Map from Norman Davies’ book Trail of Hope: The Anders Army, An Odyssey Across Three Continents
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Polish sappers at work
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My camp was now in Coccolia near Forli but I visited her regularly for a couple of days every two weeks, and wrote to her every day.
Camp at Coccolia. Jurek with his wife Danusia in the middle
Sporting life was flourishing at this time: football, volleyball, basketball with various championships to play.
Volleyball team (Jurek 3rd from left)
On 6th May Jurek went with a delegation to consecrate the Polish cemetery in Loreto.
On 18 May 1945 Jurek was present at the consecration ceremony of the 5KDP/5th Kresowa Infantry Division Memorial Cross.
Jurek is standing beside the top step.
The cross was constructed from the steel framework of a Bailey bridge and was erected on Hill 575 to honour the memory of the Division's 503 dead and 1,531 wounded.
Jurek was wounded at Monte Cassino during the night of 11-12 May 1944 but was back in service after spending three months in hospital in Casamasima, southern Italy.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
On 15th July I left the hospital and went to a convalescent camp by the seaside in the grounds of the 3rd Hospital near Taranto. We spent our time pleasantly, the weather was beautiful, so we sunbathed on the beach, sometimes went to Taranto or Bari and so the three weeks passed. But I was tired of all those medical institutions and wanted to get back to my company. The frontline was far behind Rome, and our Corps went along the Adriatic Sea coastline to Ancona.
One of the strongest of Germany's east-west defensive lines in Italy was the Gothic Line. It ran from Pisa in the west to Rimini in the east, followed several rivers and the chain of the Apennines. The Poles continued to advance north along the coast, taking Senigallia.
I left on 13th August and on 15th August I was already back in my company, which was standing in reserve in the city of Ostra. On 17 August 1944 Jurek returned to his Company stationed in Istra and took back command of the 3rd platoon which took part in actions on the Metauro, Cesano and Arzilla Rivers on the Adriatic coast. Then they retreated for a rest to Porto San Elpidio located by the seaside and even went to Rome for a four-day visit. They began to visit the girl drivers from the all-female 316th Transport Company, who were stationed close by.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
In October we went up the mountains to Arezzo, Assisi and we stopped in Pietro di Bagno (Bagno di Romagna). We travelled through beautiful mountain passes at a height of 1300 m and we saw the first snow. The terrain was exceedingly difficult; there was complete wilderness, mud and strong enemy resistance. We had to take every house by storm and every road needed to be cleared of mines or repaired. The traffic accumulated on one road, which was often damaged and all the bridges were washed away. We carried on towards Santa Sofia, Galatea and Strada San Zeno and on to Predappio Nuova. We had a lot of work to do; we often worked only a half kilometre away from the infantry front line, under the enemy’s artillery and mortar fire. We built many Bailey bridges and made plenty of culverts because as a rule it was impossible to bypass. I became a Bailey bridge expert and did the most difficult bridges. But we were lucky. We had only three people wounded. But just before Predappio we had bad luck as a shell fell onto a group of sappers and killed five of them.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
In November the Company was stationed in Predappio Nuova. It was calm again and we needed to think of some entertainment. The 316th Transport Company was not far away; it was 10 km away in Meldola. We visited our old acquaintances and met some new ones
But the last days of our stay in Predappio ended with a very unfortunate accident. Lieutenant Kazio Smolikowski was blown up on an R.Mi.43a German mine which he wanted to disarm as an exhibit. Eighteen pounds of TNT did their job and we had to scrape Kazio off the building wall to a sandbag. We buried him in Predappio but we were very sad as Kazio was a fine chap and I felt sorry for him. But, all in all, it was war and we were all prepared for a similar destiny.
