All language subtitles for BBC Gladiators Of WWII 05of13 Free Polish Forces

WAR AND SOLDIERS

FREE POLISH TROOPS

The four-month battle of Monte Cassino

was the bloodiest battle
took place in Italy.

The Allies attacked there three times
a year at the beginning of 1944.

The Germans repulsed each attack.

Monte Cassino was captured in May 1944.

At the top of the mountain monastery
hoisted the Polish flag was raised.

Cassino Poles had traveled far since then

when Germany and the Soviet Union
invaded their country in 1939.

Loss of the war began to restore
the honor and independence.

Part was traversing thousands of
kilometers to continue the fight

Siberian prison camps through the Caucasus
and the Persian in the Middle East.

Some escaped through Hungary and Romania.

They strive to France to continue
the fight against the Nazis.

There, they founded the
Polish army allies to help.

Fighting continued in Great
Britain when France surrendered.

They participated in North Africa and
the Western European major battles.

The free Polish forces in the story is
the most impressive military history

but only a few knows it.

The Polish communist leadership
tried for 50 years to forget them.

Poland's fighting spirit has been
strengthened wars over the centuries.

It became independent in 1918,

after 150 years of the Russian,
Prussian and Austrian subjugation.

The young Republic was forced almost
immediately to war against Russia.

Outnumbered the Poles were given a
decisive victory in Warsaw in 1920.

Behind Poland's eastern border
was a vengeful Soviet Union.

Polish Corridor, which separated East
Prussia from the rest of Germany

angered Poland's western
frontier neighbors as much.

Poland was therefore a strong
army between the two world wars

but it was not able to produce
enough modern equipment.

When Hitler then invaded 1 September 1939

Polish Air Force were beyond its
control Luftwaffe fighters.

The Navy realized that he was powerless
against the German Baltic fleet.

Three of its four fighter was
transferred to the pre-war Britain.

The rest of the warships either
immersed in or they were not the enemy.

Two Polish submarines reached Britain.

Other crew impartial interned in Sweden.

Poland became a fight delay

hoping that its allies would
attack Western Europe.

Germans did not stop there.

The cavalry attacked hullunrohkeasti
against German armor...

And directly to his death.

Poland's last hope went 17 September

when the Soviet Union invaded from the east

In accordance with its
agreement with the German.

Management and the board of Polish
armed forces fled to Romania

where they were interned German insistence.

The Polish armed forces of
permanent resistance ended 6.10.

Germany and the Soviet
Union divided the land.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were
taken to the Conquerors of prison camps.

But the rout of all not beaten
Poland's fighting spirit.

Thousands of soldiers were
determined to continue the fight.

There were, as well as
professional soldiers

that the threat of war on
civilians provided the service.

Some were still young boys.

Some of them were foreigners, who knew
the rest of the world very little.

But everyone wanted to
continue to fight at any cost.

The state of emergency
lifted now one man up.

Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski was the
20th century Polish Prime Minister

but retired after the 1926 coup.

Sikorski set up a government
in exile in France

around which his countrymen gathered.

They were helped secretly to earth
via Romania, Hungary and Italy.

Interveners journeyed on foot for
hundreds of miles with very little food.

Countries of transit persecuted them as
unauthorized land in the proceedings.

All who reach of France in the new units.

French Air Force became the Polish pilots.

They quickly learn to fly
with French machines.

Army soldiers were centralized
in Angers in Western France.

They were trained and
organized in two divisions

armor and infantry brigade.

They were subjected to
the French Army command.

General Sikorski tried to keep the
whole winter 1939 men's mood above.

He knew that they could get as soon as
the battle against the Nazis hated.

The free Polish forces were forced
to fight in a surprising direction.

Germany invaded 9 April
1940 Denmark and Norway.

The Allies tried to stop the
German invasion in progress.

One of the countries increases the units
was a Polish Podhalanska brigade.

It was exported far to the north, Narvik.

It invaded by the Germans
were forced to retreat

but the Luftwaffe air superiority
made life very fraught.

