In Their Country's Service- Women Soldiers of the Polish 2nd Corps

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" .IN THEIR COUNTRY 'S SERVICE"

WOMEN - SOLD IERS OF THE 2nd POLISH CORPS

1941 - 1946

LAY OUT AND TEXT:

LOLA ROMANSKA AND ANDRZEJ ROMANSKI

MONTAGE:

WINCEl\TY SZUROWSKI

PHO'l'OGRAl'HS:.r. BEEGEK, \\I. BOKUTA,A.CHRUSCIEL,J.FUKS, S. GLIWA, BR. TIABERSKI W. TIRYNlE\\"1CZ.

K ITRYNKlE'\"ICZ. B. KOWALIK, K]WSZYNSKI, ST. LIPlNSKI, K. MAGIERA, F. MALINIAK, J. l\llCHALSKl,

o LSZANSKI, W. OSTROWSKI, A. PADUCII, 1. ROMANOWSKI, LOLA ROMANSKA, A.ROlVlAi\SK[

.P. SAWICKi, T. SZUNI.ANSKI, \\I. SZUROWSKI, CZ. ZEMBAL, J. ZIELICKI AND REPRODUCTIONS

PRODCCTION: PHOTOGRAPJ-TIC SECTlON HQ POLISH PUBLiC REf-A nONS

GRAPHICAC WORK; 1. CHADZyt~SJ(A

TRANSLATOR; RCERTON SYJ(ES

l'UBLISHED BY THE IIEADQUARTEHS

UF THE POLISH WOM.EN'S AUXILIARY CORPS

2nd POLISH CORPS.



, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~\\ ~::S3

An historical event of major importance was the

pari played: by women in the second world war. The

impetus of national necessity pressed 'whole social groups

into the service of the state. Conscription f'or women

was introduced in most countries, but before this was

the case, tens of thousands of women had enlisted in tho

armies of the warrrng nations. In many cases the 1icw

ideas and status gained as a result of this will remain

it pcrrnaucnt part 01 the framework of women's sphere

in the wortd.Owing to the special conditions of the combat iu-Po-

land, all service by women, whether with the Under-

ground 01' in the Armed Forces had: to be on a voluntary

basis, The Women's Voluntary Corps, which was crea-

ted both ill Poland and abroad, produced the need for

special regulutions aud organisation, often against the.stroug ouuositiou of those who disagreed with women's

right to serve. It may now be said that the Polish wo-

men played 1 : 1 predominant part in the struggle against

opression, a fact which is f'ul.lv realised by the whole

nation.

'I'h is book is not only a history in photographs of

th e lire of the Polish Women's Auxiliary Corps, - the

P. S. K., - but is also intended, in some measure, to give

an idea of how the various organisaticns came into

being.

During the years or the war Polish woiuen, ill

common with 'women of most of the Allied Nations, )'c-

v(,<lled num v hitherto unsuspected traits of character.

80 little was previously known of the moral endurance

uud ph vaioa] resistance of women, while evoi; lcss wassuspected of their aptitude for work, thcirself disci-

pline and reliance, 01' even or their courage. While these

characteristics had been observed in exceptional cases,

aiuonast those women distinguished in history as lea-

(!PI'S of opinion, in this war such leaders were to he

found in thoir thousands amongst Polish women, Co-

lonel Mrs. Wqslouchowa, Chief Commander of the PSK.,

stated « The woineu 01' the PSK. always keep a stif']'

Upper Iip in difficult circumstances, are most consistent

and reliable, and unconcerned about their personal well

being. In every situation they fiud the one way au t



-ousiatent 'with their patriotic outlook » .

When he created the PSK" after long negotiations

with the Soviet Government, General Anders was actu a-

ted by t11'0 motives. Pil'st to save the greatest number

0[' women from pr-isons and detention camps in Russia.

Second to obtain the greatest number of auxiliary

workers, as their 1110VC1Jlellt [rom the camps was ham-

pored bv the N,KW,D, - Thc Russian, Secret Police,

'I'hc creation 0 r the 'Women's A l'my proceeded step b~-

step with tho orca Lon of' its male counterpart. 'I'ho wo-

men, who were on the same footing as the men, took

up their work in hosp itals, canteens, cookhouses, luu n-

dries and OniON;, nnd at the same tiuiestudicd in tho

evenings 1'01' the passing o l mi litarv teclnrical tests.

