The Second World War resulted in the deaths of around 85 million people. Additionally, tens of millions more people were displaced. However, amid all the carnage people demonstrated remarkable courage, fortitude, compassion, mercy and sacrifice. We would like to honour and celebrate all of those people. In the War Years Blog, we examine the extraordinary experiences of individual service personnel. We also review military history books, events, and museums. And we look at the history of unique World War Two artefacts, medals, and anything else of interest.
D-Day 75th Anniversary Commemoration
As part of the D-Day 75th-anniversary commemorations, The War Years will be adding a range of content over the coming week.
As part of the D-Day 75th-anniversary commemorations, The War Years will be adding a range of content over the coming week.
The Story of D-Day, Part One
The Plan
The largest amphibious operation in military history, code-named Overlord, D-Day started in the early hours of 6 June 1944. The objective was an 80 km stretch of the Normandy coastline. An armada of 7000 ships planned to land 175,000 men, 50,000 vehicles and all their equipment by day’s end. 11,000 aircraft, oil pipelines under the English Channel and even giant Mulberry Harbours would be towed across the sea.
Neptune
Operation Neptune was the naval element of the Overlord plan. 7,000 vessels from battleships to landing craft, Neptune was truly an allied effort. British, American, Canadian, French, Norwegian, Dutch, Polish and Greek vessels all played a part in enabling the landing’s success.
The Landings
The Allies planned to land on 5 beaches code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The flanks or sides of the planned beachhead would be secured by airborne forces dropped during the night and early morning on 5/6 June.
Pegasus Bridge
Strategically important, the bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River had to be captured to enable Allied tanks to operate east of the river, and prevent German counter-attacks against the landings.
Seized by a daring glider assault the bridges were successfully captured by Major John Howard’s D Company, 2nd Battalion, Ox and Bucks Light Infantry at just after midnight, 6 June 1944. Once captured it was vital Major Howard’s men held the bridges against counter-attacks until relieved by Lord Lovat’s 1st Special Service Brigade at 1 pm.
Merville
In the area immediately east of Sword Beach, some 4,800 elite airborne troops landed by parachute and glider. Men of the 9th Parachute Battalion took the German coastal battery at Merville that threatened the British landing beaches.
US Paratroops
The American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions secured the flanks of the US beaches. However, the 6,600 men dropped were badly scattered that reducing their initial effectiveness, although this did confuse the German defenders. The paratroopers successfully secured the exits from Utah Beach and captured bridges en route to Carentan.
The Story of D-Day, part Two
The American Beaches
Utah Beach
The D-Day landings started at the low water mark on a rising tide at 06.30hrs in the US sector and 07.30hrs for the British.
Strong coastal currents and obscuration of landmarks due to smoke from naval bombardment meant American invasion forces landed 2,000 yards south of their planned objective on Utah Beach. Luckily the area where troops from the 4th Infantry Division actually landed was less heavily defended, and casualties were mercifully light.
Pointe du Hoc
Just as Pegasus Bridge was vital to the success of the British landings so Pointe du Hoc was important to the Americans. Intelligence reports prior to the landings indicated that six 155mm guns in concrete emplacements sat atop a 177ft cliff. The guns threatened the landings on Utah and Omaha Beaches and had to be destroyed.
The elite 2nd Ranger Battalion was tasked with destroying the guns at Pointe du Hoc by direct assault from the sea, which meant scaling the cliffs while under fire. However, when the Rangers fought their way up to the gun emplacements they found them empty. The guns had been moved inland. Later, the guns were found and destroyed.
Omaha Beach
The most difficult terrain and heavily defended sector, Omaha Beach was the objective of the US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions. At 5.40 am amphibious DD tanks launched 6,000 yards offshore, nearly all sinking in the heavy seas.
Only 5 tanks made it ashore to support the infantry landings. All but one of the 105mm field artillery guns also vital to the landings were lost. To make matters even worse, the naval and air bombardment had done little to reduce the German defensive positions commanding the exposed beach.
Seasick, heavily laden, troops of the nine companies in the first assault wave were decimated by German machine-gun, mortar and artillery fire. Those troops lucky enough to make it across the open beach took cover behind the sea wall.
