Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek)

Does anyone have any relatives who may have served with in this outfit, specifically the 24th Lancers? Or know anyone named Cholewa and Starzynski who served with on the ORP Dzik and with the Lancers respectively?

Hello

My grandfather served in the 1st Polish Armoured Division. His name was Henrk (Henry) Sadowski (15/05/16 - 22/11/05). He originally came from Lodz in central Poland. I'm not sure of his particular unit but judging by his old photos he must have seen frontline action.

Amazing guy. Loved dearly, sorely missed.

James

ja.ox@btinternet.com

Today I received a letter from a relative who wrote the following:- "You may also know about Karol Czerny's nephew and Stan's cousin, the most celebrated Polish general, stanislaw Maczek, who led Polish armoured corps from the first month of allied invasion on Normandy and was victorius in crucial battles of Falaise and Chambois in July 1944. Uncle Staszek was with him driving a tank and was twice wounded but returned to combat in spite of Maczek's suggestion that he might be useful behind the lines in divisions Entertainment Crew. Stan Czerny and Stan Maczek were togther until the end of the war."

Stanislaw Czerny was my grandfather. I have some photographs - contact me on dietz@sentechsa.com or zyta@floppysprinkler.com

I have quite a few pictures of the 24th Lancers in Scotland if you're interested.

yes please send them to the zyta@floppysprinkler.com

My father was in the 24th Lancers.His name is Henryk Wieksza
I see a mention of some photos Are they still about

Not on the board. If you like you can PM me with your address and I can e-mail them to you.

I just came upon this site 04/20/08.

My father Stanislaw Ziolkowski, lieutenant, at the time of the war was with the 24th Lancers. I recently translated his memiors from the first few weeks of the war in the southern part of Poland around Krakow. I too have some photos.

Andrzej

Well that's interesting. My father was at the University of Lwow in 39 and escaped through Romania. What happened in between has always been a mystery. You can PM me.

Peter:

If you like I'll pdf you a copy of what I translated. Also, I noted in your first inquiry the name Starzynski. Dad and he were friends. Dad mentions him in his memiors. His wife and two daughters lived in my parents home in a separate flat and Starzynski worked a Tuna ship in the Caribbean and visited when he could. The oldest daughter Anna married and move to the north of England, I seem to recall. Mrs Starzynska eventually moved to Wales with the youngest daughter.

I hope this helps and that it's the right Starzynski.

Andrzej

Oh my god!!!!!!

Yes, that's him! Zygmunt Starzynski..........he was a very good friend of my father's. In fact when he returned from his fishing trips (sometimes off Brazil) he would stay with us.

I hope one of you can help me? My father was a 1st. Lieutenant with the 24th Lancers his name was Jerzy Szyndler. If you have any photos or documentation from the time the unit was stationed in Scotland or during any of their travels in to Eurpoe I would welcome them. I have plenty of photos from when they were in Scotland along with pictures of the unit meeting Montgomery and would be happy to share them. I have pictures of my father with several other men gogin through the wreckage of a Heinkel that was shot down...looks like they were playing the role of MP's. My father passed away a year and a half ago and he is missed so very much, Ait feels like a huge volume of history was lost when he passed as his stories of his families escape from Poland and how they finally got to England are the kind of tales you would only expect to see in a movie. I am sure they are typical of the time but some are just so amazing they made the hair on the back of my kneck stand on end!

why are you guys keeping all this private and not sharing with the world?

I will post a life tale once I have gathered as much info. as I can and have checked some facts. I will post a link as the site I will be putting this up on is mostly stories of Polish people during WWII and the struggles they faced.

Boy, just when you think that there are very few (if any) people with connections to the 24th Lancers they come out of the woodwork!

when you keep hiding the info you don't get much exposure.

My grandfather served in the 1st Polish Tank Regiment under General Maczek, I have some pictures of him serving in the army

I guess some people have a personal attachment to the various pictures, memoirs and documents in their possession.

oh i understand but no one is asking you to give up your memorabilia but just to display some of it. i know i am not the only one that is interested in the period of PL history and the more i (we) can see and 'experience' the better otherwise it will fall forgotten or at least will be incomplete. after so much suppression of our history i am thinking it would be good too have as much of it as possible available to the ones who would like to find out more.

please don't keep it inside a circle that is already pretty well aware. be proud.
i hope you guys share but if not, oh well, we all lose. imho.

Interesting thread - I have found these links -

ostrycharz.free-online.co.uk/OB.html#OB_1_Armd_Div_Sep_42
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Polish_Armoured_Division
flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=590

This link has tank numbers and where to find photos of them -
mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?p=98570

My father is sitting in the front.

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  Britain 1941
  

It's always good to see old photos like that.They can bring out so many stories, or they can give a breif glimpse into something that has otherwise disappeared from memory. A vital link with the past.

Some pics taken in Scotland (Arbroath I think) in 1941

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  SCT01.jpg
  

thanks man. v. cool. notice how happy they all look despite the times. :)


hope you didn't miss this in one of your links (the other forum)
czolgiem.com/dziadek/dziadek.htm

In the south of France 1940 and at the Acropolis also 1940. If there was'nt a war on you'd think he was on holidays.

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  France 1940
  
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  Greece 1940
  

i'm sure he was making the best of the R&Rs he had. Wouldn't you?
v. cool.

too bad the nazis burnt the acro.

Scotland 1941

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  Scotland 1941
  

Here is a picture I found on the net of the 1st Armoured.....It looks to be mostly officers. I have looked but can not see my father in this picture as it gets grainy when you zoom in! (Sorry about that one 50KB looks like hell at that size) This is my father after the war in Scotland....he stayed in the army until '47 from the records I have found. My grandfather was also a military man up until they fled from Poland....he was a chemical engineer and operated an ammunitions factory just outside Warsaw-Rembertow 3. He was a famous Colonel in Poland from things I have read about him. From what my father told me he recalls them bobbytrapping the ammunition factory before they left. The Gestapo came looking for my grand father once the Germans were finally able to get into Warsaw. My father always told me the funny stories from the war and very rarely did he dwell on the destruction he saw (Falaises - Chambois in particular). According to what his family were told the Gestapo came to their house, the only person there was the house keeper....by my fathers description she was a very intimidating Ukranian lady that took crap from nobody. The Gestapo tryed to muscle there way in and she sent them packing!!

I would like to share more pictures right now but find it hard to post them as I only recently lost my father and find it hard to look at pictures of him without feeling the loss of both the person and the history! I will try to post some more tomorrow.

polandinexile.com............... great site for information on the Polish in Exile during WWII....some great stories on individuals.

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I have a great interest in 1st Polish Armoured Divisionas my father Stanislaw Kucharchyk served in the 24th Lancers ( 24 Polik Ulanow) during the war. Scotland was his life and lots of happy Memories. Father has taken lots of photographs. Some photographs are in the 24 Lancer history book and war office in GB.

As the war have finished. Polish Army was slowly coming to be demobd. Father and some officers from 24th Lancers with your Father Ziolkowski as helping hand have ventured into Poland. They have brought your mother and sisterand my family back to Germany. ( This story is long ) My father have writen a life story.

If you are interested in the events and full story please write to Me.
24th Lancers ( 24 Polk ulanow) museum is in Poland KRASNIK

Grzegorz (Greg) Kucharczyk. gregkucharczyk@blueyonder.co.uk

Hello my name is Kąźimierź Wiąćęk, i know a man named Starzynski, i think he was my officer in Kraśńik Poland.