Then they were back in the mountains again, led through by only one extremely bad road which was very visible to the enemy and frequently under artillery fire. The weather was very bad with constant rain with snow, so the work was hard and had to take place at night. So they continued working: transporting stones to fill in the mud, laying and clearing mines, building Bailey bridges, fighting the enemy in the mountain passes, etc. Very often working blindly at night, as any light attracted the enemy’s artillery fire at once.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
Christmas was coming, so we were getting ready, bought or stole candles, wine and other delicacies. But at Christmas Eve an order came to build a Bailey bridge next to a school, as the stone bridge got damaged by the artillery and there was a threat of collapsing. So we set up a 40” bridge in seven hours and we called it ‘Wigilijny’(Christmassy). Then we had a fairly safe and covered segment of the road, so we worked during the day and in the evening, we drank to the fullest.
1945
The Adriatic Campaign
In March they finished their training and moved back to the east coast, to Faenza. The permanent frontline was located there. They worked a little with bridge mining ‘just in case’ and trained crossing rivers. The next attack was supposed to go towards the River Senio and towards Bologna.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
I was still visiting the 316th Company and kept looking for a wife. I flicked through and checked the entire 3rd Platoon, and it seemed to me that I found someone at last. I met a little Danuśka not long ago and I thought it would work out for us. But for now, the recent preparations for action took a lot of time and I couldn’t think about romance. We spent Easter peacefully, but we got drunk. Our moonshine experts made rather good spirits out of wine, so we were self-sufficient in terms of alcohol. The Jerrys were also able to respect our holiday and kept silent.
Sadly the morale of the troops was given a massive blow in February 1945 when they heard about the outcome of the Yalta conference. Most of the soldiers came from the Kresy area which had been handed over to the Soviet Union, so now they had lost their land and the homes they had been fighting for. Despite what felt like a betrayal, General Anders agreed to carry out this last operation which lasted from 9 – 21 April 1945, led by British and American commanders.
After fighting on the River Senio, they got to the Gaiana Canal which was exceptionally well-fortified and defended fanatically by the SS troops
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
……and the marksmen – the sharpshooters caused heavy losses to the attacking troops, hunting especially for officers and group commanders. The shots were extremely accurate, aiming either at the head or the heart. The commandos also suffered huge losses, a few officers from the sharpshooter group got killed, and even the chaplain, who was walking on the first line and hearing the confession of the dying, got shot in the head and died.
From 12–14 April Polish forces fought the Germans at the Santerno River and captured Imola.
From 15–16 April, the Poles fought at the Sillaro River and the Medicina Canal.
On 17 April, the commander of the Eighth Army ordered the Polish forces to continue their push towards Bologna from the east.
On the river Idice, the last resistance was broken by the 15th Uhlans Regiment and the road to Bologna was open.
By 6:15 am on 21 April the Poles had secured the city, displaying Polish flags from the Town Hall and the Torre Asinelli, the highest tower in the city. The local Italian population welcomed the Poles as their liberators.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
On 21st April 1945 we entered the city, which got very hysterical, they welcomed us as ‘Liberatori’ in grand style. Plenty of partisans also appeared, armed to the teeth - though we hadn’t seen them anywhere else during the operation.
Our task was completed, and we retreated, while the New Zealand Corps and the Gurkhas went further. We settled down in a couple of houses near the city of Medicina and rested after recent hardships.
Click here for film: Liberation of Bologna
The citizens of Bologna welcomed the Allied soldiers as liberators, yet many Polish soldiers would never see their own homes again.
The Battle of Bologna was the last battle of the Polish II Corps, which was taken out of the front line on 22 April 1945. American and British troops completed their encirclement of the German forces north of the Reno River, the 8th Indian Division crossed the Po River and the German forces in Italy capitulated on 29 April
The 2nd Corps was then withdrawn for recuperation, thus ending its campaign in Italy. On 8th May 1945 Germany capitulated in Italy giving the rest of the country back without a struggle.
There are 1072 soldiers buried at Monte Cassino but nearly 2500 are buried in cemeteries across Italy. The total number of Polish casualties in the Italian Campaign (killed and wounded) was 11,000.