The assault on Omaha initially stalled. However, gradually men formed small groups and started fighting their way up the bluffs that overlooked the beach. Later, navy destroyers came dangerously close to shore to give much-needed fire support. By day’s end, Omaha Beach was in American hands.
Brigadier General Norman “Dutch” Cota, several NCOs and Privates received decorations for gallantry during the action at "Bloody Omaha".
Today, 3 June 2019, we post a short video taken back in June 2010 on a visit to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery and Memorial.
The Story of D-Day, part Three
The British, French and Canadian Beaches
Gold Beach
Westernmost of the British/Canadian beaches, code-named Gold, were assaulted by the 50th Division of the British XXX Corps. Specially developed armoured vehicles were landed ahead of the infantry to deal with beach obstacles, mines and the sea wall. Some 2,500 obstacles and mines needed to be cleared from Gold Beach alone. Allied forces quickly overcame German defences and moved inland.
During the advance of the 69th Brigade, Company Sergeant Major, Stan Hollis of the Green Howards won the Victoria Cross, for repeated acts of valour, Britain’s highest military honour. This was the only VC won on D-Day.
Juno Beach
Canada made a terrific contribution to the Allied war effort. Juno Beach was assigned to the Canadian 3rd Division. Like the British, the Canadians used special armoured vehicles to help overcome beach obstacles, mines and strong points. These vehicles were nick-named Hobart’s “funnies” after their creator Major General Sir Percy Hobart.
The town of Courseulles was strongly defended by the Germans but duly taken. The Queens Own Rifles suffered severe casualties crossing the beach at Bernieres. The Canadians made contact with 50th Division on their right by day’s end.
Sword Beach
The easternmost landing zone, Sword Beach, was assaulted by the British 3rd Division. The 3rd Division’s objectives were perhaps the most ambitious of the D-Day operation: capture or mask the Norman city of Caen by nightfall. The 3rd Division also knew it was likely to be counter-attacked by tanks of the German 21st Panzer (Armour) Division.
British intentions to quickly move off Sword Beach and drive inland were held up by resistance from German strong points. British troops reached Lebisey Wood, just three miles short of Caen, but could advance no further.
Special Forces - The Commandos
French Commandos led by Philippe Kieffer took Ouistreham casino and secured the canal gateway. However, the French suffered heavy casualties and Kieffer was wounded twice during the fighting.
Commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade landed on the 'Queen Red' sector of Sword Beach at approximately 8.40 am, 6 June 1944. Commanded by Brigadier Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, the 1st Special Service Brigade’s mission was to push inland and link up with the lightly armed British 6th Airborne Division holding Pegasus Bridge and bridge over the Orne River.
Today, we have added 241 photos to our Flickr site taken during visits to the D-Day beaches, Pegasus Bridge Memorial and Museum, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Omaha Beach Memorial Museum, Airborne Museum, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and Sainte-Mère-Église in 2010 and 2014.
The Story of My Monte Cassino Cross
The Monte Cassino Cross was awarded to all men who served with the Polish 2nd Corps and took part in the fighting to break the German Gustav Line at Monte Cassino during the bitter Italian winter of 1943 to the early summer of 1944. The battle, which was actually a series of bloody engagements, is infamous for its ferocity and high casualty rates. This is the story of my Monte Cassino Cross and the brave man who won and lost it.
The Battle for Monte Cassino
The Battle for Monte Cassino was a series of four battles fought by the Allies in an attempt to smash the German Gustav Line of defences during the Italian winter of 1943 to the early summer of 1944. British, American, French, North African, Asian, Canadian and Polish troops all took part in this epic series of battles.
The Germans cleverly integrate the historic Benedictine abbey of Monte Cassino into their defensive positions, which commanded the town of Cassino, Liri and Rapido valleys.
The Allies believed the Germans were using the monastery as an observation post. In response, it was heavily bombed and reduced to rubble on 15 February. Two days later, German paratroopers took up new defensive positions within the ruins.
