Main Odyssey Story & The Mens Tales

Links : Jeremi Longin Mietek Stanislaw Tadzik

Tadzik, Mietek, Stanislaw, Leon and Jurek.

Health warning - smoking can damage your health !!

Main Story

1] Osadniks

1919 - Soon after WW1 finished in 1919 Poland was involved in the Polish-Bolshevik War . ( Feb 1919 - March 1921 )

Stanislaw was in the Polish army fighting the Bolsheviks.

He joined in 1920 the 214 Army Volunteer Cavalry Regiment - after succesfull battles around Zamosc against the Russians the volunteer regiment was promoted to 24 Pułk Ułanów (24th Lancers) based at Krasnik in December of the same year.

The most important cavalry battle took place on August 31, 1920, near the village of Komarowo near Zamość. The battle was a complete disaster for the Russian 1st Cavalry Army which sustained heavy casualties and barely avoided being totally surrounded.

After that battle, the 1st Cavalry Army's morale has collapsed and the army which was one of the most feared of the Soviet troops was no longer considered an effective fighting force.

Because of the numbers of forces involved, the Battle of Komarów is considered the greatest cavalry battle of the 20th century. Along with the battles then taking place in south Russia, this was one of the last battles fought mostly by cavalry units, in which traditional cavalry tactics were used and sabers and lances played a vital role.

Because of that, it is sometimes referred to (by Poles) as "the greatest cavalry battle after 1813" and the last cavalry battle.

Having stopped the Russian 1st Cavalry a pincer movement behind the Russians fighting to take Warsaw succeeded when Stalin failed to send reinforcements and the Bolsheviks were defeated.

Poland regained some of the lands (Treaty of Riga-1921) that it had lost during the partitions of 1795 and the 2nd Polish Republic was born.

This was a small and relatively unknown war - but fundamentaly it was about stopping Communism from spreading into the heart of Europe.

According to American sociologist Alexander Gella "the Polish victory had gained twenty years of independence not only for Poland, but at least for an entire central part of Europe.

On December 17th 1920 the Sejm passed the Act on Nationalization of North-Eastern Powiats of the Republic and Act on Granting the Soldiers of the Polish Army with Land. Both of these acts allowed the demobilized soldiers to apply for land parcels. In the spring of 1921 the first groups of settlers arrived to newly-constructed settlements in what formerly constituted the property of major Russian landowners: dvoryanstvo (Russian nobility) and tsar, and in Russian government lands ("kazyonnye zemli"). Although the government promised help to the settlers, in fact most of them received little but the land itself. At times the regiments in which the soldiers served provided them with forage and demobilized horses.

Spring 1921- The former Polish military from the Polish -Bolshevik War were chosen exclusively to resettle the lost lands in the east. They were called "Osadniks". (Settlers).

Stainislaw moved with his mother to the osada of Ułańska Dola close to Targovica between Lutsk and Dubno Wolyn. ( he was 24 yrs old )

In the Wolyn area there were 3508 parcels of land given to soldiers - 20 parcels of land around Targovica - granted to families.

Familes living at Ulanska Dola thus far identified .

List of Osady in Dubno region

Towards Zawale - Now long gone Ulanska Dola would have been amongs the golden fields in the picture above

Stanislaw was in the 24th Polish Sabred Lancers known as UŁancy - so he and his collegues named their settlement UŁanska Dola

Ulanska Dola translates something along the lines of Lancers Destiny.

In Targovica Stanislaw met a local Pole Maria Kondradska from Lichaczowka (see picture below) just across the Ikva and Styr rivers and they married in 1922 (aged 25 for Stanislaw and 19 for Maria).

They farmed on the lands close to the rivers.

[The river Styr forms a strategically important defensive position - in both the 1st WW and 2nd WW the river was part of the Eastern Front between the Germans and Russians]

Jurek and Leon were born in 1923 , Tadzik in 1924, Renia in 1926 and Mietek in 1937.

[Hay reapers similar to Stanislaws are still used in the Targovica area. There is one infront of the log pile in this picture of a shack in Lichaczowka ! Whilst in Targovica we talked for around 30 minutes to some Ukrainian gents who also spoke Polish. The elderly man fought in WW2 alongside fellow Ukrainian Korczak whose name is known to Jurek and Leon. His son now lives in Dubno. We showed them Stanislaws hay gathering picture with the McCormick hay reaper. They recognised the McCormick hay reaper from the picture and explained that it was still in the area dumped in one of the local woods !]