The 2nd Corps was then withdrawn for recuperation, thus ending its campaign in Italy. On 8th May 1945 Germany capitulated in Italy giving the rest of the country back without a struggle.
The sappers occupied their old quarters in San Savino for the second time and put their equipment and accoutrement in order.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
Now I had plenty of time, so I used to visit my girl, who was based in Forli, almost every day. I made up my mind and decided to get married. My proposal was without flowers or champagne, but it was honest for sure. Sitting on her bed I asked her directly: ‘Should we get married, Danuśka?”, and she nodded her head and said: ‘I guess so’. So I applied to the Corps Commander for permission and wrote a letter to her parents. Her father, an old legionary and a military settler, wrote me back asking me to consider whether Danuśka wasn’t just my temporary officer’s toy, because as a father he wanted his child to be happy. I thought about it and wrote back to him that Danuśka wasn’t a toy to me and that we were really and truly in love.
In May 1945 Jurek was part of a delegation to Monte Cassino to consecrate the newly opened Polish Cemetery and to lay flower wreaths on his friends' graves.
In June the Company was moved south to the city of Tortoreto. New replenishment of men from German POWs had come, so training began, and the company consisted of 350 soldiers. Meanwhile, Jurek was busy planning their wedding. In July a friend had got married and the bride was wearing a white dress. She looked so beautiful that Jurek decided that Danuśka also had to have such a dress. So he went shopping to Bologna and bought some fabric for Danuśka’s dress, though first she had to apply for special permission to wear a wedding dress, rather than her uniform.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
Sunday, 19th August 1945 came. After dinner we left with the entire group to Porto Recanati where the 316th Transport Company was stationed. Danuśka was already dressed and incredibly calm, which I couldn’t say about myself at all. I felt excited about that moment and I wanted everything to be over soon.
At 6 p.m. at St Giorgio Church in Porto San Giorgio, Reverend Słomiński joined us in marriage. Danuśka looked really beautiful, which wasn’t only mine, but all the guests’ and even the neutral onlookers’, opinion. I kept saying to her in front of the altar: ‘Danuś, think about what you are doing, there is still time’ but it didn’t save her and we got married. Captain Władysław Kryk and 316 commandant, Lieutenant Małgorzata Baczewska were there as our substitute parents. The 6th Infantry Brigade’s orchestra played ‘Ave Maria’ and the Mendelsohn’s Wedding March.
We left the church in a beautiful motorcade: two limousines, around 30 jeeps and 10 GMCs to the Company’s camp in Tortoreto, where, due to the lack of a bigger place, the ballroom was arranged in the garden, on a Bailey bridge in a horseshoe shape. All the sapper battalions had been informed about the wedding, so those who wanted to come arrived. All sapper units in the Corps were represented, and the officers of our battalion were at full strength. There was a lot of food and drink and it was all delicious. The orchestra played beautifully. We left at 3 a.m. but the rest had fun until morning.
They spent their honeymoon in Venice and Lake Como, near Milan. Jurek managed to get a pass to use his jeep, which he left in the military garage and they got to Lido by gondola. They stayed in a house for ‘married couples’ ran by the Catholic Action.
After a week they continued to Lake Como and checked in at a hotel in Cadenabbia on the other side of the lake. They had a luxurious flat, two rooms with a bath and a view over the lake.
You can read Danusia's story here.
After the honeymoon, Danusia went back to her 316 Company at Porto Recanati, and Jurek went on a course to the Sappers Training Centre in Capua, for training on water and land. Here they also formed a highly successful football team.
On 20th November Danusia left the 316 Transport company and begun her secondary education at the Polish school in Porto San Giorgio. The inauguration ceremony began with great pomp, even General Anders was there.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
On 8th December I was already in Porto San Giorgio, and Danuśka told me in my sleep all about the entire school opening celebration. She was very excited about studying and was a good student.