T'his convalescence after the hardships ai' camp ami

prison lire ill Russia, was the best manner or getting

back to uo rmul. G rudua llv the strain on the faces gave

wav, if 110t to smiles, at least to riiore peaceful reco llcc-

LOllS, III their l'ir81 u ui l'orrns, they shyly l'1:lOedphoto-

gl'nphcrs, but it was not until thev igot to the sunuv

land or Uzbekistan, that their first smiles rcallv ap-

]J('ared m; the)' danced around. their camp fires, and I'elt

honest pride in their marching,

The main llrobll'm to be T ac erl was that of. coning

with the thousands O T Polish wanderers arri viug from

the far off parts of' Russia to which they had been exi-

led, quantities of children, half starved debilitated by

diseuse and decimated by epidemics, had to be cared

1'01'and eventually taken with the Army when it moved

into Iran. The members of the PSK; had to undertake

ail this extra, work, teach in schools and kindergartens,

do welfare 1I'01'k, nurse the sick, and right the epide-

m ir -s whic-h always follow armies in Russia.

On, arriving in .Irrui there was a leeling or liberty

ami (,HSl' , Once work there had been orgunised it was

decided [0 tryout woiuen as lorry and car drivers, an

experiiucut which had worked succesful ly 'with the

Brit ish ill the f'irst \\'OJ'ld War, in orrlcr to I'r('e us muuv

men us possi lble Io r purely military duties,

A group of P8K., left Lran and went to Palostiu«

for training in si gnals and connuunica tions. 1101'e also

were startod elementary and secondary training schools,

ou the lines or those previously crgauised ill Russia Ior

young girls, IIare, Wi1.11the sunshine and greener.\', the

vouuger gcncrution found again the joy or life.

13y then the Polish Forces in tho Middle East had

been centered on Traq, where in spite, of the difficult cli-

niatic conditions, ycnng women worked untiringlv in



IIlHipi(als, canteens and offices, 'The chief battle was with

""I IIIria, against which the unceasing efforts of doctors

IIlid uurses were called for. Eventually, their ]ll'elimi-

11 ;1 r)' training completed, the Polish Forces left the de-

H{'rLand moved to Palestine. Here long conveys of 101'-

ri(,s driven by PSK., carried troops and stores across

the sandv track ham Baghdad.

In the process or .changing stations, companies o r

P8K. 'were attached to Polish Divisional formations,

wh iIe at the same time arrangements were made for the

Iield canteens to be staffed by them. By the time the

Iirst tactical exc reises were held in Palestine, all these

services had 'been well enough 'trained to show their' use.

F'rum Palestine the Polish Forces were moved to Egypt,

this was to be their last stop before taking l)art ill the

Buropean opel'ations.

Then came the splendid drive through Italy, ill all

or which the Polish Forces played their part. What the

2nd Polish Corps did at Monte Cassino, Ancona and

Bologna is known to all and constit'l1.tes a glotious rc-

conl. During this period the P~K. run hosuitals, can-

teens, eonnllunications and transport, and in every field

or wo rk showed themselves to he Jlosseded or a. high sense

( ) r eon rage and elevation to duty. 'I'he ir labours were an

import ant contribution to the advance: munitions

hrought up on time, fooLl Llelivered to the front line,

messages brought through, and the general w ork of

nu rsmg the sick, and wounded; all these played their

part.

\\'l1('n the war finished it was the hope of the rSK.

that 1hov could return to a Iree Poland, but this has

not been the case. Ko," they are going to yet an othercount rv. England" where it is felt that they will receive

a (~o['d.i;tlwoleome and where the wide uXllel';ence they

have gained during the war years will be of use to them.

We continue to live, striving fol' a better wor-ld,

where there is peace and liberty alter long years of f'ear

and ter-ror.

