Life / Polish culture do's and dont's? [106]


Yes, only young Poles are allowed to say "sorry" (or diminutive: "sorki" - pronounced: /sorkee/) instead of przepraszam ;-) Not foreigners.


Don't treat it too seriously. Most Poles who speak English don't even know the word "acquaintance", and if you're foreigner, calling others "friends" is OK.


Exception: in the mountains.

History / WAS KATYŃ GENOCIDE? Polish officers were killed [237]


Probably because it was not supported by sources.

Life / You are Polish if... [433]


No, only THE Netherlands - but it just confirms the rule ;-)

(by the way, I was rather convinced, that Poles mostly omit these unnecessary a/the things, of very unclear and doubtful purpose ;-)


But only Wedel's :-P


Nooo... You find jokes about "Polak, Rusek i Nemiec" funny and true! (I don't know, if they are still told nowadys though... They used to be popular in a primary school)

Law / Car Insurance for a foreigner living in Poland on a temporary permit [6]

Probably you ought to pay it. You may write more details, what was that bill supposed to be (and upon what legal basis).

Law / Car Insurance for a foreigner living in Poland on a temporary permit [6]

Yes, there is a law, that an insurance compay may re-count a premium, starting from a day of buying a car, taking into account discounts or penalties of the new owner. A seller should inform the insurance company about selling a car in 30 days, so they can react earlier. Anyway, the insurance will be most probably* renewed automatically, unless you resign from continuing it (you can do it until one day before it expires, in written form).

*(I wrote "most probably", because I'm not sure, if they treat premium as fully paid, in case, if one doesn't pay the difference coming from re-counting the premium... The insurance doesn't get renewed, if the premium for a previous year hasn't been paid)

Life / You are Polish if... [433]

- if you are angry, that the world is not grateful to Poland for inventing a kerosene lamp in 1853 by Ignacy £ukasiewicz

Life / You are Polish if... [433]


Well, we were always told, that THIS is the famous, highly estimated British sense of humour... ;-)

History / The Gustloff - one of the worst maritime disasters that seemed to never have happened [66]

I have a feeling, that it's the opposite - many people in Poland heard about Gustloff in fact.
Not many will be able to tell any of big British or US liners sunk during both world wars. And on the other hand, very few people in the Western part of the world heard about some Soviet hospital ship (I don't even remember its name) sunk in the Black Sea in 1941 with a roughly similar number of refugees, like on Gustloff.

By the way, there was other German ship: Goya, sunk in 1945, that, according to some, might have carried more people, than Gustloff.

History / Polish armored trains form I and II World War [32]


Right. Not many German or Soviet armoured trains of World War II were destroyed by the airforce as well.


Small gaps of destroyed track were easily repairable. Bomb craters could be filled with earth, what took more time, but it also could be done. In addition, not many of regular infantry troops, that encounter an armoured train, carry explosives or merely tools to disconnect rails ;-)

In the Polish Campaign there were several cases, when the armoured train halted German advance for a day (the mentioned Nr. 53 Śmiały at Mokra, Nr.54 Groźny at Wyry) or was a core of the Polish defence for several days (Nr.52 Piłsudczyk). The German soldiers, describing encounters with armoured trains in diaries, were usually quite impressed... ;-)

Check already mentioned site - you'll find there combat usage of most of the Polish trains in 1939
derela.republika.pl/armtrain.htm

History / Polish armored trains form I and II World War [32]

Naturally, I don't mean, that armoured trains were invincible - but it was really not easy to fight them, especially for infantry. A battery of machine guns in a train discouraged from raising a head.

Anti-tank guns were best option, but they were not always available, especially in forests - and not all hits could stop the train anyway.
Even a Tiger company had some difficulty with a Soviet train "Moskovski metropoliten" armed with 76 mm guns, at Kursk battle.

