Getting to know my father through his wartime diaries
In this entry, the extent of the occupation (after just the first week of action) starts to become clear. 08/09/1939 Dawn broke as we glimpsed the Nida River in the distance and beyond that Nowy Korczyn. With the Nida came the hope of creating an organised resistance against the pursuing enemy. But we were naïve … Continue reading Two Glasses of Good Vodka and a Very Brief Respite
In the previous extract Józef wrote, “it is difficult to describe what happened” as they faced yet another obstacle, this time in the form of a bridge on the point of collapse, but a little later he went on to describe the situation in more detail What went on there, what we saw, gave the … Continue reading Pandemonium and Sandy Terrain
Last week I shared some of Józef's words from a different part of the diaries, to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland. The extract below now returns to the chronology of the previous posts I've shared, the last of which can be found here: My Beloved Kraków. 7/09/1939 I kept my … Continue reading German Armoured Units Already in Sight
On 1st September 2019 people across Europe are remembering the events of 80 years ago today, when war broke out following the German invasion of Poland. Józef’s experience of that day is recorded in the entry he titled, “War… War… War” which can be found here: Waking up to War. In a subsequent entry covering … Continue reading 80 Years On
Just under a week after war was declared, Józef and his squadron arrive in Kraków. Having heard rumours about the city's fate and seen the devastation in towns and villages on the way they would now able to see for themselves what the situation was in Kraków. 6/09/1939 We arrived in Toń during the night. Every … Continue reading My Beloved Kraków
Kraków is in sight but there are more and more signs of the impact of the invasion. There are quite a few place names in this extract as Józef’s squadron continues its journey towards Kraków. In 1939 these would presumably have been separate villages and settlements whereas now they are part of the city of … Continue reading News of Kraków and Częstochowa
Over the next day or two, Józef goes into a lot of detail about the continuing journey towards Kraków. He describes the difficulties of potholes and of manoeuvring the carts across ditches, damaged bridges and past roadblocks of various kinds. His long entry for the 4th September includes the following: We crossed the Kreszowice to … Continue reading Continuing towards Kraków
Here Józef gives a brief example of the plight of civilians as they try to escape the invasion and the dilemma he faces in obeying the rules or following his instincts. It was a beautiful day and the sun was scorching as on all those September days. We passed another manor house set up as … Continue reading Fleeing Citizens
At the end of the previous extract Józef set off with Lieut. Zielinski in the latter's car towards Ząbkowice and took the opportunity to ask him what he knew about the situation. 3/09/1939 Once the whole supply column had arrived, the sergeant received instructions and we continued on. We arrived in Ząbkowice and headed to … Continue reading Ząbkowice towards Kraków
Well this week I am so pleased to have finally finished translating the 1st of my father’s 2 exercise books, in which he wrote his wartime diaries. I feel quite a sense of achievement having got this far and am trying not to think too much about the fact that I still have to … Continue reading A Milestone Reached!
The old man chauffeuring me wasn’t managing very well and because of his age he was driving haphazardly in the dark. So at his own request, he was released from the army and praising God he made his way back to Giszowiec. I was given a young driver and we headed towards Siewierz but it … Continue reading From Giszowiec towards Siewierz – part four: Sad News from Silesia
You may have noticed that in the first part of Józef’s entry for this date, both the squadron and the supply column travelled together. However in this third part of the entry, the squadron moves on towards Siewierz, while the supply column remains behind until the evening, at which point Józef receives some different orders. … Continue reading From Giszowiec towards Siewierz – part three
To read part one of this section click here. Part two below. 02/09/1939 It was already well after midnight when we reached Strzyżów. The Commander called a halt here, so the supply column personnel made themselves comfortable keeping out of sight under apple and pear trees in local gardens. The kitchen was set up in … Continue reading From Giszowiec towards Siewierz – part two: Who Can Sleep?
As the unit continues its preparations on 1st September, Józef’s description of the rather ad hoc motorised squadron highlights some of the differences in provision between the German and Polish armies. The far wealthier German army was heavily motorised whereas this unit appears to be relying almost entirely on private vehicles. In this, the … Continue reading From Giszowiec towards Siewierz – part one: Without Lights
After Józef's heartfelt passage about Poland's fate, he writes a second entry about the events that unfolded in the camp on the day war was declared. The fact that this was written at a later date explains the apparent irony of his comments on the state of the army. 01/09/39 Whatever was that terrible explosion … Continue reading Waking up to War
Józef’s diary entry for 1st September 1939 was simply one line: Wojna…Wojna…Wojna. (War…War…War). After that he starts a new section of his diary headed The September Campaign. He begins this section with a very patriotic and poetic passage. Well, his Polish is very poetic but is therefore hard to translate. I'm not sure my translation has … Continue reading O Poland! Who Saw You?