In a Legal Statement (part shown below) Stanislaw confirmed that Dzialka No3 was 3km east of Targovica between the villages of Zawale and Zady.

To the north was a state forest and to the south a road.

Neighbours plots belonged to Jozef Sordela, Jan Krasicki, Walentin Bek.

The plot consisted of 12 hectacres of land

A further 1 hectacre by the river for grass and reeds

A house made from 17cm timbers/wood and wooden roof covered in straw (sloma )built 1922 - 350 m3

A barn made with thick timbers built 1923 - 400m3

A stable built 1925 - 180m3

A well built 1923

In addition Stanislaw had two horses - one was called Kasztan named after Marshall Pilsudski's favourite Arab mare.

The horses pulled an American McCormick hay reaper also owned by Stanislaw - who used to hire his services to reap/cut the hay for neigbouring plots.

(Perhaps something on the lines of the settlement below which has a house, barn and stable taken nearby - straw roofs photoshoped)

This detail comes from the Plot Valuation Documents (Nov 1989) - the main house and final totals are shown below.

In 1989 it was valued at zl 56million ( old zloty millionaire )

(need to divide by 10,000 zl to arrive at devaluation/todays rate. about 5600zl)

We know they were 3km east of Targovica and between Zawale and Zady. So the blue named Ulanska Dola is an accurate position. We also know that Dzialka No3 was close to a forest to the north and a road to the south. We also know that there were three neighbours - so a group of 4 homesteads.

To the West was neighbour Krasicki and to the East neighbours Sordela and Bek -

These plots are between Zawale and Sosnina on the map below.

Jurek. Ted and Leo esentailly confirmed this location prior to finding Stanislaws statement. We also know that the osada built their own school on the main trail between Targovica and Zady which is the larger block below left of the blue U. Where this road enters Targovica ther was a large Kopiece ( Mound ) shown on the map as a star.

In Targovica close to the river there was a 1675 Dominican convent church - Our Lady of the Rosary. Its a small circle on the map ( actually has a cross on it but may be difficult to see)

To the north about 1 km on the road to Podhajce marked on the map is a box with a cross, this is the cemetary - this is where Stanislaws mother Karolina was buried and this is still there.

These days there is a 16km boneshaker of a cobble road that gets you to Targovica from Mlynow from the east along the Ikva bank or from the north through Podhajce (Takes about 1hr to drive alomg)

Most of the trails on the map have been ploughed over. - some exist but can only be used by horse and cart or on foot.

The forests have changed - certainly the wood to the right of Targovica is no longer there and the finger of forest going to Ulanska Dola has also converted to field.

Old Targowica map showing thriving village centre - this centre everything between the road and the river loop including the catholic church, and two mills on routes out of the village was destroyed by Ukranians.

The above map and old pictures of Targowica comes from the Yizkor (Holocaust Memorial) Book for Targowica by Sefer Trovits and viewable online at the New YorkPublic Library.

Each Sunday they would travel to the church in Targovica some 4km away. - they were in the Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, former convent which was built in 1675 by the Dominican Fathers.( shown in old Targowica pictures below and on the maps above)

The Parish records names their hamlet "Ulanska Dola" as part of the parish villages.

Volksliste

The aim of the German People's List “Volksliste” was that those people who were of German descent and of German ethnic descent were to be ascertained and were to be Germanized

Thus, the Nazis encouraged the Polish offspring of Germans, or Poles who had family connections with Germans, to join the Volksdeutsche, often applying pressure to compel registration. Those who joined enjoyed a privileged status and received special benefits. Registrants were given better food, apartments, farms, workshops, furniture, and clothing—much of it having been confiscated from Jews and Poles who were deported or sent to Nazi concentration camps.

Reluctantly Valentine signed the Volkslist to avoid further deportation because his fathers side were Austrian Galicians thus he became Germanized until the end of the war.

Walentine died in 1955 his wife Julia in 1974 and Alexandra in 1994. Alekandra's son Jerzy Zalewski has made contact.]

Marysia Stawiarska now lives in Torun from this Kondratski side of the family.

Jolanta Machnikowska her niece lives in Bydgoszcz not far away and is on Facebook.

Today there is much reconciliation in these parts - the bandits have long gone - Klyachkivsky was eventually killed in battle with the Russian NKVD forces in 1945, other leaders were also hunted down and killed and their families and families of other UPA members were rounded up and sent to Siberia.

