Monte Cassino Cross

[Fran]

Thank you Konrad

wow, the details of the patrol's actions are definitely chilling...

[conrado]

Hello,

In addition to my post #181.

Translation:
"Caernarfon, April 28, 43

During Easter, cinematographers came from Edinburgh, por. (Lieutenant) Rohowicz and strz. (Rifleman) Jaszcz who started filming the Commando Company’s life and training on 28 current month. They will stay here for several days and will come a second time in the second half of May to finish the film."

So there must be a movie from that days somewhere in the archives...


Regards
Konrad

Hello Fran,

So I found the movie from that days that made strz. (Rifleman) Z. Jaszcz documenting a training of the Polish 1st Independent Commando Company in Caernarfon, Wales on April-May 1943:

"COMMANDOSI" - MOVIE REPORTAGE FROM THE LIFE OF POLISH COMMANDOS


And another film from Polish commandos operations in the town of Pescopennataro in a mountain area on the Sangro River:

POLAND COMMANDOS IN PESCOPENNATARO WORLD WAR II FIRST PART

From 1min. 47sec. there is a funeral of st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Franciszek Rogucki from your Grandad's 1st Platton who was the first Polish soldier who died in the Italian land during World War II. He was killed on December 15, 1943. The funeral of st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Franciszek Rogucki took place on December 16, 1943 in the civil cemetery in Capracotta or near the church in Pescopennataro. At a later time his body was buried mistakenly in Polish War Cemetary in Loreto as the general guidelines indicated that soldiers killed in the Sangro, Garigliano and Mainarde rivers should be buried in Polish War Cemetery in Monte Cassino. Eternal rest for st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Francoszek Rogucki was prepared after the planned exhumation at Monte Cassino. In 2011 during the general renovation of the Monte Cassino Cemetery an inscription dedicated to the fallen st. strz. Rogucki was discovered on the back of one of the tombstones.

Strz. Franciszek Rogucki was a Pole from the USA, he was born in Pittsburgh, he never saw Poland, he also spoke Polish poorly, but he felt and thought like a real Pole. He could serve in the US Army, but at the instigation of his mother, he joined the Polish Army.



Church St. Bartholomew the Apostle (Chiesa San Bartolomeo Apostolo) in Pescopennataro whose ruins are visible in the movie from the funeral and where the body of st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Franciszek Rogucki was probably buried.



Cross on the grave of st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Franciszek Rogucki in the place of his temporary burial



Reverse side of one of the tombstones with an inscription dedicated to the fallen st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Francoszek Rogucki discovered during the general renovation of the Polish War Cemetery in Monte Cassino in 2011.


Regards
Konrad

[Fran]

Oh my God this is incredible!!!! The film has been uploaded 3 months ago.

Amazing, thank you so much for finding all this Konrad, this is invaluable.

The story of Strz. Franciszek Rogucki, enlisting to serve in the Polish Army is very moving.

[conrado]

Editing to my previous post #202:

I have checked on the Google map and compated with the film and it looks like that the funeral of st. strz. (Lance Corporal) Franciszek Rogucki took place definitely in the civil cemetery in Capracotta.





It looks like the same place.


Regards
Konrad

[conrado]

I've found his name in the PISM Archives, Daily Orders of the 1st Podhalański Rifle Battalion (Scotland), 06/1940 - 12/1940

Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

Attachment 1382341

If you'd be so kind as to check these archives out, this part is as absolute mystery to us.

Fran,

Regarding to your Grandad's service in Polish Independent Podhalan Rifles Brigade you can read this thread:

Narvik 1940

There are a lot of photograhs and a few movies, among others from the decoration ceremony in Scotland on 21 July 1940 where Polish Independent Podhalan Rifles Brigade (Polish Independent Highland Brigade) is being decorated with the highest military distinction of Poland - the Cross of Virtuti Militari and the soldiers are awarded the Cross of Valour for for their deeds in Narvik in 1940. I think your Grandfather is somewhere among them because at that time he received the Cross of Valor as well. Although on the list is mentioned as KUBICZAK Aleksander it seems to be just a mistake in his surname.



