Monte Cassino cross

[andrzejku98]

Hello Everyone,

Some more Recipients of the Monte Cassino Cross who stayed in Italy and are buried in the Polish War Cemetery at Loreto :



St.Strz. Antoni Nowak, Born : 6th October 1913, Army Number : 1913-1-III, Unit : 2 BSK, Date of Death : 30th June 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 9520.



Kpr. Kazimierz Nycz, Born : 3rd October 1914, Army Number : 1914-25-III, Unit : 1PULK, Date of Death : 5th July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : : 30086 also awarded the KW.



Podporucznik Zbigniew Okulicki, Born 17th February 1924, Army Number : 1924-1-III, Unit : 1KPAL, Date of Death : 8th July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 9635 (awarded when a Kpr.Pchor.), also awarded the Virtuti Militari Silver Cross Legitymacja Numbered : 10099.



Zbigniew Okulicki



Zbigniew Okulicki when in the Middle East

His Father was General Bryg Leopold Okulicki.



Kpr. Saturnin Oleksy, Born : 2nd or 7th January 1914, Army Number : 1914-72-III, Unit : 17BS, 5KDP, Date of Death : 16th August 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 23243 (awarded when he was serving in 5PAPLot.)



Kpr. Franciszek Olszewski, Born : 30th May 1917, Army Number : 1917-5-III, Unit : 3PAPLot., Date of Death : 13th July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 9681.



Kpr. Kazimierz Ornatowski, Born : 16th August 1911, Army Number : 1911-60-III, Unit : 15BS, 5KDP, Date of Death : 22nd July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 17359.



Strz. Mikołaj Ostroga, Born : 9th September 1916, Army Number : 1916-19-III, Unit : 5BSK, Date of Death : 3rd July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 9676 (awarded when a Kan. serving in 3KPPpanc.), also awarded the KW.



Podporucznik Zygmunt Ostrowski, Born : 24th July 1920, Army Number : 1920-6-III, Unit : 2BSK, Date of Death : 9th August 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 9785 (awarded when a Kapral Pchor.) also awarded the Silver Cross Virtuti Militari Legitymacja Numbered : 10149 and the KW.

That's all for now

Best wishes

Andrzej

[andrzejku98]

Hello Everyone,

A Few more Recipients of the Monte Cassino Cross who stayed in Italy and are buried in the Polish War Cemetery at Loreto :



Plut. Stanisław Pabian, Born : 24th March 1914, Army Number : 1914-70-III, Unit : 2BSK, Date of Death : 5th July 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 10504, also awarded the KW.



St.Strz. Józef Pacholczyk, Born : 11th March 1916, Army Number : 1916-15-III, Unit : 2BSK, Date of Death : 6th October 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 10491



Kpr. Franciszek Paczkowski, Born : 27th November 1911, Army Number : 1911-74-III, Unit : 17BS, 5KDP, Date of Death : 27th August 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 34161 (awarded when a Kapral serving in 10PAC).



Strz. Józef Palul, Born : 8th April 1905, Army Number : 1905-85-III, Unit : 16BS, 5KDP, Date of Death : 19th August 1944, Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 18259.

Best wishes

Andrzej

p.s. more to follow.

[Mark Marvin]

These are the medals of Lieutenant Tadeusz Antoni Kobierzycki of 6 Pulka Pancenego, He Lived in Nottingham England after the war and had 4 daughters. He was a very quiet, private man and and other than going a few reunions in Italy very little is known of his war record. We know he went through Iraq,Palestine and North Africa before Fighting in Italy and France. He features in a book by Bohdan Tymieniecki Called "Na Imie Jej Bylo Lily" but sadly I haven't been able to find an English Language version. My Wife Danuta (we met whilst both serving in the Royal Corp of Signals) would love to be able to fill some gaps. We would appreciate if anyone can shine some light on the Medals and direct us to finding more out about his war record.

[conrado]

Hello Mark,

This is the data from Waldemar Handke book "Samper Fidelis Dzieje Pułku 6 Pancernego Dzieci Lwowskich":

Kobierzycki Tadeusz - ppor., born 1921, crew member of the tank "Markiza" of ppor. Bohdan Tymieniecki, on 1st April 1945 promoted to the rank of Podporucznik (2nd Lieutenant) in the Korpus Oficerski Broni Pancernej (Armoured Weapons Officer Corps), after the end of the war he remained in exile in the UK - he lived in Nottingham, awarded the Cross of Valour with a bar (Krzyż Waleczych x2)

So the first three are Polish medals. 1st medal from the left is the Krzyż Walecznych x2 (Cross of Valour and bar), the 2nd is Medal Wojska (Army Medal) and the 3rd one is the Monte Cassino Cross. Also the other three are British decorations, 4th one is the War Medal 1939-1945, 5th is Italy Star and 6th is 1939-1945 Star.