History / Polish armored trains form I and II World War [32]


It wasn't quite true in case of World War II. Of course, post-war main battle tanks and precise jet aircraft strikes made armoured trains obsolete in full scale conflict, but in World War II they were still useful and formidable opponents. Note, that Germany had less than 10 half-improvised armoured trains in 1939, much weaker, than the Polish ones, but they evaluated the idea as useful one, and from 1941 until the end of war they operated several dozens of armoured trains, most of them newly built. The Soviet Union operated roughly counting 100 armoured trains during the war, also most of them newly built.

From among German trains, there was not one destroyed by the aircraft (while on the move, at least - one was bombed in Kovel). In case of Soviet ones, there were more destroyed by the aircraft, but still it wasn't great number.

While it is true, that probably most trains were lost being cut off from main units and surrounded (due to destroyed bridges or time needed to repair a track), a sabotage was not a great threat. The train wasn't moving fast, so in case of derailment or impact mines, only a front flatcar was derailed or damaged. Remote mines were used by partisans rather, than regular troops - but they would have to know, that the armoured train would ride that way, and when (it's much easier to blow up a regular train). All in all, it would probably be an occupied area, and the damaged train could be recovered.

News / Did you know that Polish army is the weakest in Central Europe?.. [150]


Yes, we should have. But in that case, we would be probably listed on a "terrorists' supporting countries list", that was assembled by Bush administration those times :-(

News / Did you know that Polish army is the weakest in Central Europe?.. [150]

You haven't much idea about military aviation, have you? F-16 is indeed an old technology, but the aircraft are new and in newest version, with modern electronics, and therefore are better, than most of mentioned aircraft in Europe, that entered service 10-20 years ago. Especially Russian Su-27s are old examples. The only modern fighters manufactured by Russian through past 20 years were export variants of Su-27/Su-30 for India and other countries - while the Russian military budget was too poor to afford newest Su-27 variants. And a technology of Mirage 2000, F-18 Hornet and Su-27 is only marginally newer, than F-16's - compare first flight dates, all in the 1970s ;)

Having said this, I still regret, that Poland hadn't bought Gripens, which were newer, cheaper, European ...and not demanding sterile runways. In addition, their manufacturer offered fair offset proposals (contrary to Lockheed) and serious customer support - for the USA, Poland is one of dozens of F-16 customers, and definitely not too important one...

News / Did you know that Polish army is the weakest in Central Europe?.. [150]


Years of studying "nowa Technika Wojskowa" and "Raport" etc military magazines ;)


Why 96?.. Maybe 120 - or 144?... :-)

These toys cost rather much...


In reality, Poland is almost non-existing player on world's defence market. Malaysia bought only several dozen of tanks. If you meant a tank contest in Peru, it was won by China. As for Iraq - Poland managed to gain a little fraction of orders for rifles and armoured cars, while US manufacturers are benefiting from destroying of Iraqi equipment by the US Army. They even sell the Iraqis used post-Soviet tanks, upgraded in USA, and don't mind to share any piece of this cake... :-(


Naturally, if you refer to avionics and radar, not to the airframe itself...


How many? Two prototypes 10 years ago? ;-)


It could: Gripen. While it's at least equally good, it's cheaper, especially in service.

Language / Getting the wrong ending of a word - do Polish still understand? [25]

When you don't know a proper form, it's safest to use infinitives ("ja chcieć" etc ;-)

In Polish books it's usually used to express a language of African natives in colonial times... I've always wondered, how was it in original English.

News / Who will be the next President of Poland? [51]


The Poles will remember his nasty side anyway. He might get some extra points for sympathy for his brother, but he has no chance. Even Lech Kaczyński wasn't able to "warm" his image enough to get more, than some 25% of public support during his term, despite his trials. And Lech was the nice one of the two... If there had to be Kaczyński, it was the wrong one on the plane :-(

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]


It's because they all are a variant of one standarized beer, produced by three major companies, on exactly the same production lines :-(

I used to like Palm ...but Kielce Brewery has been bought a couple of years ago by one of the Big Three breweries, and they decided to stop production of such extravagant beer. By the way, they also "stole" other beers brewed in Kielce, like Gingers or Frater, started production in some other anonymous brewery, and closed Kielce Brewery :-(

From some time, my favourite taste, different from Tyskie and company, is Perła (Pearl) of Lublin Brewery.