Colonel Władysław Dec (centre), the Commander Officer of the 2nd Battalion, Independent Podhalan Rifles Brigade with other officers and soldiers decorated for their deeds in Narvik, 21 July 1940. Note two Polish Red Cross nurses present, both decorated with the Cross of Valour. Photograph taken during the decoration ceremony of the Brigade colours by General Władysław Sikorski in the camp near Douglas Park, Hamilton, Scotland on July 21, 1940.

Pay your attention that Colonel Władysław Dec is listed on the list above from your post as the first to be awarded with the Cross of Valour for the ferst time.


There is also a movie with various shots of Polish troops arriving at an English port after their evacuation from France in 1940.


Regards
Konrad

[Fran]

Very interesting and in-depth thread, thank you Konrad!

There's the photo of my grandfather in a parade that you pointed me to earlier.

Finding this forum, and especially your involvement in searching through the archives in Polish, has been an incredible adventure for me and my family. I can't thank you enough.

[conrado]

My pleasure, Fran. And thank you for such a kind words.

If I will find anything else interesting regarding your Grandfather, I will definitely write.

Regards
Konrad

[Fran]

I've received confirmation from the British DOD that my request for a copy of my grandfather's military record is complete. I'm waiting for it to be processed.

I'm also planning a trip to Warsaw in April to retrieve the personal belongings the Military Archives department have. We figured that if we need to pay for a notary to get them, we might as well do it in person.

I've been to Poland twice when my parents went visiting distant relatives with my grandparents back in the late 1970s but I was an infant, I don't remember it.

Do you think the Archives department will be able to accommodate me if I speak English?

I might need some help if that's not the case.

[conrado]

Hello Fran,

In Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe are definitely people with whom you can easily communicate in English. So I think this won't be a problem at all.

BTW:

In the free time I have looked through the Daily Orders Book of the 1st Podhalan Rifle Battalion and I have found a few more interesting facts regarding your Grandad.

Daily Orders Book of the 1st Podhalan Rifle Battalion, 02/01/1942 - 31/12/1943: http://polishinstitute.com/r/19.pdf

First entry is that your Grandad - strz. (Rifleman) Kubisiak Aleksander got a vacation in Glasgow in the period from March 22 to March 29, 1942. There is also a train ticket number: "Nr.643613". He was then in the 1st Rifle Company:




Second entry is that he was sent to a car drivers course. This course was organized at the order of the commander of the 1st Independent Rifle Brigade of May 21, 1942. It took place in the Drivers School of 1st Independent Brigade in the town of Kirkcaldy for officers, cadets and privates. The chosen soldiers, including your Grandfather, left on May 25, 1942. They took supply cards to the School Brigade, work clothes, weapons and ammunition, personal and gas equipment, quarters equipment and coursebook "Vade mecum of the soldier-driver".
Technical officer of the Battalion drove the soldiers to the course by a car on May 25, 1942 at 2 p.m.:




The soldiers returned from the car drivers course in Kirkcaldy on July 19, 1942:




Another one curiosity regarding your Grandad:

According to the order of the commander of the 1st Independent Podhalan Rifle Barigade of September 7, 1941 your Grandfather and two other soldiers have been delegated to the food platoon of the 1st Supply Company in the town of Cupar for the period from September 14 to November 28, 1942 for a work related to sauerkraut pickling. Soldiers were sent there by car at 8 a.m. with individual equipment - a rifle with bayonet, helmet and individual gas equipment:




I hope you are enjoying the information from your Grandfather's service that I could find.


Regards
Konrad

[Fran]

Good to know. You are in Warsaw yourself, aren't you? If so I'll definitely take you out for dinner when I'm there, that's the least I can do.

Nice one for finding this, it's nice to see some light-hearted entries in the logs. I mean, "sauerkraut pickling"?? With a rifle, bayonet, and especially gas equipment?? LOL

It's also interesting to know that he was still listed as part of the 1st Rifle Brigade as late as the end of 1942. It means he only went on to join the Independent Commando Company after that time period.

Since you mentioned vehicle driving training, we found these two driver's licences. Can you tell me which vehicle types he was certified to drive?

I'm asking because the second licence, that seems to correspond with his second time training for vehicle driving (the first only allows for lorries), has a word crossed in Polish that isn't crossed in English (I guess it's tracked vehicles?).