( Old Targowica village from bridge and Synagogue pics below )

And all that is left of Targowica today

Targovica in Oct 2009

Most common transport are horse and farm cart and bikes

When Jurek and Leon reached the age of 15 the Osadnik Bursary Authorities in Warsaw offered the Marczak's a Bursary towards further education in an apprenticeship. Leon was already getting a feel as Gospodarz /helper on the farm. Jurek was sent to Poznan in Western Poland (approx 725km /450 miles away) for the apprenticeship in Mechanical Studies.

Leon went to a college specially for the Osadniki- Bursa. It was in Beresteczko- about 35km south of Targovica on the Styr. (Site of famous battle in 1651)

He still remembers singing a 'Hymn Osadnikow'

Z kresowych osad Gdzies bierzy wsrod

Z bojowych pol Powstaje znow

Wyrosly z trudow Krwi zolnierzy

Marszalka zbrojny Z warty lud.

Translates roughly

From the Kresy border lands

Somewhere among the battle fields

Arises again

Grown out of hardships of soldiers blood

Marshal armed

Worthy people.

From Targovica across Ikva valley to Welnicze

1939 Sept - Soviets invade eastern Poland. The NKVD ( Soviet Secret Police - later KGB) take control of the townships.

Disguised as "agricultural experts" they visit all the Osadnik properties and documented all the family details. * (Ref Book- Behind Closed Doors)

2] Sibiracs

1940 - February 9th - mid winter the NKVD began the process of deporting all the Osadniks in one mass deportation

Marisia Stawiarska who was born in Ulanska Dola.

Her mother was Antonina Kondradska ( married Boleslaw Cieslik and lived in Ulanska Dola ) and was sister to Stanislaw’s wife Maria Kondradska.

(The Komdradski’s had always lived around Targovica – they were there before Stanislaw arrived. )

Marisia was 5 when our family was deported – she remembers the day very vividly as essentially two close sisters were being torn from each other.

It was February deep into winter with snow on the ground.

In the early hours whilst people slept The Russians began arresting the Polish Soldier families “Osadniks” at gun point. Our grandfather had his hands tied behind his back and told to lie on the floor face down – he shook through fear.

Our Grandmother Maria had to pack essential items.

They then had to put these on a sleigh and were herded to the school at Ulanska Dola and guarded.

Word reached Antonina who was also living in Ulanska Dola at this time, horrified and with just scant clothing - throwing on some slippers she ran through the snow to the school.

Things were quite distraught the two sisters could only communicate through the school window – Maria had packed some of her fine clothes and she was throwing these out through the window onto the snow for Antonina, - Maria didn’t think she would be needing then to wherever they were taking them.

Antonina had a bakery ( I think ) and had two sacks of dried breads in store – the guards were persuaded to allow Jurek and Leon to go the bakery and collect the sacks for their journey – they were escorted under guard.

Trucks then arrived and took all the Soldier families to Rowne railway station for the journey to Siberia.

1940 - February 10th - mid winter the NKVD arrived swiftly in Targowice and began the process of deporting all the Osadniks. They were packed onto trucks and driven to Rowne where they were herded onto cattle trucks.. The trains were over a kilometer long and would take nearly 3 weeks on the journey to Kotlas leaving Rowne on 11th February. They were the first of 4 phases of deportations. Our family were deported to the Specposioleks in the far northern Russian Wastes to Kotlas/ Oblast Archangel’sk (referred to as Siberia) from the Kresy regions

An estimated 0.5m Poles were deported to Siberia over 4 phases of deportations ( Some estimates are 1.7 m deported during wartime period) . They would arrive at Bierdyszycha on March 2nd.

Jurek and Tadzik recall they were sent driven to Dubno where they were loaded into the cattle wagons. Above is a list of trains that left the Dubno and Lutsk region. It's more than likely they were on the train that was prepared at Werba south of Dubno and moved to Dubno on Feb 10th 1940.

The cattle trucks had bunks against the long walls - there was a stove in the centre to keep warm and boil water and a hole in the floor - this was the impersonal toilet - A blanket was hung from the ceiling to give some privacy.

February 10th They would head towards Zdolbunów ( just below Rowne ) then join the main line to head due south east crossing the Polish border at Szepetówka.