(edited: Palm wasn't strictly a Polish beer, for it was licence-produced, and the brewery in Kielce was Browar Belgia)


Yes, stolen from Kielce, grrr!.. :-/

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]

...Neither Lenin wanted to be stuffed and shown on a Red Square...

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


Last parliamentary elections showed, that most of Poles prefer liberal left to a vision of Kaczyński brothers, even if PO declares itself as rightist party as well. Note, that there was the biggest frequency of all post-1989 elections in Poland.

I wasn't a fan of Lech Kaczyński, yet I think it is sad, that we lost him this way. Now we usually see photos of smiling president, happy with his wife, and I believe, that it was true picture. It's a pity, that during his term, we usually saw him grumpy and offended.

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


Right - knowing Jarosław, it must have been his idea. He reportedly doesn't want Lech to be buried at Powązki, because Bolesław Bierut is still there...

No president of Poland was burried at Wawel, nor even Gabriel Narutowicz, who was shot during his office. It was a place reserved for kings and commonly acknowledged national heroes, who fought for independence (Kościuszko, Józef Poniatowski, Władysław Sikorski, Piłsudski). Despite all sympathy to Maria, no person was buried there with a spouse.


It's not so true - an infamous Giertych was a successor of Endecja (ND), while Kaczyński brothers always claimed their admiration for Piłsudski.


Unfortunately. It's sad, that those, who protest against this burial place, are accused of "starting divisions among the Poles" (I think, that Cracov's president Majchrowski said that).

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


I don't know, in what circumstances should he die, to avoid loud protests of extreme rightist "agent"-seekers... ;->

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


There's the key!... A brother! Seems, that Jarosław is plotting to make a family grave!... ;->

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


So why wasn't Gabriel Narutowicz burried at Wawel?


Definitely no. He became a loved leader after his death. While he was alive, he was "loved" by no more, than 20% of Poles, while a majority thought he was an inappropriate person for this office.

Counting myself within this majority, I really admired Lech Kaczyński for his trials to improve relations with Jews, Ukrainians and Lithuanians, even against his party. Unfortunately, these were the only cases of LK going against his party's line. And I'm sad, that Jarosław Kaczyński managed to spoil mourning and divide Poles with such an idea. He must have known it would be a provocation. No one would say a bad word about LK, if Jarosław had not come with it.


Wannabe is not enough. Poniatowski is remebered for commanding Polish forces in Napoleonic Wars and dying in a battle, Sikorski is remembered for commanding Polish forces in exile during WWII and dying on that occasion, Piłsudski is remembered as a father of independence and CiC during the Polish Soviet War (although his merits for Poland could be debated). Does Kaczyński really fit there? He will be remembered as a president, who died in an aircrash.

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]

It's all the same - but you forgot Germans ;-)

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]

Some Poles on internet forums do :-( I repeat: it's sad, that Jarosław managed to divide Poles with his decision.

News / Kaczynski to be buried at Wawel ?! [289]


Maybe Cardinal Dziwisz agreed to bury him at Wawel, expecting much increase in selling tickets to Wawel graves? ;-) If he was buried at Powązki, all the people could see the grave for free. I wonder, if the family also would have to buy tickets...

News / Is it possible that Polish president was assasinated? If so then, by whom? [921]

Yes, KGB finished off a pilot and president Kaczyński with gun shots hoping, that these stupid Polish investigators wouldn't notice bullet holes in heads?... Or maybe they used German-made ammunition to evade suspicions?... This is the stupidest thing I've heard lately :-)

News / Komorowski, acting president, is a shower! [51]

...And are you serious?? :-O

News / Komorowski, acting president, is a shower! [51]


What documents?

News / Is it possible that Polish president was assasinated? If so then, by whom? [921]

Definite proof of Soviet/Russian plot!!

demotywatory.pl/1396900/Czyzby

(...looking for a place to plant a tree at Smolensk aerodrome)