Poland’s Magnificent War Record

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 208, 1 September 1942, Page 5

Poland’s Magnificent War Record

Per Pres* AssociationWELLINGTON, Aug. 11. “At no time in her long history xOOi) years has Roiaud bunered such a lull of death, sufiering and destruction us during tire last three yearn, said tbe Consul-General of Roiana (M. Wodsicki) on tne occasion of the eve of Poland*s fourth year of war. "But never has she proved herself so strong morally and physically, so united behind her soldiers and her leader, General Bikorski. The Polish campaign of was fought without any help whatever—it turned Warsaw into ruins and Poland Into a graveyard; it enabled Britain though to take advantage of seven months' respite. “Confronted w.th disaster unprecedented, with her church, education and social welfare in ruins, with hundreds of thousands of her subjects driven from their forms and workshops, with etill as many lacing the firing squads and concentration camps, and 1 J million workers sent to Germany, Poland to-day stands as united as on the «ve of this struggle. No party, no single man. gave a thought to possible political compromise with the Hun. “For obvious reasons one cannot give any substantial details of the wellorganised active resistance of the Poles at home. It can be disclosed, however, that 150 different secret papers, mostly pocket-size, are published, some with an ssue of 12,000 cople~, notwithstanding the fact that the editors, printers and readers face the death penalty. In Warsaw in July 1941 one editor and 82 other people were beheaded. Despite having paid heavily already with the lives of her soldiers and subsequently In *he campaigns at Narvik, the Maginot Line and Tobrujc, it is Interesting to note as revealed by General Slkorski that Poland’s army, at present on three continents, ranks fifth in the strength of the Allied nations, forming also the bulk of General Sir Harry Maitland Wilson’s Tenth Army in the Middle East. A large units Is undergoing traln'ng in South Africa and numbers of Polish officers are also Instructing nativs troops in West Africa. “Despite heavy convoy work and many naval engagements the Polish Navy and mercantile marine is maintained at Its original strength by reason of United States Lend-Lease. "Polish Eagles of the Air Force have considerably increased since the Battle of Britain in 1940 when they numbered 10,000 and they formed more than 10 per cent, of the recent mass night bombing raiders over Germany. "The Polish - Csechos'.ovaklan agreement in November 1940 and the PolishRussian agreement In July 1941, confirmed after General Sikorski's visit to Moscow in December 1941, will no doubt be of paramount importance in the postwar policy of the United Nations. The establishment of a Polish medical school

and a faculty of law at Edinburgh and recently the Polish Institute of Science and Learning fit New York are the foundations of the Intellectual life of the Poland of to-morrow.

“The Polish people," concluded M. Wodzicki, “on the eve of the fourth year of war are standing unflinchingly at the side of their Allies fully confident of the eventual victory which will ensure just retribution upon the Germans and rehabilitation for them."