Click here to read part one. Part two below. During our stay in Chorzów my uncle took us to Kraków and showed us the wonderful, historic places there. The magic of Kraków definitely made a lasting impression on me even as a child. We then drove further south to where the rest of the family lived. … Continue reading Discovering Poland – part two
The diary extracts posted so far have covered the period from Józef being commissioned into the Polish army in 1938 up until the outbreak of war on 1st September 1939. Before posting extracts from the next stage of his journey, I’d like to describe briefly another European journey; my family’s trip in the early 1960s … Continue reading Discovering Poland
At this point in his diaries Józef returns to describing the preparations taking place in the final days before the outbreak of war: I set up the sick quarters in a pre-school nursery building. There was a place to sleep next door with the non-commissioned officers, on the straw in some kind of emptied out … Continue reading Wojna…Wojna…Wojna…
When Józef writes (retrospectively) about the last tense days of August 1939 he covers just over 5 pages in his exercise book with descriptions of his squadron colleagues. A selection of these follows. Sometimes he uses full names, sometimes just an initial in place of a surname and at other times he omits the name … Continue reading Character Studies at the Brink of War
It really wasn’t my intention to have such long gaps between posts, so I hope you haven’t given up on me! Although I have done a draft translation of a large part of my father’s first book, much of it still requires quite a bit of work to improve it enough for public consumption. So … Continue reading The Final Days of August 1939
In accordance with my orders I report to Dr Różalski, the head of the divisional health HQ with some trepidation…what sort of man is he? But he turned out to be a pleasant old gentleman who, prior to becoming a major, was a civilian official with the Silesian Department of Health. He tells me: “You … Continue reading Will There Be War?
…nothing good would come of “getting lost”; it seems I am at fault for him losing me! Some Background In August 1939, at the end of the last extract Józef was called back to answer to the Lieut. Colonel. Earlier entries in his diaries (and his official war records) reveal that he had definitely received … Continue reading Emerging Anxieties – part two
You may remember from a previous post that Jósef had been sent from Katowice to the Pszczyna district in late August 39. As the situation worsens and the outbreak of war draws very close, tensions are clearly building. 27/08/1939 On the 27th August I pass by a new detachment of infantry and artillery that’s been sent … Continue reading Emerging Anxieties
We first visited Poland in the summer of 1962 when I was 12 years old. Here I met for the first time, all seven of my father’s brothers and sisters along with my grandfather and numerous cousins (more of this visit later). Among these was Józef’s youngest sister Łucja, who I went on to meet … Continue reading Some Family Memories
The first part of my father’s diaries contains some brief entries about his period of training in the army. I was struck by his evident pride in the Polish army which is reiterated in many further sections, but also by the hints of his disenchantment with the leadership. In early October 1938 he wrote the … Continue reading Training and Conflict
I had hoped to post something more on the blog sooner than this, but I have been trying to improve some translating I did several years ago at the start of this project. I want to post a short extract about my father’s time at the army training school in 1938/1939. He describes a little … Continue reading I’m still here!
This section was one of the first parts that I translated and my father's poignant comment has stuck in my mind ever since. 22/08/1939 On the 22nd August I received an order by telephone from Lieutenant Colonel Szebesta, to go immediately to the Pszczyna area and take up the position of doctor for the … Continue reading Some Sadly Prophetic Words
Following my father’s death in London in 1952, two Polish language newspapers – Myśl Polska (printed in England) and Słowo Polskie (printed in France) – published obituary notices. I was intrigued to read these and learn more about my father's activities as a student in Poland and after he settled in England. Below are excerpts … Continue reading My Father’s Obituaries
The first main section of my father’s diary is headed “Przygotowania wojenne” (Preparations for war). It covers a period from September 1938 to 31st August 1939. 24/09/1938 On that memorable September day in 1938 when the fate of Czechoslovakia hung in the balance, when diplomats’ planes repeatedly flew across the borders of other countries, … Continue reading Preparations for War