The savage fighting at Monte Cassino is widely recognised as the worst of the war in the West. It’s estimated the Allies lost around 55,000 men while the stubborn German defenders lost about 20,000 killed and wounded.
On 18 May 1944, a group from the Polish 12th Podolian Uhlan Regiment finally made it to the top of Monte Cassino and raised a Polish flag over the ruins. The Polish troops found just 30 wounded German defenders.
My medal: Monte Cassino Cross
Back in 2004, I purchased a Monte Cassino Cross from a guy that said he’d found it during a house clearance in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Luckily, Monte Cassino Crosses are numbered, so I wrote to The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum to see what I could discover about the medal’s recipient.
One of the men who fought at Monte Cassino was Private Jan Stanislaus Zdaniukiewicz, born in 1912. Jan served with the 15th Poznan Lancers (recce) Regiment, 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, Polish II Corps, and British 8th Army. It was Jan’s medal that I now owned.
15th Poznan Uhlans, Regimental History
On 17 April 1942, Battalion "S" was formed in Yangiyo'l near Tashkent under command of Cpt. Zbigniew Kiedacz. On 8 October 1942, in Iraq, the unit was transformed into the 15 Regiment of Armoured Cavalry, reconnaissance unit of the 5th Borderlines Infantry Division. At the end of 1942, the regiment was renamed to 15th Poznan Uhlans Regiment. In next months, the unit was trained in Iraq, Palestine, Libya and Egypt. During February and March 1944, the regiment was moved to Italy. The Uhlans took part in fighting on 6 April 1944 near Capracotta, and during the following days reached Genoa.
Between 3 and 29 May 1944, the regiment took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino, fighting on Monte Castellone and later broke through the Hitler Line capturing Pizzo Corno and Monte Cairo. On 20 July the unit ended its fight in the battle of Ancona.
In October 1944, the regiment was fighting in the Emilian Apennines on the Gothic Line. On 23 October, the regiment’s commanding officer, Col. Zbigniew Kiedacz, was killed in action. The regiment received the award Virtuti Militari for a second time for the Italian Campaign. In January 1945, the 15th Reg. was moved to Egypt, where it received new tanks, and was subordinated to the 14th Greater Polish Armoured Brig. (Polish: 14 Wielkopolska Brygada Pancerna).
In October 1945, after the war’s end, the brigade was moved to Giulianova, Italy. Finally, the regiment was moved to Browning Camp, Sussex, England in June 1946 and disbanded in 1947.
A Life in Exile
Having been demobbed, Jan, the recipient of my medal, appears to have moved to Kent. There was no going back to Poland: which lost to Soviet domination and Stalin’s tyranny. Instead, sometime between April and June 1952, Jan married Patricia M. Maddison (born 1932, Pancras, London) at Tonbridge, Kent. Jan was naturalised, becoming a British citizen, on 17 October 1969 while living at 163 Silverdale Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Sadly, Jan died on 10 March 1971. He was cremated on 17 March 1971; the ceremony was presided over by a Father of the Catholic Church. Jan’s ashes were scattered beside a nearby pond and waterfall. Jan was just 58 years old. In civilian life he’d been a tailor, possibly running his own business from Silverdale Road, which today is a fish and chip shop. Jan’s wife, Patricia, survived him, but I’ve not been able to find any information whatsoever about her subsequent life or whereabouts. It seems that Jan and Patricia had no children. As I’ve not been able to find a death certificate for Patricia, it’s quite possible she is still living – she would be in her 80s.
It saddens me to think that Jan Stanislaus Zdaniukiewicz’s life can be so briefly summarised, not even filling a single sheet of A4 paper. It saddens me more that his Monte Cassino Cross was lost or discarded, only to be sold by a stranger to another stranger. However, Jan’s Monte Cassino Cross is now proudly displayed, and his memory is kept, although I never met him or even have a photograph. To me, he’ll be forever young. I see him now, dressed in his thick woollen uniform, laden with equipment. He’s bent double, sweating from fear, the Italian sun and the sheer physical effort of fighting his way up Monte Castellone. But he’s never alone in my dreams; he’s always surrounded by his countrymen and brothers-in-arms, the brave men of the Polish 2nd Corps.