war, Stalinist period and social revolution along with industrialization and modernization on many levels unseen prior to 1939. 

Among the amazing developments in 1945-49 period Poland got a brand new western border on the Oder River like in  the early Piast Poland a thousand years ago, and with all these territories that for a 1000 years represented the mythical German Drang nach Osten.  Poland lost many true Polish territories  in the east, like the royal city of Lwow in Red Ruthenia, in Poland since 1340sAD. But perhaps this Stalin's induced quid pro quo helped post-war Poland to survived the Communist era, which happily finally ended in 1989AD ... 

 Ave and  pacem aeternam to all heroes...

What a year! 1000 years of Polish Crown and 80 years of conquest of Nazi Germany - vivat! 

Valete

Polish Army Day - a millennium of defending the realm

 Salvete Omnes,

so  this day, August 15 is the Polish Army Day (Feast of the Soldiers) - the date is also the Feast of Assumption of Mary. 
So for more than millennium Polish warriors, knights and soldiers, mostly peasants led by their noble lords and officers defended the Polish lands.
This particular August date  commemorates the battle of Warsaw, AD 1920, when the Red Army Juggernaut of an  offensive was broken and eventually rolled back into the Red Russian lands (although there are many disagreements and disputes on why the leadership did not help White Russians finish off the Bolshevik rule and restore Russia from the communist monstrosity), thus preserving the newly restituted Polish state. 
The battle is important to the XX i XXI century modern Polish state ideology and politics, but we have had many battles equally important and momentous in our millennium long history. But be what it may, at least the holiday falls in the summer month, when the weather is warm and sunny. 

Hail to the defenders - and may war never return to the Polish lands

and along with the text I am including some photos of the Polish cavalry drummers of the mounted musicians platoon from the 1 pulk szwolezerow (1st chevau-leger regiment) of the 2nd Republic -  Polish names for these musician-soldiers were 'kotlista'(modern) and old 'pauker, paukier, pałkier, & pałkierz,  '

during the pre-partition Poland - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Crown of Poland - the mounted drummers were part of the cavalry units and were very colorful, while playing an important role of signaling and providing psychological support to the fighting troops.

and although the Napoleonic 1st Polish chevau-legers of the Guard were not part of the Polish army, their splendid uniforms and short but illustrious history merits to have them included here - painted by Bronislaw Gembarzewskie (great historian and illustrator, another victim of the Nazi German genocidal policies in occupied Poland)

Valete

Feast of Assumption & Polish Army Day 15.08.2020

Salvete Omnes,
 
 
 from Marcin Bielski Polish Chronicle circa 1540


 
Today, on this fine day of  the Feast of Assumption in the Third Polish Republic (Respublica Poloniae, Rzeczpospolita Polska)  the  Polish Armed Forces celebrate their holiday, commemorating more than 1000 years of Polish warriors, knights and soldiers service in the defense of the Polish people, tradition and culture.





  Jan Matejko pinxit

    so naturally I am cheering the 1000 years of Polish Soldiers history and service, and pray to Our Holy Mather, Queen of Poland, for another 1000 years of Polish Army proud and victorious service to the Polish people, hopefully in the brotherly alliance with the United States and US Armed Forces..
vivat!

...
2007 Parade with President Lech Kaczynski, killed in the Smolensk airplain crassh April10, 2010, presiding


 
Due to the 'covidpandemia' and many fears and loathing within the Polish government's decision makers, there will be no Polish Army parade this year,  but today the current Polish President, escorted by the elements of the Polish Army Guard Regiment,
 
accompanied by the US Secretary of State  Mike Pompeo ( and other foreign and domestic officials) paid homage at the famous Unknown Soldier Tomb in Warsaw, where traditionally there will be very festive change of military guard that day and night stands at the Tomb.

...
Today in Poland they celebrate the 100 years of the so called battle of Warsaw - or the Warsaw operation as there was no single battle but a number of engagements fought  from the north  near Torun to the south near Dubienka & Chelm .
see the maps by general Sikorski

 

 
The Polish Nation is the true hero of this victory over the Bolsheviks, and some of the forgotten leaders of the conflict are:

prime minister and peasant leader Wincenty Witos
 
General Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski - the mastermind of the victory , here with the generals Zagorski and Sikorski.
 
General Wladyslaw Sikorski - eg his 1928 work on the war available 'libre' from the Wielkopolska Digital Library. - his 5th army delivered the victory at the Battle of Warsaw

and countless others, including the American pilot Merian C. Cooper
 
and other Americans (of the 7th Kosciuszko Squadron) commanded by colonel Cedric Erald Fauntleroy  who in the photo below is about to received his Virtuti Miltiari Cross.
 
and many, many other known and unknown soldiers who fought bravely in furtherance of the Polish victory under the overall command of Jozef Pilsudski.

Hail their memory - Ave!

Salvete

ps
Belarus has been in upheaval since the last Sunday elections -  we are witnessing our brothers and sisters, including our Belarusian Polonia,  in more or less open defiance and resistance to their current almost three decades-long leadership - may they achieve what is best for them - Buona Fortuna!