Novohrad

Korosten

Owrucz

Mazyr (river Prypec)

Rechytsa (river Dniepr

Homel

Briansk

Karaczew

Orzel (Oryol)

Aleksandrowka (Yelets) start to head North.

Rybne. (Rybnoye)

Kolomna (river Oka)

Voskriesensk. Around East of Moscow. Lots of standing . At night the lights of Moscow were biright against the snowy landscape. Uncle Tadeusz seemed to think the authorities had not decided exactly where to send the train from here. They carried heading due East.

Likino

Orekhovo

Pokrov

Pietruszki (Petushki)

Vladimir

Gorki. (Novgorod)

frozen River Volga Having crossed the Volga river they turned to head due North.

Kotelnich (river Vyatka)

Kirow

Oparino

Luza

February 27th arrive KOTLAS in the Archangelsk oblast. ,

This was a journey of approx 1700 miles ( 2735 km ) and a further 100 km march through the snow to the labour camp.

Here they spent a couple of days waiting for the sleds to arrive to take them further into the tundra forests. It was -40 C some people would freeze to death in these conditions. The rivers were frozen and these were the main thoroughways to move them 100 kms north east to Specposiolek of Bierdyszycha in the Oblasts smaller province of Lensky .Convoys set out on foot and by sleds up the Vychegda river. Tadzik and Jurek recall that they would stop off at villages during the nights and sleep in out buildings and barns. They would arrive at Bierdyszycha near village of Litvinovo on March 2nd. Many of the Ulanska Dola families were kept together and sent to this location near Litvinovo

in Lensky district.

Leon, Jurek and Tadzik were still 16 and Mietek was 3 when this happened. (At Rowne station followingTadzik a few months later a young girl of 6yrs of age and her family were also being herded on to cattle trucks bound for Novosybirtsk Siberia - her name was Halina)

Kotlas was the main town on the rivers Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Kotlas was and still is the centre for timber milling and was the staging post for sending the deportees far into the forests of Archangel Oblast.

The Karta.org site index shows that they were sent to the Specposiolek of Bierdyszycha in the Oblasts smaller province of Lensky (one of 20 Archangel provinces). Close to hamlet of Litwinova on the river Vychegda. No.130 on maps below. ( 105km / 65 miles from Kotlas )

Specposiolki : Bierdyszycha near Litvinovo

At Kotlas there were primitive huts and barracks, where the deported families of peasants awaited their dispatch. Convoys set out on foot and by barge down the Northern Dvina and up the Vychegda, they took people into the forests, into virgin areas. Here they had to build themselves settlements and work at cutting and rafting timber and building roads. They were only a few kilometers from Litvinovo - certainly easy walking distance - Jurek recalls taking logs down to the rivers edge and releasing them so that the logs would float downstream towards Kotlas. These specposiolki no longer exist.

Specposiolek / Katorga -

The deportees were housed in special camps called, specposiolki (special work camps) governed by the NKVD.

Also referred to as the Kartoga - a penal system which became a common penalty for participants of national uprisings that has affected Poles ever since Kosciuszko's uprising of 1794. Followed by further uprisings in 1830 and 1863 -

Poles sent to these work camps were known as Sibiraks.

Full map on the Kotlas-Siberia page

Vychegda River near Litvinovo

Their staple diet was Kasza – a porridge made from whatever grain that they could get.

Winter months were hard - when living in the Siberian hut, Leon remembers wearing 'walonki' ( fur shoes ) and 'kufajki' ( fur jackets) . but during summer months Jurek remebers there was an abundance of blackberries and mushrooms.

Jurek recalls a few names - The quards were governed by the "Commandant" - The manager who allocated the forestry work was Kolnuv Ilnisky and the regional head was Katarski. Katarski was of Polish decent but thoruoghly Russified.. The main aim of the posiolki was the asymilation of the Poles into the host Russian peasant culture and the Russification of the population (transnationalism). In public the Poles were not allowed to speak in their native tongue Polish.

Their other neighbour Sorderl died in Kotlas due to asthma and the minus -42 temps. Leon remembers that when it was really cold and they worked in the forests they would make fires out of the branches - even Renia would help to collect these bits of wood. Jurek recalls that when the temperatures reached -30 c they did not have to work in the forrest and waited for the temperature to rise a bit. They were not allowed to burn wood in the summer months, though! Leon confirmed they used to eat kasza Owszana, at a communal dining area called a 'stolowka. ' ( stowufka) . Our grandmother worked in a bakery for a while - piekarnia.

