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3rd Carpathian Rifle Division
3 Dywizja Strzelcw Karpackich
Carpathian Brigade - Karpacka Brygada, Polish unit, initially some 5,800 strong, full title the 1st Independent Carpathian Fusilier Brigade. It was formed in Syria in May 1940 within General Weygand's French forces there. Its personnel, all high-quality volunteers, came from Polish troops who had escaped through the Balkans/ Rumania after the Polish campaign.
Following Polish ambassador Michał Sokolnicki and attache col. Tadeusz Machalski trom Ankara who both suggested that Polish soldiers escaping from isolation camps in Romania and Hungary would be able to reach Beirut easier than Marsil. French headquaters confirmed the agreement quite quickly on 12-th April 1940 gen. Władysław Sikorski ordered formally the establishing of Polsih unit called Brygada Strzelców Karpackich in Syria with col. Stanisław Kopański in command . According to Polish-French agreement of 4-th January col. Kopański and his soldiers belongs to Polish Headquater , but from operational point of view they belongs to the French military forces called TOMO (Theatre d'Operation de Mediterraneen Orientale). Gen. Maxime Weygand who was regarded as one of the greatest French commanders of World War I was in command of it since 1939 . The previous camp of Foreign Legion near the town of Homs in Syria was decided as the first place of concentration for Polish Carpathian Brigade.
After the fall of France in June 1940, the brigade moved to Palestine to avoid falling under Vichy control, and then to Tobruk where its commander, Maj-General Stanisław Kopański, commanded the Allied garrison after the Australian garrison had been replaced.
In November 1941 it took part in the CRUSADER offensive in the Western Desert campaigns before being withdrawn to Palestine in March 1942 having suffered 200 killed and 424 wounded.
It was then reorganized as the 3rd Carpathian Division with the inclusion of freed Poles from Russia (Stanislaw and Tadzik joined at this time) after the Russian Amnesty, subsequently took part in the Italian campaign as part of the 2nd Polish Corps ( Anders' army) and was part of the British 8th Army. It was the Poles that finally broke through and the first to liberate the monestary of Monte Casino.
Stanislaw and Tadzik joined the Polish forces in Jan-gi-Jul near Tashkent - General Anders Army in Russia. Soon after as soldiers they were sent to Persia (Iran) Iraq and Palestine (Israel).
In Palestine their division was joined with the Carpatian Brigade and 3 DSK (3rd Carpatian Division) was formed.
Stanislaw was in 22nd Transport Company (Artillery Supply Company) moving amunition up to the front troops along with "Wojtek the Bear". Tadzik recals seeing Wojtek fully grown when he visted his father Stanislaw during leave.
Tadzik was in the 3rd Carpatthian Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment.
They took part in all the battles in Italy including the famous battle of Monte Cassino. As the war ended in 1945 Tadzik unfortunately lost one of his best friends during the battle of Loreto. He was killed as he stood right next to him.
Tadzik recals sadly "I visited his grave and many other friends graves when I visited Monte Cassino in 1973 and also again in 1994".
The brigade's name reflected the soldiers' hopes that they would be able to liberate their homeland by crossing Southern Europe and traversing the Carpathian mountains. (Karpaty)
This aim is immortalised in the words of the Polish National Anthem chorus sung to a Mazurka beat.
March! March, Dabrowski!
March from Italy to Poland!
Under your command
We shall reach our land
Dabrowski was a Polish General whose army became one of Napoleons’ legions in Italy. His soldiers marched to the Dabrowski Mazurka which would later become the Polish National Anthem. After the third partition Polish legions escaped the country and joined up with Napoleon.
But it was a wishful dream – Napoleon was only interesting in having the support of large legions of Polish warriors in his army in gaining Poland for himself as an annex to France. Actually a 4th partition - he never allowed Dabrowski to cross the Carpathian Alps into Poland
In the end the uniform of the army that crossed from Italy to Poland to help Poland gain it’s freedom wasn’t in the colours of soldiers khaki but white the colour of the Papacy.
ORDER of Battle
- BRITISH EIGHTH ARMY - Lt. Gen. Sir Richard L. McCreery
- XIII CORPS
- 10th Indian Infantry Division
- Italian Folgore Combat Group
- X CORPS
- Italian Friuli Combat Group
- Jewish Brigade (recently arrived)
- POLISH 2nd CORPS Commander - Lt. General Wladyslaw Anders
- 3 Carpathian Rifle Division Maj. General Bronislaw Duch
- 5 Kresowy Infantry Division
- 2 Polish Armoured Brigade
- 43 Indian Lorried Infantry Brigade
- 7 British Armoured Brigade
- V CORPS
- 56 British Infantry Division
- 78 British Infantry Division
- 2 New Zealand (with 8 Indian) Division
- 2 Commando Brigade
- Cremona Combat Group
- 9 Armoured Brigade
- 2 Armoured Brigade
- 21 Tank Brigade
- ARMY RESERVE
- 6 British Armoured Division
- 2 Para Brigade
Battle of Monte Casino
Disbanded after the war, most soldiers chose not to return to the new, Communist Poland. After the war the division set up camp in Hodgemoor Woods, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, England. They maintained a presence there until 1962. There were, and may still be today, many Polish families in the area
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