HERMINIA KAGlJElWW A







; -"1'

O n the seventeenth September 1939, Soviet Troops en-

tered Poland, at that tim.e engaged in a desperate strug-

gle with the German Armies. On the basis of the Rib-

bentrop - Molotov agreem.ent, nearly half of Poland

was submitted to Soviet domination, with the result that

in two years, 1.692.000 Poles, reqordless of sex or ag'2

were deported far into the wilds of Russia. Among them

were 381.000 women and 379.500 children under fifteen

years of age. Through the arctic wastes, the Siberian

tundras and the Western Asiatic steppes, through prisons

and detention camps, amid hurailction, hunger and mi-

sery, these Polish women carried on bravely.

On the 22nd June 1941, war broke out between Ger-

many and Russia.

Early in September of that year, on the basis of an

agreement between the Polish and Russian Governments,

the steady stream of Poles released from detention camps

and prisons, started their treks, in many cases over a

thousand miles, to the Polish Army Recruiting Centres,

set up in Russia by General Anders. Not only men, but

also women and children thus joined the army. In this

manner, on .the Volga Steppes, between Kuibishev and

Chkalov, was born the Polish 2nd Corps.

After the evacuation of Russia, in March and August

1942, about 114.000 Polish soldiers and civilians went to

Iran leaving behind them

415.800 registered graves,

434.300 lost and dispersed persons and

681.400 persons to whom the Soviet authorities did

not give permits to leave

The untiring, strenuous march to Poland - through

the mountains of Persia and the deserts of the Middle

East, through the Mediterranean Sea, through the bottle

fields of Italy, Monte Cassino, Ancona, and Bologna -

still continues.

In this march the PSK. - Polish Women's Auxiliary

Service - has its- own story.











Polish Independence Day (November l lth) in 1941 was celebrated in, Buzuluk by a Mass, at which General Anders was present

At 'the time of the visit to the Polish Forces in Russia of the Polish Cornman-

der-in-Chief General Sikorski. the first uniforms were just being issued .

•

.. ", . .



Buzuluk was the first HQ ofthe Po-

J.:.r,hroops in Russia and for the

orqcm.sntion of the PSK. under

Mrs. W. Piechowska. There also

were started the can-

teen and medical

branches.



Polish camp in Jangi-Jul

View at Guzar











Under .the strange

sun, across the

vast steppes wan-

dered Polish chil-

dren, hungry and

ill...

They had to be fed

and clothed, and

to have healed

their starved bod-

ies and 'horror-

stricken souls





History repeats itself. To the graves of the Polish insurgents who fell in Russia after the

Polish Insurrectione in 1831 and l863 were added hundreds of thousands of others.









Iraq

In the desert, in the valley of the Biblical Tigris and Euphrates, cities of white tents

sprcllng up suddenly. Organised life started immediately and hitherto unheard foreign

languages were encountered.



Quizil-Ribat - Warsaw

2950 km,

Chief Commander Mrs. Wyslouchowa at work



























A wide special educational curriculum

was organised for the training of the PSK.

General Scsnkowski, the Polish Com-

mander-in-Chief. among the pupils.



The Tomb of Our Lady in Jerusalem

PSK. followinq the Itinerary of the

Holy Cross .through old Ierusulem.



The places, the names and the scenery

change but the tents are always the same.

The lime-tree at the entrance of the camp

in Rechoboth - the well known place

for hitch-hiking.