It's also worth noting that during the winter months Nov - March there are only 3 hours of daylight and that in the summer months June July there are only 2 hours of night. So the cold winter days are long and mostly dark.

The family were part of a specific team - felling trees - removing branches and cutting the trunks into three segmants. Monetory rewards were based on productivity - but only just enough to feed oneself. Families were also granted some allotment space and again the allotment size was based on the families level of productivity - Jureks recalls they had one of the largest allotments.

Initially the deportees were crammed into overcrowded ramshackled barracks - but with the tree felling they were instructed to build new log huts for themselves and thus build their new settlement (posiolek) - this included a very fine home for the "Comandant". It was never envisaged that they would ever leave these new settlements.

Mietek was around 3 years of age at this time - Stanislaw managed to get a cow from Russian neighbours and thus fresh milk – so things were looking up – a luxury by specposiolek standards.

However the cow didn't give much milk, because she was lonely and away from the rest of the herd !

But things change

1941-June Germany invades Russia –August 1941 Russia joins the western allies and does a deal with Churchill to an “Amnesty” to free all deported Poles.

The family are given papers to travel south on 10th September 1941 to Soroczynsk (Sorochinsk) near Buzuluk.

The above database item from www.karta.org.pl shows deportation and release dates of Stanislaw. Details show they were released on 10th September 1941 and headed for town of Soroczynsk close to Buzuluk and Tockoye - where Anders was gathering his Polish Army. Winter is approaching , it's starting to snow and cold has set in they have some makeshift tents for shelter - but spirits are high.

Russia agrees for Poles to start to assemble an army on Russian soil, initially around Buzuluk in central Russia - everyone presumes the Poles will fight alongside the Russians -but the relationship between the Poles and Russians is a strained one. General Anders and Sirkorski visit Stalin and ask him to release the Polish officers - to which Stalin replies everyone has been released. Under further questioning Stalin says that they all must have escaped to Manchuria - "what every one of them" retorts Anders. .

June 1941 - The Polish government-in-exile and the Soviet government signed the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement which announced the willingness of both to fight together against Nazi Germany and for a Polish army to be formed on Soviet territory. The Polish general Władysław Anders began organizing this army, and soon he requested information about the Polish officers who were missing. During a personal meeting, Stalin assured him and Władysław Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister, that all the Poles were freed, and that not all could be accounted because the Soviets "lost track" of them in Manchuria

The Germans later discovered the Katyn Forest graves of the Polish Officers around Jan/Feb 1943 - Stalin blames the Germans for this act and denounces the "Polish Government in exile" in London for cooperating with the Germans in sugesting it was the Russians that carried out this massacres

As the battle of El Alamein began on July 1st - Stalin made a surprising offer on July 2nd 1942 Stalins sugesting to the British to evacuate 3 Polish divisions to the Middle East - presumably his thoughts were to give additional strength to stop the Germans entering Russia via Egypt and Persia

It's also possible that Stalin didn't want a strong Poish force on Russion soil that wanted to liberate it's own country from the Germans. Realising that he can't meld the Polish army into being a Russian entity he advises that they should join the other allies.

So the armies have to assemble in Uzbekistan and move to the British sphere of influence.

There are no formal travel arrangements.

Chaos reigns, food and water becomes an isssue. There was always a reluctance from Stalin to provide any adequate food provision for the gathering army - Stalin had his own problems facing the Germans, feeding the Poles wasn't one of his high priorities.

People have to make their own way south – although cattle trucks do stop to give Poles lifts down to the south. Weak and starving with a shortage of water many perish in the hot climate.

Stalin grants only a small window in time for this assembly and they will be Churchill’s responsibility so have to move off Russian territory.

Jurek and Leo ( 18 years old now ) set of with colleagues to join the Polish Army and head south heading for Tashkent 1750 miles south.

Soon they split in smaller groups to get a better chance to hitch onto transport and get food.

(The rest of the family set off south from Kotlas some months later and it’s during this journey that Renia ( 13 years old) gets off the train in search of food ( leaving family in cattle truck ) the train is gone when she gets back.

Tadzik recalls that he and his father Stanislaw made their way back to the station but Renia was nowhere to be found.