One of embedded ships was
a Polish destroyer Grom.

It supported the Narvik battles,
but the bomber sank to 5.5.

Most of the men survived

and came to Britain to continue
the struggle for a free Poland.

The Allies withdrew from
the beginning of June.

The Poles returned to France, but
was threatened with complete loss.

10.5. The German started the attack
had hit the French army scattered.

In France, there were two Polish
divisions and one armored brigade.

2nd Infantry Division was
pushed Alsace Swiss border.

Army Corps commander ordered his
men to escape from the Swiss side.

The Poles interned, and their war ended it.

Armoured Division was
encircled in Northern France

and its commander ordered his men
to flee and seek to Great Britain.

The Polish pilots fought the
Luftwaffe in the air against

many for the second time.

The battle was uneven,
and a dozen pilots died.

Sikorski wanted to continue the fight and
took the government in exile in London.

Also, 24,000 of his men escaped.

The Poles were sent to Scotland
to pick up the new equipment.

They were already in the third
uniform during the same war

and did sotilaallisuudellaan and
excitement impression on everyone.

The Scots took the Poles with open arms

and a piece of the game to
live there after the war.

Britain had become the Polish
pilots as early as December 1939

in accordance with the Agreement
with the Government of the contract.

They fled to France and served
in the British Air Force.

The RAF was founded by Sikorski requirement
of two completely Polish squadrons.

Squadrons were 302 Poznan and 303.
Kosciuszko.

All the Polish pilots took part
in the battle from England.

They were included because of their desire
to destroy the enemy without feeling mercy.

17 enemy dropped Witold
Urbanowicz was the best of them.

Antoni Glowacki dropped during
the same day five German.

303. The flotilla gathered 125
drop in just 5 weeks of fighting,

and therefore was the RAF's best fighter.

The battle took part 144
Poles, of whom 29 died.

RAF was also a Polish Bombard fleets.

They took part in the four
years of German bombing.

Britain adopted a liberal
Polish fleet by seven fighter

two submarine and cruiser.

Polish vessels were fighting in the
Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea

where the submarines came to
be called "kauhukaksikoksi".

All fled to the Poles did
not make it to Britain.

Some fled through the Balkans
French colony of Syria

where they were assembled in the
Carpathian infantry brigade.

French capitulation, it was transferred to
the service of the British in Palestine.

It re-equipped with Gen.
Stanislaw Kopanskin command.

The brigade was sent in August
1941, Libya Tobruk city

by General Erwin Rommel's forces
were besieging since April.

The Poles defended Tobruk
until the end of the siege.

General Sikorski went to greet that
have achieved the battle ground forces.

When Tobruk was released in early December

Poles attacked the British
involved against Rommel.

The brigade was supplemented, and
it soon was joined by more Poles.

Every soldier knew the free Polish forces

how to their homeland suffer
in the hands of the occupiers.

The Soviet Union did not want
Poland to become independent longer

and gave the Polish soldiers and
civilians to labor camps in Siberia.

The Polish resistance could not be stopped.

Sikorski was founded at the
behest of an underground army

which was passed in London.

Poland's position changed
completely on 22 June 1941.

Hitler invaded the Soviet Union,
and Stalin became the Allied side.

Sikorski called for Moscow
to release Polish prisoners

so that they able to enter
to fight against the Nazis.

He signed in July 1941 with the
Ambassador of the agreement

Polish Army establishment
of the Soviet Union.

Gen. Wladyslaw Anders, senior
officer in the Soviet Union had

was released from prison
to command the army.

Anders headquarters was Buzuluk,
965 km away from Moscow.

He had a great difficulty to gather
around the country disseminated husband

nor from Soviet just did not help.

The Poles lived in Russia increasingly
harsh conditions when winter came.

In December 1941, when the German
attack came to a halt at Moscow

Sikorski traveled there to
meet Andersia and Stalin.

They agreed on the Polish
delegation milder Central Asia.

For Polish authorities have still
given, for example, enough to eat.

Sikorski wanted the Poles would
fight alongside the Red Army

and would help to release the polish.