1946
We lived from day to day, we trained a little and we destroyed sappers’ ammunition, which we had too much of. I lived and breathed the thought of how to get out to my Baby, which I sometimes managed to do.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
I returned to my Company and we began preparing for the 5KDP Volleyball Championship. We did well in the Unbrigaded Units, but in the semi-final in May we lost to the 5th Heavy Machine Gun Squadron and finally only got 2nd place.
18th May – Monte Cassino anniversary, big celebrations in Ancona, there was a motorcycle relay race with Monte Cassino soil and a football match between the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (the champion of the Corps) and the Tank Training Centre, which was won by those young ones (2:1).
I was really cross as the Captain didn’t let me go to Danuśka, despite the fact I was in Ancona, just because there was a triathlon.
21st May - there was an athletic triathlon for the Battalion’s and individual Championships - 1st place, for our company as a team, before the 4th Railway Sappers Company.
23rd – 26th May – I went to Danuśka again. We visited her brother Boguś in Amandola and a friend in Grotta-Mare. His yacht was already finished and looked quite good.
27th May – we played basketball and defeated the 4th Company and the Park, winning the Battalion’s Championship.
General Anders was there to give out prizes.
On 10 April, Polish forces pushed the Germans away from the Senio River.
In February 1945 the Company moved to Lido di Roma for military training on water, settling 27 km from Rome, by the sea at the estuary of the River Tiber.
They trained in building Bailey bridges on water and various bridge crossing segments.
In the evenings they used to go to Rome to see an opera or an operetta.
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Through the spring of 1946 Jurek trained, did various courses and some roadside inspections. During the day he drove around and filed reports, and at nights stayed with Danuśka in Porto San Giorgio. This was a drive of about 200 km, sometimes by jeep, sometimes he had to hitch-hike. Now there was even time for parties, weddings, christenings, and shopping trips to Bologna, where he bought Danusia a coat and a pair of shoes for her birthday in March.
Experimental Bailey bridge, 3 levels, 2 walls. Capua Oct 1945
Starting in early June, the Polish army covered 250km, winning battles for the rivers of Chienti, Potenza and Mussone by 9 July, then the hills and town of Osimo and finally Ancona which they captured on 18 July 1944. The battle of Ancona was the only fully independent battle fought by General Anders’ 2nd Polish Corps in Italy. The sappers of 5KDP played a significant part. The capture of the key port of Ancona meant that the Allied Army on the Adriatic could use Ancona instead of the port of Bari, 260 miles to the south, for transporting supplies. Loreto is the final resting place of 1081 Polish soldiers, who fell in the battles for Loreto and Ancona.
In the first days of August 1944 Jurek travelled to the 7th Infantry Division near Mottola where he was awarded the Virtuti Militari.
Excerpt from Jurek’s journal:
High Mass was said by my head teacher from the 3rd class of junior high school, a Jesuit, Reverend Kucharski. After Mass we were ordered to step forward and after having listened to a long and very moving speech by Colonel Peszek we were decorated with the orders on our chests. Next, we went onto the platform to receive the division's parade even including the Women's Auxiliary Service. After the parade we had tea at the officers’ canteen and after numerous congratulations I went home.
Bologna has the largest Polish cemetery with 1,432 soldiers of the 2nd Corps who fell in battle on the Gothic Line, in the Apennines, on the River Senio and during the liberation of Bologna.
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Capua Oct 1945. Jurek top left
Polish 2nd Corps crossing the River Senio on a Bailey bridge
June 1946 Jurek's division left Verona by train to the UK, via Austria, France to Calais, and later by ship over the English Channel to Dover.
Jurek 2nd from right
Here Jurek met his friend Kostek Sobolewski (whose life he had saved at the battle of Monte Cassino).
3. JERZY (JUREK) GRADOSIELSKI
1916-1989
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