I'd',~~~J1,q

~~,L.e fiJ',hi

V~IJ•

#aI~,~I~ Jl-- ~~,

~~~ 9./~//r? "~~

#2l~ 'e e,~J'i1 -" ~ /

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« On the second anniversary of the creation of

PSK. (Polish Women's Auxiliary Service) I send

to crll ranks my hecrrtiest thanks for their hard

and self denying labours, so full of productive

effort for the Army and for Poland.

General W. Anders, September 1943»



tI















May 1944 at'Monte Cassino



Field Marshal Alexander and General

Anders studying maps before the of-

fensive against the Monte Cassino Mo-

nastery which was taken by the 2nd

,'Polish Corps on the morning of 18th May.



•.ao."'Q.

~







The sick-rooms in the Field and General Hospitals



Sisters taking temperatures - giving medicine - changing dressings

- wcrshinq ..a!}s!i!&e,~?~l1~.~,:' ,'i~~~>~~,fly ill ,- ,smiling and saying a;cheerful w:1tfJ3'~~1l:g~9d' spirits.

























Transport Service



conditions PSK. dri-

vers kept steadily at

the wheel.



Scenes from camp-life

For the first time the PSK. 316th

Transport Company slept under

a roof at Arezzo.





Apart from carrying men and supplies PSK. drivers had to take

care of their vehicles repairing small defects and often loading

and u.nloading them.



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h!ll! I \ v:



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P51~

The 316th and 317th PSK. Transport

Coys, during the Italian campaign,

did the fol lowing:

joumeys undertaken: 43.339

petrol used:

miles driven

gallons 342.370

3,600.608

material delivered:

a) ammunition

b)' food

c) petrol-oil

d) transport material

e) building material

tons' 6.626

» ) 27.283

» 41.306

» 77.352

» 30.936-

Total tons 183.503

- 1 - N G 8 0 T H A M L I B R A R Y

I A I I 1 1 5 T U U I V E R S l T Y





While soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps were fighting on the Italian

front, PSK. drivers were delivering supplies as far as the second line



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The American. Congresswoman Mrs.

Clare Booth Luce visits a detachment.

; Dolls oHered by her as mascots







Special canteen vans offered by the

War Relief Services helped a lot in

.their work.

«0. K.» from General Mac Clark



Behind the Senio river on the Bologna road, women soldiers ccm-

teen workers supplied meals within range of enemy artillery.

General Szyszko-Bohusz and General Rudnicki entering the town

Bologna was captured by the 2nd Polish Corps on April 21st 1945



PSK. IN OFFICES



The monotonous and burdensome

work of clerks. typists and inter-preters was, nevertheiess an im-

portant factor in the common

effort.











After the defeat of the ene-

my, together with the vic-

tors of Monte Cassino. An-

cona and Bologna, came

the PSK. to receive their

well earne.d awards.



General Szyszkc-Bohusz decorating the PSR.









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During the whole war the

2nd Polish Corps constantly

remembered those, who

Iouqhtin Poland.

After the Warsaw insurrec-

tion many women-soldiers

of the Polish Home Under-

ground Army (A. K.) man-

aged to join the PSK.

Cruel brandings made in Ger-

man concentration camps.

After six years of underground resistunce. «new»

members of the PSK. training in the 2nd Polish

Corps.



. PSK. studying maps

MATERA

the PSK. trcrininq centre



«Eyeii Right.»



Many PSK. from dif-

ferent units came to

Porto S. Giorgio to

finish their. seconda-



ry school education.

A 'frien'idly chat

Final exams for School Leaving Certificates



I • I •.



On the sunny shores

of the Adriatic.

The PSK. in picturesque students' hats In





Among the Italian universities where

Polish boys and girls are pursuing

their studies, that of Bologna is espe-

ciallydear to Poles, because Nicolas

Kopernik studied there.

Visiting Rome





Scenes from Polish ci-

vilian camps in Italy:

Maternity Hospital inTrani.





.. . « we also belong to the 2nd Polish Corps! »

In Macerata profes-

sional dressmaking

courses were orqrm-

Ise d.





At the end of the war PSK's

work and life went on normally,

in Transport, Signal and Canteen

Companies as well as in Hospit-

als and Offices.



The hospital work was chiefly

the care of convalescents. '

'.



PSK. attending a Polish Red Cros, course



The PSK. Transport Coys celebrating

their Unit holiday (third anniversary).



[



General Lee visiting

the 2nd Polish Corps.



Ll' General Morg~, accompanied by General- Anders Com-

mander of the 2nd Polish Corps, visiting 316th Transport Coy.

Chief Commander Lady Kathleen Rollo, ATS, Liaison

Officer of the 26 BLU and Colonel Mrs. Wys!ouc::howa.



PSK. get acquainted

art in dll its richness

Cultural centres of the

PSK. - libraries and

reading rooms.

Periodicals and books

emanating from the

PSK. of the 2nd Polish



Corps.

Photographic laboratory ~Ochotniczka »

·On. Monte Cassino two

years after the battle.



Afarewell wreath of flowers

... « Our service and our duty ar not yet finised. We shall leave Italy for Britain and, perhaps later

pass through still unknown land until we reach our homeland, Poland, for which we have fought»





In the second half of 1946- leaving Itaiy

Documents

In Their Country's Service- Women Soldiers of the Polish 2nd Corps