kitas
3 Jan 2010
Genealogy / Does anyone have any relatives who served with 1st Polish Armoured Division (Gen. Maczek) [311]
My father in law Julian Jankowski was in this division I have some of his papers
My father in law landed in France on DDAy
I have several military documents of my father in laws and I have his album of pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them . They are written in Polish and I can not read them.
My father in law was taken by the Russians when Germany and Russia invaded Poland. He and all the men of his village were taken to Siberia. A politician in England negotiated for the release of men to be trained and returned to Russia to fight but they stayed and fought for England they were known as the 1500.
He fought with the 1st Polish Armored Division through out the European campaign and did not return to Poland after the war for fear of Russian reprisals. There were four of them ( Julian Jankowski, Janus (John) Szczerba, Michael (I can't remember his last name), &Victor Zdun) that were also a part of the 1500 that remained friends for the rest of their lives. If anyone knows about the 1500 please contact me I have had a hard time finding information on them.
After the war the four men who had a friend in the Royal Canadian Army were sponsored one by one and emigrated to Canada and then two came down to the United States. The three friends of my father in law always attributed their release from the prison camp to my father in law . They were part of a work detail that had to go out everyday and dig ditches for the Russians. He would often come across dead soldiers and because they were not fed in the camp he always looked for food and money, jewelry anything he could trade for some bread. When he found something he would give part to the guards who would let him slip out and go to a nearby town to buy some bread which he brought back and shared with his friends. Because he had gained favor with the guards they chose him to be one of the 1500 to be released, he asked that his friends be added to the list, there were more then the four but they were all that made it through the war.
My father in law was a soft spoken hard working man that loved and worried about his family and the possibility of another war.
He loved to laugh, dance and have family gatherings. And he loved his vodka.
He very rarely spoke of his experiences in WWll and the only times I could get him to tell stories was when he had a few drinks in him.He had been injured and was receiving a small pension from England. At the end of the war he was a Senior Master Sargeant
I think these brave men need to have their story told, a movie made something to honor them.
My father in law Julian Jankowski was in this division I have some of his papers
My father in law landed in France on DDAy
I have several military documents of my father in laws and I have his album of pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them . They are written in Polish and I can not read them.
My father in law was taken by the Russians when Germany and Russia invaded Poland. He and all the men of his village were taken to Siberia. A politician in England negotiated for the release of men to be trained and returned to Russia to fight but they stayed and fought for England they were known as the 1500.
He fought with the 1st Polish Armored Division through out the European campaign and did not return to Poland after the war for fear of Russian reprisals. There were four of them ( Julian Jankowski, Janus (John) Szczerba, Michael (I can't remember his last name), &Victor Zdun) that were also a part of the 1500 that remained friends for the rest of their lives. If anyone knows about the 1500 please contact me I have had a hard time finding information on them.
After the war the four men who had a friend in the Royal Canadian Army were sponsored one by one and emigrated to Canada and then two came down to the United States. The three friends of my father in law always attributed their release from the prison camp to my father in law . They were part of a work detail that had to go out everyday and dig ditches for the Russians. He would often come across dead soldiers and because they were not fed in the camp he always looked for food and money, jewelry anything he could trade for some bread. When he found something he would give part to the guards who would let him slip out and go to a nearby town to buy some bread which he brought back and shared with his friends. Because he had gained favor with the guards they chose him to be one of the 1500 to be released, he asked that his friends be added to the list, there were more then the four but they were all that made it through the war.
My father in law was a soft spoken hard working man that loved and worried about his family and the possibility of another war.
He loved to laugh, dance and have family gatherings. And he loved his vodka.
He very rarely spoke of his experiences in WWll and the only times I could get him to tell stories was when he had a few drinks in him.He had been injured and was receiving a small pension from England. At the end of the war he was a Senior Master Sargeant
I think these brave men need to have their story told, a movie made something to honor them.