The Saracen's Head

Happy Airborne Day!

Today is National Airborne Day!

So here's an airborne poem:

 

The sun was sinking slowly down the hot Tunisian hills

When we lined up at the airfield on that broiling summer’s eve;

We were tense with great excitement, we were raring for the kill,

And the pride was stiff within us of the Airborne on our sleeve.

We were green but quite undaunted, we were eager for a spree,

Though ‘twas hell that we were nearing on the hills of Sicily.

 

We took off in the darkness, smoothly forming into flights

Two hundred mighty transports throbbed out bravely in the night

We lost our bragging voices and our joking lost its fun

We were praying, we were silent, as we readied for the run.

Sarge called “Ready”, we were ready, we lined up above the sea

And we wondered what was waiting on the hills of Sicily.

 

"Saint Anthony!" We put ourselves in God’s almighty power

We jumped although the wind was screaming thirty miles an hour

Around us searchlights glistened, shellfire burst apart the sky

But we tumbled from the heavens with the good old Injun cry.

Before us lay a battle, grim from sea to bloody sea,

But we showed ourselves true soldiers on the hills of Sicily.

 

We have won this little island, we have won her with our blood

We have fought her menfolk, dug our graves and foxholes in her mud.

We have loved her, and ‘twas for her weeping people that we fought,

We have wept upon her, cursed her for the sorrow she has brought.

We are leaving for Salerno and the crags of Italy,

But Sicily’s soil is sacred to our comrades’ memory.

For their canopy forever is her flawless azure sky

And above them, wailing, mourning, is her foreign sea-gulls’ cry,

And her sunny sea is lapping at their gravestones as they lie

Where they gave their lives for freedom on the hills of Sicily.

posted by Mary Rose

"Goose Farm" is Liberated

In 1943, the Nazis had removed the inmates of the Warsaw concentration camps to an extermination site. Nearly 400 of the prisoners, mostly Jews of various nationalities, had been kept behind to destroy evidence of Nazi atrocities and would suffer the same fate as their comrades when their task was done.

The camp, known as "Goose Farm", was not on the Home Army's list of goals to capture, on account of its heavy fortifications. However, Zoska Battalion was composed of members of the Polish scouting program, and like true boy scouts the soldiers wanted to help their fellow man in his dire need. Having obtained approval for the mission, a group of volunteers attacked the camp on August 5th with the aid of two captured German tanks. The German guards were killed and the prisoners liberated with few losses to "Zoska". The Jews then organized themselves into a battalion, placed it under Zoskas' command, and were killed fighting in the uprising, almost to a man.

 

Hello! Warsaw Calling!

Today "Lightning" (Blyskawica), the radio station of the Home Army, began broadcasting! 

The uprising was not an insurrection undertaken on the spur of the moment, but a carefully planned, long-prepared-for, coordinated rebellion. Plans had even been laid for a great propaganda campaign which would unfold with the uprising, a campaign to be carried out by newspapers, speeches, songs, a theater, and a radio station.

However, the large antennae which the radio station were supposed to use were not captured, so the resourceful insurgents turned to plan B, which was to use a short-wave radio. The radio was damaged as it was being shipped from Czestechowa to Warsaw and the radio crew was not able to fix it until a week of the uprising had passed. For a while the crew wrote, translated, and broadcasted their messages with no response. At last on August 15th, Our Lady's feast day, London answered.

The station broadcasted in English and Polish, telling the progress of the uprising, giving reports on the living conditions in Warsaw, asking Britain for help. It also transmitted subversive propaganda in German.  

 

 

 

 

Fourth Day

The uprising has failed in the Praga district but many important buildings are in Polish hands. Infamous SS and Russian gangs massacred hundreds of civilians in Wola and Ochota. I have noticed that Himmler threw either specialized or criminal units into the defense of "Warschau" ...  

Against orders, a small group of Polish airmen flew from a British airbase in Italy to drop supplies over Warsaw--this is the first air support of the Rising.   