Stalin's paranoia felt by
Anders had a different view.

He believed that men would be
more useful in the Mediterranean.

The Russians agreed to release part
of the Poles in the Middle East.

Remember collected 1. The Polish army,
which was attached to the Red Army.

The first Poles went to
Russia in the spring of 1942.

They journeyed more than 3200 km across
the Caspian Sea and Iran to crack.

Eventually, they reached Iraq,
the British set up camps.

The arrival of the second group in Iraq
had 115,000 soldiers and civilians.

They and Tobruk veterans
were 2nd Polish Army Church.

The Army Board was unusual
military, the bear cub Voytek.

A maintenance company had taken
the orphan animal hoiviinsa.

Voytek kept the men members of the family.

It grew rapidly and was soon a
familiar sight komppanian camp.

It will be happy to wrestle
with every brave enough.

The war continued in the Middle East, while
the free Polish forces were strengthened.

The British defeated Rommel
El Alamein in autumn 1942

and pursued him across Libya to Tunisia.

The Allies rose in November to
countries France Northwest Africa

and proceeded to Tunisia
threat to Rommel my back.

The Allies spent the
enemy forces in Tunisia

and the Poles already keen
to get to the fighting.

It seemed that they had forgotten

even though the Poles ships repulsed
Hitler's submarines in the Atlantic

and the protection of convoys
sailed Polish ships.

The Poles have fighter, and was
enough to Bombard fleets work.

Bombardment was continued
and the flights were added.

A group of experienced Polish
fighter pilots went to Tunisia

15 aircraft dropped the
Stanislaw Skalski command.

Department soon got the reputation and
the nickname "Skalski flight circus".

It knocked down 25 enemy
planes within 6 weeks.

Tunisia, the fighting already paused
in April 1943 dropped the bomb

which threatened the freedom of Poland
and the Soviet Union relations.

The Germans discovered the
Polish officers at mass grave

Katyn forest near Smolensk
in Western Russia.

Sikorski knew that thousands of
Polish officers had disappeared

and was confident that
Moscow was behind it all.

London Poles sought in vain
to Stalin explanation.

Stalin cut off contact
with the London Poles

and appointed his own Polish
nukkehallituksensa the Soviet Union.

The British government did not
want to antagonize allies

and refused to support the
government of Sikorski refugee.

Turmoil continued even when
Sikorski visited the Middle East.

Idleness and the Katyn forest
unveiling eroded the fighting spirit.

Poland suffered Sikorski's visit
at the end of the evil of loss.

Sikorski went to 4.7. bomber perched
on the Gibraltar to England.

The machine crashed into the sea
immediately after take-off.

Sikorski and his daughter died.

The pilot survived and told me that
the machine control had not worked.

Sikorski's body was brought
to England a Polish fighter

and was buried in the Polish
air force cemetery in Newark.

Sikorski's death was officially accident

but it happened in the Soviet Union in
terms of a suspicious appropriately.

Stanislaw Mikolajczyk became
the new Prime Minister

and freedom of the Polish
troops training continued.

They were able to quickly re-battles.

The Allies made landings in
Italy in September 1943.

Progress rebounded in November
on strong German Gustav line

in the mountains south of Rome.
Breakthrough attempts failed.

Gen. Anders' Army Corps was
transferred from Iraq to Italy

British 8th Army to confirm.

War Bear Voytek did not
agree to stay in the camp.

It increased maintenance komppanian
involved in the transport vessel.

It's got a military rank and grade
book, and it was noted Reese.

The free Polish forces were able
to finally fight in earnest.

Italian winter was totally different
than in the Middle East weather

but they were given time to get used to.

In the meantime, the Allies decided
to circumvent the Gustav line.

Anzioon, 50 km from Rome, it was
decided to make the landing.

It was 22.01.1944.

The troops did not go ahead
immediately after the easy landing

German and additional forces have a chance
to encircle the bridgehead position.

Failure meant that the Gustav
line was forced to get through.

Line the most important point
was the city of Cassino.