Taszkent - Krasnovodsk to Pahlavi

Eventually Jurek and Leo get to Taszkent but there isn't enough food to feed the gathering army. The local Uzbeks have collective farms called Kolchozy (Russian Kolkhoz) that required workers "Kolchozníci".. The Poles are encouraged to go and work on the Kolchozy in order to earn some brownie points to get food to eat. The local Kolchozy soon fill up, Leon and Jurek get redirected to the Aral Sea, some 1000 km / 600 miles– they get on to a local barge and sail downstream arriving. in Moynoq and get work as shoe repairers for a few of months. Here they had shelter, food - fresh fish and water, they were relatively comfortable compared to other Poles.

1942 -Summer They then realise there are no trains back to Taszkent where the Polish Army is assembling properly, so start to walk back along the Amu Darya ( Oxus) river towards Buchara ( through desert lands ) all off 465 miles – on foot !! Jurek recalls that the Uzbeks generally welcomed the Poles and finding a place to sleep and some unleven bread to help them on the way wasn't too difficult. They learned a few vital Uzbek words - Makara ( friend ) and Karsch Yaman ( We're hungry ) Under nourished and weak, Walking between 50 and 100 km per day - This was some achievement. As they approach junction to head for Buchara again the NKVD redirect then this time to Chardzhou where one of the first trains to evacuate the Poles is waiting to take them to Krasnovodsk. Its March 23rd 1942.

Buchara

Krasnovodsk Transportation Caspian Sea

They finally join up with the main Polish Army forces from Jangijul and are transported to Krasnovodsk Caspian Sea where they are shipped on coal vessels to Pahlavi, a journey that would take 24 hours.

Two schedules of evacuations from Kranovodsk took place between August 9th and August 30th 1941, after this all further evacuations were stopped by the Russians.

Disembarking at Pahlavi

Camps are set up on the beeches around Pahlavi Here they get British uniforms and adequate rations.

Soon the ship was unloaded and they were moved to the camps on the beaches of Pahlavi. The tents housed women and children. The army camped in an open space. The sunshine warmed up tired bodies and the waves of the sea bathed and refreshed them. Next day they were paraded to the bathhouses. Old clothes had to be left outside before they were subjected to a "delousing program". All these clothes contained not only lice but also the germs of typhoid dysentery and other illnesses, which were so rampant in Russia. All these clothes were burnt. After a good shower (what a luxury) they received the new, clean British uniforms!

Hungry. When they were told that they would receive 400g of bread a day they grumbled: "In Russia we had 800g of bread and we were hungry". "Don't worry"-said the General- "there is more". Happily surprised when they received their first meal on the beach, which included: corned beef, cheese, crackers, oranges, dates, and jam. What a feast! For supper they went to the field kitchen. The meal included soup, lamb, rice, and fruit.

Aerial picture of Pahlevi showing part of a very small section of the beech camps.

Once they regain some strength they then move to camps around Tehran (Persia now IRAN) where they undergo more rigorous training.

Signed up for in to the 22nd Infantry Batallian part of the Reserve Unit.

They move up via Baghdad through Palestine finally arriving in SUEZ where they were boarded onto big liners.

Given that the Med and Straights of Gibraltar were heavily guarded by German U boats/subs the route to the UK was a long one.

The liners head south through Suez – around horn of Africa to Sth Africa – they stayed in Durban for a couple of months.

Finally another big liner takes them around west Africa and up to Glasgow – and they get based in Kelso Scotland.

Renia does get to Tashkent on her own - but the door to the west has now been closed. A Russian family in Tashkent take her in and she becomes part of their family. She lives with them for 5 years until 1947 (two years after WW2 fininshed). By then Russia had re-established some of the transport infrastructure and Renia (now 21) could make her way back home to Poland. Despite her Russian family pleading for her to stay - her Polish roots were to deep not to follow back. Later Jurek recalls how she mentioned to him how good the Russian family were to her - but despite this she never wrote to them - her hatred of Stalin and the Russian system stopped her from doing so - something that she regretted in later years.

Recap -

Jurek and Leon are heading for Normandy via Sth. Africa

The rest of the family arrive in Tashkent, Stanislaw and Tadzik join the Polish Army and are heading for Palestine and Italy.

Renia (13) as mentioned is now lost in Russia.

Mietek (5) and Mother are heading for a British Refugee camp Kidugala South Tanganyika in Africa.

The family have been truly splintered.

South Africa and so to Scotland.