Third Day of the Rising

The Warsaw Uprising has gone on for three days...much of the city is in Polish hands, but Himmler has called for SS reinforcements. Polish losses have been  heavy and relief from the Allies is expected: 

"...we found a suitable garden and marked an area for parachute drops with white sheets. We were full of hope, aid was bound to arrive any time now: weapons, ammunition, all that was required for the conduct of war. But in vain did we search the sky..." -- Stanislaw Likiernik, soldier of "Kedyw" diversionary group   

Wordless Wednesday: New Book

Dad got a new book...this copy is from 1944!!!

(he got Our Lady of Czestochowa and General Komorowski in the shot too!)

Today, August 1st...

...at five in the afternoon, a battle began in the city of Warsaw... 

To Arms! In the ranks of the AK.

Ninety- Nine Going on a Hundred

St. Lawrence Church, consecrated April 20th, 1918

posted by Anna

100 Years Ago Today

On April 6th, 1917, the United States Congress declared war on Germany, thus entering WWI, the "war to end all wars". President Woodrow Wilson, the peace-lover, asked for war. Congress stood up and cheered its enthusiasm. As Wilson later said,

"Isn't it strange that men should cheer for war,"

This is the thing we fight:

A cry of terror in the night;

A ship on work of mercy bent--

A carrier of the sick and maimed--

Beneath the cruel waters sent,

And those who did it, unashamed.

--Edgar A Guest, c. 1917-18

"Godspeed"

 

...Beautiful and haughty, the great planes squatted on the level grass with their bold, blunt noses silhouetted against the brilliant African sunset and their majestic wings casting tremendous shadows across the airfield. Mechanics were still crawling over the big planes, calling to each other, doing last minute inspections. Trucks and jeeps moved about the airfield, lines of paratroopers marched to their planes, pilots stood in clumps talking of their plans... "Hand this charcoal around," said Schluch to Joe. The paratroopers smeared their faces with burnt cork as thoroughly as they could so that their faces would not show up pale and luminous in the dead of night. "This is it," said Dave, half to himself. Joe patted his shoulder in passing and Dave turned to meet his eye. Wordlessly they said goodbye, gripping each other's hard, strong, hand, trying to grin, but unable to speak. Who knew what fate awaited them in Sicily?

...At last, gaining speed, they started the takeoff, they were moving, running, hurtling down the runway, faster and faster until they lifted smoothly into the air and they were flying, gaining altitude and moving into formation. Hundreds of C-47's assembled over Tunisia that dark, windy night, and then the formation headed out for Sicily. Some paratroopers tried to relax, others stared blankly at nothing, clutching their reserve chutes. Dave twisted his sweaty hands, staring at the men across from him, their faces clear cut in a blurry haze, while old familiar prayers rattled in the back of his head...

"Thirty seconds," Joe said loudly, looking at his wristwatch. He was now to be the kicker, the last man out. Lieutenant Yates stood full in the door, clutching the sides of the plane. He would be the first to jump. Joe kept his eyes trained on the little red light by the door. Any second and he would give the signal to jump. Dave, a few men down the line, saw clearly every detail of Joe's good old familiar face in the light of a tracer bullet screaming by--the fine, thin features, the dark mustache, the clear blue eyes shining out of the smeary black soot...The light turned green. "Go!" Joe cried, thwacking the Lieutenant's shoulder, and with the undaunted cry "Geronimo!" the officer leapt into the darkness...

posted by Mary Rose

"We are Fighting!"

It is August first, the 72nd Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.

Morale is high.

We expect the Russians to come to our aid and the uprising to be done in a week at most.

Although it is raining and we only started fighting at five this afternoon, we are gaining our objectives.

Now the Germans and all the rest of the world will know the truth: Poland lives!

WWII Weekend

 On June 5th and 6th we attended MAAM's annual WWII Weekend, biggest event of the kind in the US. This huge show accommodates 1700 re-enactors, sixty-some-odd WWII planes, a bunch of authentic military vehicles, and many WWII veterans. We went dressed as the Polish Resistance of the Warsaw Uprising.