It is guarded by Lirin valley, through
which passed the road leading to Rome.

The town is dominated by the
mountain-top monastery.

The Americans tried in vain to take
over in January of Monte Cassino.

The monastery is thought to
tähystysasemaksi and it was bombed.

German parachute troops got their
teeth into rubble even harder.

They rejected the February
and March attacks

although the latter came to the city.

Italian army commander,
General Sir Harold Alexander

decided to wait, that the
earth would dry spring.

In the meantime, he ordered
to bomb roads and railways.

2nd Polish Corps now organized
into Monte Cassino at the foot.

Its mission was to conquer the mountain.

The Poles attacked at night 11.5.

They fought bravely

but were forced to withdraw two days later.

The free French troops were able to
advance on the south side of the valley.

After three days Marshal Albert Kesselring

told me to leave the Gustav line in stages.

The first went to the Americans
to fight the troops.

But the parachute troops
remained to defend Cassino

in the certainty that they would
be able to keep the Allies gone.

The Poles attacked while 17.5.
And after hard fighting

12 Podolski regiment approached
the next morning the monastery.

Lieutenant Jurek Kowalski proceeded
to attack the cutting edge.

I went to the monastery
at 10, after

Carpathian division
with the tip of the troops.

The building was only 17 German

who surrendered to
Lieutenant Gurbiel Kazimierczille.

Part of the building was intact

but who was lying on the side of
the military equipment and punk.

We have not encountered
the Germans after Tobruk

and we were waiting
for this moment for two years.

Exult Poles raised his flag
waving over the ruins.

After one hour the 8th Army Commander Gen.
Oliver Leese

kohotteli profit plates
Anders' command post.

This achievement was brilliant
but not enough to Polish.

They proceeded to the bitter Lirin
the north side of the valley.

But the losses became more and more.

During Kahdn week fell and
wounded a total of 3800 men.

Therefore, the Polish Army Corps
was withdrawn from the front.

Multi-value guest went in the days
following congratulate Polish

among others, General
Alexander and King George VI.

The men of General Anders
were the now famous.

Also Voytekia praised for its
tranquility in the battle

and to assist in the
collection of cartridges.

It became a department official logo.

The Allies drove to Rome on 5 June 1944.

The Poles went back to the front, when
the progress of the north continued.

They added in July curricula vitae
of the occupation of Ancona.

The Allies clashed again at the
end of the 1944 German stations

Gotenstellungiin the
Apennines, north of Florence.

The Poles have had an important
role in the April 1945 attack.

Their war ended with the capture
of the city of Bologna.

Left Britain followed with
pride companions antics.

They, too, were eager
to continue the fight.

Two important points prepared for
the release of Western Europe.

The second was the 1st
Polish armored division.

The second was a separate
parachute brigade in Poland.

The Polish troops were not
involved in the Normandy battles.

But the coast was of Polish
vessels landing date.

In addition, the Polish pilots
fought in Normandy above.

One of them was Eugeniusz Horbaczewski

which had belonged to the
"Skalski flight to the circus."

He led the Mustang lentänyttä 315.
Squadrons really skillfully.

Horbaczewski was killed
in a large air battle

Focke Wulf 190 against the 18 August.

His squadron knocked down 16 enemy
planes and lost only three.

1st Polish armored division
was already in France

and served as the Canadian 1st Army as part
of the. It was soon picked up for battle.

When US troops broke in July Normandy

a large proportion of Germans
remained Falaise area.

German hacking away at massive air attacks.

Canadians were told to close
the Falaise encirclement.

Proceeded to attack the forefront
of the Polish armored division.

They drove for the first time
to fight but act like veterans.

Motti was closed three days

and more than 50,000 typertynyttä
Germans surrendered.

Germany was no longer able to
attempt to retreat in good order.

Polish carriages rolled over three
weeks across Northern France

Through Abbeville and Ypres in Belgium.

They liberated the Dutch town of Breda

and got a memorable reception.

Difficulty in servicing stopped as
soon as the Allied progression.

Polish parachute men waited
more anxiously baptism of fire.

