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Posts by Kevwad  

Joined: 29 Dec 2010 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 24 Aug 2013
Threads: Total: 1 / In This Archive: 1
Posts: Total: 17 / In This Archive: 13 		From: USA Chicago
Speaks Polish?: only a little

Displayed posts: 14
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Kevwad   
31 Dec 2010
News / What's the stupidest question asked about Poland? [414]

I remember three stupid questions related to Poland
1. "What's Poland?"
2. "So your Jewish?" (When an Asian friend found out I'm Polish. I'm not meaning to offend anyone)
3. "But isn't Poland a frozen iceland?" (When friend was talking about how "awesome" Germany is)
Kevwad   
31 Dec 2010
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

I recently found an interesting paragraph, I don't think anyone posted this before, sorry if this has been posted before I'm new here

Quote

"On May 2, 1945, as Polish troops advanced into Berlin, a Polish platoon of the Kosciuszko Division of 1st Polish Army first reached the Reichstag and hoisted a Polish flag on its dome, only to have it mowed down by the fire of the incoming Soviet troops. Apparently, the Polish soldier who raised the flag was killed by the Soviets racing to have their flag hoisted on the building which, for unknown and unclear reasons, they decided had the most important symbolic value in Berlin.

Both, Soviet, and Western sources as well, curiously omit and ignore the Polish participation in the final Battle of Berlin. Admittedly, in the sea of 2 million strong Red Army assaulting Berlin, the Polish troops were not so visible, but they played an important role in that battle nevertheless. About 180,000 Polish soldiers had took part in the final drive on Berlin under the command of Polish General Michal Rola-Zymierski, and 12,000 soldiers of the Kosciuszko Infantry Division, two artillery regiments and an engineering unit, found themselves in the middle of vicious battles on the streets of Berlin. Those Polish soldiers took 56 quadrants of the city, 7 factory complexes, 4 subway stations and most of the Polytechnic campus. They took 2550 POWs. But they paid a heavy price, loosing 2,800 of their own in these battles. On May 1, the Polish flag was hoisted on top of Brandenburg Gate, shortly joined by the red Soviet flag. Next day the Soviets removed the Polish flag, before advancing on the Reichstag building."

Source: loeser.us/flags/poland3.html

What's your opinion about it? Do you think it's true? Honestly I believe it, since I don't think someone would just make up something like that, plus it makes sense that the Soviets would try to erase this from history. I personally see the same NKVD officer saying the Soviets got their flag over the Reichstag first that just was talking about how the Soviets "liberated" half of Poland form the Nazis in 1939.
Kevwad   
31 Dec 2010
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

A polish group outside of the soviet army getting to the Reichstag first???

There were poles fighting in the red army with the Polish 1st and 2nd army. Their Uniforms were similar, but they did have the polish eagle on their helmets and squared caps.
Kevwad   
2 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

2 weeks is a little exaggerated

What do you expect? Most people I know said no more then 3 weeks, plus your link only goes to Sept 27th then Warsaw capitulated when the last battle in the invasion of Poland was in Oct. 6th (but fighting still went on elsewhere).
Kevwad   
2 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

That's exactly why I believe it is true, doesn't it make sense the Soviet would want to erase that from history? I mean the guy who presumably did it was shot.
Kevwad   
3 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

I always wondered how the war had turned out if Poland joined Germany on it's crusade, Poland could have provided millions of soldiers to the cause, plus having a large neighbor on a friendly footing would have be very beneficial to Germany in the long run.

Unlikely since Poland was anti-Nazi and anti-Communist, but if the soviets attacked first and Germany wasn't ran by Hitler then it could be possible.
Kevwad   
4 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

That's Churchill's "Operation Unthinkable", a liberation of eastern Europe from the Russians using help form the British, Americans, Free Poland, and remaining German Forces. Honestly I think that the allied superior air force would pretty much win them the battle, even thought the Soviets had the "manpower".
Kevwad   
6 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

Poles, Poles.....;) You are still the same....vainly proud....So, it were Poles who won the war, isnt it?

We lost the war, but that isn't the point.

Maybe, if the Polish forces arrived with the Soviet ones?

I already said if you didn't know there were Poles fighting on the Russian side! I assumed the people who were interested in this topic already knew that.

There also was never confirmation of any Polish flag going onto the Reichstag or any other important structure in Berlin.

The Polish flag over the Brandenburg Gate has been confirmed, there's even a picture of a Polish soldier fighting in the gate, and yes a POLISH soldier, you could tell by his uniform, and that's just one example. Plus there being no records of the Polish flag over the Reichstag, does it make sense that the Soviet would try to erase that form history? I mean the man who presumably hung the flag was shot by the Soviets.
Kevwad   
8 Jan 2011
History / Polish flag over the Reichstag first? [399]

so until some hard evidence turns up

probably not, of course if it did happen the soviets would try to erase that form history

Brandenburg Gate, there's even pictures but i can't locate one now

I did manage to find two pictures

first picture in this video I believe is also with the gate
youtube.com/watch?v=sK_niVvkkbg

and this other picture took a while to find


  • Brandenburger_gate.j.jpg
Kevwad   
29 Jan 2011
History / In a German encyclopedia Poland is represented as: [30]

I just bothered to read a little more in that website, it's pretty well stated that that whole website is one sided, and leaving "some things" out of history, clearly unreliable.
Kevwad   
22 Aug 2013
Life / What makes a man a Pole? what does it mean to be a Pole? [187]

Well the way I see it,if you were born there,and have the blood.Then you are Polish through and through.Especially if you claim it.

Does that include the Polish part of Chicago? :P
Also, I think there might be a problem with being born in Poland to make you Polish for my ancestors born before 1918...