Podchorąży Tadeusz Kobierzycki was a gunner in the tank "Markiza" of ppor. Bohdan Tymieniecki, 3rd Squadron of the 6 Armoured Regiment (Pułk 6 Pancerny). During the operations on the Metauro River, the crew of the "Markiza" tank probably destroyed the first German panther, for which Pchor. Tadeusz Kobierzycki was probably awarded the Cross of Valour for the second time.

Under the medals there is the Badge of the Pułk 6 Pancerny "Dzieci Lwowskich".

Also I have found information that on 1st March 1967 he obtained English citizenship.

This is the note from the London Gazette, 2nd May 1967:



Is it possible from your side to show photos of the medals in better quality?

Regards
Konrad

[andrzejku98]

Hello Mark,

Many thanks for your post and may I welcome you to the Forum, Konrad has informed you on the Awards of your Father in Law, I can add the following information has well :

When awarded the Monte Cassino Cross his details were as follows :

Rank : Plutonowy Pdchor. (Lance Sergeant/Officer Cadet

Surname : Kobierzycki

Christian Names : Tadeusz Antoni

Date of Birth : 1921

Army Number : (also found on His ID Tags) : 1921-233-III

Unit : 6 Pułk Pancerny „Dzieci Lwowskich” (6th Armoured Regiment "Children of Lwów").

Monte Cassino Cross Numbered : 30587

Mark the photograph that shows your late Father-in-Law's Awards and Medals the correct order that they should be worn, is has follows :

1) Polish Cross of Valour and Bar

2) Polish Army Medal

3) Polish Monte Cassino Cross

4) British 1939-1945 Star (the photograph shows the ribbon to be mount incorrectly, the Dark Blue denoting the Navy should be on the left not the right).

5) British Italy Star

6) British 1939-1945 War Medal.

When your Father-in-Law came to the UK after being demobbed from the Polish Resettlement Corps, he came to live in Nottingham, where in 1949 he Married your Mother-in-Law Maria Jadwiga Szczepanska (Born in 1921). Then they started a Family of 4 Girls :

1) Barbara M Born in 1951

2) Zofia M Born in 1956

3) Danuta J Born in 1957

4) Janina H Born in 1964

Taduesz Antoni Kobierzycki died in Nottingham in 2000.

Mark to find out about Tadeusz's Service in the 2nd World War, you would need to apply for all Copies that the British Ministry of Defence hold, if you do not request that they provide you with copies of all records that they hold, you will receive either a one or two page letter outlining his personnel details and his service etc.

The link to obtaining his record is below (be aware that they do charge for this service now days, which is all explained on the website below, just click the link :

Get a copy of military service records: Apply for the records of someone who's deceased - GOV.UK

It might also be worth your while to visit the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London, to see if they have a copy of the recommendation for your Tadeusz's Cross of Valour, they do have an awful lot of these. It just depends if they have a copy of it, some were lost during the war, but there are still a lot to go through.

If you do decide to go once the Institute is open again you would have to ring them to book a seat in the reading room, alternatively you could pay them £25.00p up front for 2 hours Research of the Archives with no guarantee of finding anything and it could take over 6 months to receive a reply.

Link to the PISM Website below :

PISM Home Page

Once again Mark welcome to the Forum and no doubt some of the other members might be able to provide you with more information.

Best wishes

Andrzej

[Mark Marvin]

Konrad

Thank you so much for this information, it means a great deal to Danuta and I and our Children. My son is custodian of his Dzadza's medals, Berets and Tank Goggles which we have had framed along with the shirt with the medals,

Just reading this has got us both quite emotional. I will post better photos when I can.

Thank you

Mark

[Mark Marvin]

Andrzej

Thank you so much for this information, it means a great deal to Danuta and I and our Children. My son is custodian of his Dzadza's medals, Berets and Tank Goggles which we have had framed along with the shirt with the medals,

Just reading this has got us both quite emotional. We will definitely be following the link and plan to go to London in the near future

Thank you so much

Mark

[Mark Marvin]

There are 2 berets 0ne labelled 1945 the other labelling worn away looks older

[Krakow1]

Can you show the inside of the older beret please ?

[conrado]

Thank you very much Mark for the pictures.

The picture of the "Markiza" crew is awesome! From the left are: Kobierzycki, Tymieniecki, Jodis, Stapiński, and who is sitting on the tank?

And do you know when and where the photo was taken?

Regards
Konrad