Everyone involved knew
the progression Polish

that their homeland took
place in a fierce battle.

Soviet counter-attack had
pushed the Germans in Poland

and approached Warsaw.

Polish underground army had been
waiting for just this moment.

Warsaw started 1.8. rebellion
against the hated Nazi occupiers.

But the Red Army had stopped
the previous night.

London immediately set
off the Poles in Moscow

ask Stalin to continue the
attack, but he refused.

He was appointed by the
Government of Poland in Lublin

and told Londoners that the two
refugees the government can be.

He also did not let the Western
Allies machines fields

which should be maintained
in the resistance army.

Battle of Warsaw continued

but the Polish position
began to be hopeless.

The Polish resistance army fought
throughout August and September.

The Germans were able to defeat
the resistance until October.

Polish parachute men were begging

that they would jump to Warsaw to
assist their fellow countrymen.

The request was denied, partly
because it would have meant suicide

and because of that brigade was
intended finally to send into battle.

It took part in operation "Market Garden"

which Gen. Montgomery was going
to take over from Holland bridges

and rotate through them shaped by the
great natural barrier of the Rhine.

The Poles had to jump over Arnhem
British troops to supplement.

Polish general Stanislaw Sosabowski
was opposed to the plan.

48 hours between the British and
the Poles had jumps of him too.

Sosabowskia not heeded

because the machines would not be
able to transport troops quickly.

The operation began on
Sunday, 17 September 1944.

The British ran into Arnhem
in two Waffen SS divisions

nor received over the Rhine
bridge leading over.

To make matters worse
the fog hampered Polish

and they reached the scene
only after four days.

In the meantime, the Germans
had received reinforcements

and the British were hard
pressed lightly equipped.

The Poles ended up at the
southern shore of the Rhine

and only 250 men could get across
the river to help the British.

The British found the next
day the men Sosabowskin

but the situation of Arnhem
was too late to affect.

Some of the parachute troops
came back across the river...

But the majority was forced
to surrender to the Germans.

Arnhem failure meant

that war from the end of the 1944 season.

1st Polish armored division
spent the autumn Maas river.

It took part in the winter battles, which
have opened the way for the Rhine.

The Poles took part in the last attack

and the 1st armored division,
the war ended in Wilhelmshaven.

It was still 560 km away
from the Polish border

but the free Polish forces could
not get it closer to the homeland.

The end of the war aroused
mixed feelings in them.

They had hoped that it will ensure
the independence struggle country

but the wish was not realized.

The Western Allies gave Poland
the Soviet sphere of influence.

When Soviet forces liberated the country

Stalin raised the Council unanimously
Lublin government came to power

and the country was placed
in the Red Army troops.

Freedom of the Polish men were disappointed

and they had to consider
what they would do.

Half of the West who fought
the Poles decided to return

survivors of loved ones in the war creates.

When the Polish communist
power was strengthened

many of them were arrested, killed
or deported to the Soviet Union.

The rest remained in the West,
mostly to Great Britain

build their lives all over again.

One of them was the war bear Voytek.

It was taken to Edinburgh Zoo,
where it is still remembered.

It lived there to the end of
his life, until the age of 22.

The Poles hoped for throughout the
Cold War liberated their country.

Their wish was finally realized in 1989

Lech Walesa, the Solidarity Party
won the elections the Communists.

After the Soviet Union broke up,
and the troops left Poland.

In September 1993,

General Sikorski's mortal
remains went to Newark

and they were reburied in Krakow

where the ancient kings of
Poland had been sitting.

The free Polish forces
wish was finally realized.

All antaneilla and low treated with
forces have a number of monuments

two of which stand out from the crowd.

One of them is the Polish Air
Forces Memorial Northholtissa.

The second is the statue
of General Sikorski

which was erected in 2000 in front
of the Polish embassy in London.

Inscription commemorates addition to him,

all soldiers to leave the Polish
troops and the resistance movement.

They were fighters

who were ready to give
everything for his country.

Translated by: Kai Laine www.sdi media.com