Jurek and Longin arrived in Durban to a Fat Lady Singing with a megaphone possibly rendition on “Land of Hope and Glory”’ “There will always be an England” or similar songs Her name was Perla Seidle Gibbon

South African soprano and artist who became internationally celebrated during he Second World War as the Lady in White. She was there for every arriving and departing troop ship, (over 5500) even on the day she had heard that her son Roy had been killed fighting in Italy.

Major hub for troops and POW’s. Stay here for 2-3 months before getting on a convoy to Scotland.

And so to Scotland

3] Soldiers

The story continues for Jurek and Leon in section Normandy to Wilhelmshaven as they join the Allies in the World War ll Normandy battles with General Maczek "1st Polish Armoured Division" as part of the Canadian Army.

The story continues for Stanislaw and Tadzik in Section Palestine - Italian Campaign as they join the "Carpathian Brigade" as part of General Anders 2nd Polish Corps .

4] Evacuation from Russia - Figures : We are the 7%

In the Soviet Union, by the end of 1941, there were 3 divisions totalling 38,000 troops. By the time the Polish Army left the Soviet Union in the summer of 1942 it was at corps strength and contained 7 divisions and 1 brigade with a total of 74,000 troops.

It’s interesting that the bulk of the soldiers joined Anders Second Army and went to Palestine and Italy – Jurek reckons only around 8,000 of them were sent to Scotland – be interesting to find out how they were divided up.

The evacuation of the Polish Corps from the Soviet Union was accomplished in two stages. The first stage consisted solely of shiploads of Poles sailing from Krasnovodsk to the port of Pahlevi in Persia during the period March 24, 1942 to April 3, 1942. A total of 33, 069 soldiers were evacuated (1,603 officers; 28,427 NCOs and other ranks; 1,159 volunteers of the women's corps (PWSK) and 1,880 male and female cadets. They were accompanied by 10,789 civilians (of which 3,100 were children).

The second stage took place from August 9, 1942 to September 1, 1942, when the Soviets closed the border and ended any chance of escape for those who remained behind. The evacuation began once again with crossings across the Caspian Sea, but by the end of August German planes had begun bombing the ships and the remaining evacuees were directed overland, to the railhead at Meshed, also in Persia. From there, they travelled by train to Teheran. A further 2,430 officers, 36,701 NCOs and other ranks, 112 army staff members, 1,765 volunteers of the PWSK and 2,738 cadets were evacuated. Again, they were accompanied by civilians; 25,501 of them (including 9,633 children). The total evacuated in the second stage amounted to 69,247 persons, of which 568 died in the destination port of Pahlevi.

The total figure of evacuated Polish nationals during these two stages amounted to 113,105 persons. It is worth noting that the Women's Corps and the Cadet Corps, although legitimate units, served the useful purpose of recruiting civilians, who might otherwise have been left behind, into the army. The Soviets did not want Polish civilians to leave and for their part, the British, who were accepting the Polish forces into their fold, did not want the burden of feeding civilians. That any civilians were evacuated at all, was due to the refusal of the Polish authorities (starting with General Anders) to comply with Soviet and British demands in this matter. It hurt to leave any Poles behind. (Evacuation data provided by Dr. A. Garlicki, Ottawa.)

So of 1,700,000* ( 1.7m ) Poles deported to Russia during 1940/1 only 113,105 less than 7% got out of Russia at this time – that’s what we represent – WE ARE THE 7% !

* The figure of 1,7million is now disputed - it was probably nearer to 500,000 Poles deported during the 4 phases in 1940.

Map below shows the general route of the odysseys.

Map shows the deportation train route Dubno to Kotlas and then 100 kms beyond on foot to Litvinovo / Bierdyszycha

With the Amnesty route took our family to Buzuluk and then further on to Tashkent.

Food and survival required Jurek and Leon to go to Moynoq for work and then walk the 750 kms to Bukhara

The Army then arranged transport to Krasnovodsk, boat to Pahlavi and truck to Tehran, Baghdad, Amman and Suez where Jurek and Leon were sent via South Africa to Scotland, fighting across France, Belgium, Holland and finishing the war in Wilhelshaven Germany.

Stanislaw and Tadzik went on to Alexandria and then to Italy finishing the war in Bologna.

Maria and Mietek were sent to Africa.

Renia stayed in Tashkent until after the war when she was repatriated to Jelenia Gora and brought to Warsaw by the Szczerbinski family.

Many pictures and maps care of Kresy-Siberia galleries.

http://kresy-siberia.com/gallery/main.php

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