 

 Listen to the beautiful sound of those engines... This is the Helldiver, the Dauntless, and the Wildcat, warbirds of the Pacific, flying in formation. They make a terrific noise as they fly overhead, a sort of rattly-banging radial-engine roar. The planes do the craziest stuff, like flying upside down over the crowd.

This year there was a parachute drop from the C-46 Commando transport plane. It was real amazing to see 'the stick' float down just like in the books. Said one paratrooper in France to another, "They say Napoleon was the greatest soldier who ever lived." Said the other paratrooper, "Tell me, where did that guy ever jump?"

Here comes the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk! Isn't she pretty? These birds were flown by a group of volunteer American airmen, 'The Flying Tigers', in China.

 

This lumbering queen of the skies is a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. Look at her props whirling as she thunders by, glinting in the bright June sun. During the whole event authentic airplanes are continuously passing overhead.

The airplanes that don't happen to be flying at the moment are parked at sundry intervals on the freeways, and goons can just walk up and pat them fondly, getting grease on their hands.

We wandered around the encampments and met the real Polish re-enactors:

They had some nifty old rifles, which the 'Jan' and 'Maxymilian' were glad to take in hand, as the Polish Home Army was badly equipped. There's the Polish flag in the background, and beyond you can see a transport plane and the British tents.

We went down to the Russky camp, and the partisans did a little strumming and dancing.

 At intervals throughout the days the Scottish, British, and Australian troops marched by, to the wailing of the bagpipe.

Here go the troops on their way to the front. At the start of the first day many of the antique military vehicles barreled past in a convoy, smelling of gasoline smoke and oldness.

 We all got to try out this lovely OD bicycle in the Pacific theater.

During the skirmish in the French Village the Germans are evicting the French Resistance from its headquarters.  However, in subsequent battles, the GIs came to the rescue and won.

In the main Hangar are long tables where you can meet Veterans...

I was astounded and excited to meet a real live Polish Resistance member, Julian Kulski.  He was in the resistance when he was only twelve! Read all about it in The Color of Courage--sure to be a terrible, thrilling tale. He returned our salute:

In a little olive drab shack we had a chance to get away from the crowds and speak with another WWII veteran, George Moore, who recounted his Battle of the Bulge experience for us.

This is a really great event (conglomeration, happening, festival, show). One can just wander along the freeways all day. Oh, look, a B-25, let's go pose with the propeller. Oh, there's a WWII veteran watching the show, let's go meet him. Look up! A Corsair is flying overhead! Isn't it pretty? Watch out, that jeep is going to run us over...

This is the one-and-only flying Superfortress in the world. Also notice that all the flags had forty-eight stars. 

Are you coming next year?

(for more information, read Mother's blog)

Posted by Mary Rose

Tennessee...

 "Please, who won the battle here?"

..."I'd say the cussed bluebellies did, even if they withdrew over the other side of the breastworks. South of here is all Confederate-held now. Our old Gen'ral Hood'll attack 'em in Nashville later on. He'll track 'em there and whip 'em. He's goin' to make 'em bawl for what they done to us at Franklin on the last day of November, 1864."

-Patricia Beatty, Turn Homeward, Hannalee

 

Posted by Lydia GT

Thrilling

Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he who stands it now deserves the love and thanks of men and women. Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered...

Men cry, peace, peace! But there is no peace.

War is inevitable, and let it come!

Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others will take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Now we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure...

This Would Be No Ordinary War, My Friends...You cannot make peace with the devil...

Do you want to lie here and get killed or get up and do something about it?

If I should die, think only this of me, that there's some corner of a foreign field that is forever England...

There'll always be an England And England shall be free, If England means as much to you As England means to me...

Take up our quarrel with the foe, To you from failing hands we throw The torch. Be yours to hold it high...

The Banners of the King go forth!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

 

 

compiled and edited by MRE 

It was meant to be inspiring for people who write novels in November.

(General D. Eisenhower, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, the War of the Vendee, officer on D-Day, Rupert Brooke, Hugh Charles, John McCrae)

Another Szaszak Family Portrait

L-R: Vin, Ma, Joe, Meg, Fid, Dave, Liz

Posted by Anna R. B.