The turmoil of war in 1939 forced itself into the history of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Its hostages were both civilians, who had to struggle against the difficulties of life under occupation, as well as the military, who had to fight the enemy, often on foreign soil, under foreign leadership. It is this last group that we would like to celebrate in our presentation today.
The collection of photographs which we have prepared presents the extracts from the lives of Polish soldiers who were thrown by fate on the various fronts during World War II, far from their homes, families and fatherland. These materials are stored in the records of the Krakow Cable and Cable Machine Factory in Krakow. They arrived here thanks to the initiative of History Report, which since 1964 has been active in the area of the factory, collecting sources for scientific works or articles on the subject of the factory and the people connected with it. Therefore, we can today look at photographs from the private collections of former soldiers, whose lives connected with Krakow’s “Kable”.
The presented photographs come mainly from the albums of Sergeant Ludwik Łata, Franciszek Żmudzki and Franciszek Siuty. We can meet the war stories of these and other participants of the events of 1939-1945 from conducted interviews, the texts of which are stored among the materials gathered by the History Report of the factory.
Go to galleryPolish soldiers waiting in Romania for transport to France, third from the right: Sergeant Ludwik Łata [in September 1939 the chief of administration for the 112 Attack Squad of the Polish Army, in 1940 delegated to Battalion 303], 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.173
ID card of a member of the Polish air force unit of the French army, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.191
ID document of Ludwik Łata in the British army, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.192
Soldiers with a Polish flag at the airport of Battalion 303, 1942 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.186
Naval ship “Błyskawica” and personnel of Battalion 303, second from the right: Ludwik Łata, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.187
Witold Łokuciewski – a pilot of Battalion 303, 1942 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.179
Personnel of Battalion 303, 1944 ANK, ref. no.. 29/1865/photo.413
Polish air force pilots in the west, first from the right: Ludwik Łata, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.414
Pilots of Battalion 303 by a plane, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.412
Battalion 303, second from left: Ludwik Łata, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 9/1865/photo.178
German plane shot down by a Polish pilot, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.415
Polish army camp in Great Britain, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2095
Command tent of the Polish Army in the Polish camp – Great Britain, 1940 ANK, ref. no.. 29/1865/photo.2096
Polish army in Scotland, 1942 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2093
Burning Polish airfield in Belgium, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.182
Funeral of a soldier of Battalion 303, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.174
Soldiers from Battalion 303 in Germany, 1945 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.175
Gen. Władysław Sikorski decorates Polish soldiers, 1942 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.180
Polish soldiers in Egypt, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2105
Polish soldiers on the eastern front, 1943 ANK, ref. no.. 29/1865/photo.236
Field mass in Iraq, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.206
Polish army orchestra in Palestine, 1941 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.217
Polish army orchestra in Egypt, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.215
Placard informing about the match between Polish army and British army teams in Egypt, 1940 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2112
Placard informing about the match between Polish army and British army teams in Baghdad, 1941 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2113
The Shah of Iraq congratulating the Polish army football team, 1941 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.2115
Evacuation to a shelter during an air raid in Egypt, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.209
Polish soldiers in Italy, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.211
Inspection of Polish army unit in Italy, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.234
Christmas Eve in Anders Army, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.212
Polish soldiers in Italy, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.225
Polish trumpeter at Monte Cassino, 1944, ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.221
Issuing meals at the Italian frontline, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.409
Supply of water at Monte Cassino, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.240
Carrying the wounded at Monte Cassino, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.407
Soldiers by the radio, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.226
Polish Army scout near Monte Cassino, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.220
Combat position at Monte Cassino, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.408
Artillery unit of the Polish armed forces in Italy, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.243
Urns with the ashes of Polish soldiers who died in Italy, 1944 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.210
Franciszek Siuta by the graves of Polish soldiers in Loretto, 1945 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.200
Polish soldiers in Italy [from the left, probably Major Melik Somchjanc and General Bronisław Duch], 1943 ANK, ref. no.. 29/1865/photo.223
Ship of the Republic of Poland “Błyskawica”, 1943 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.207
Ship of the Republic of Poland “Krakowiak”, 1942 ANK, ref. no. 29/1865/photo.218