Repeat please!

[StevieD]

 

 

 

As my father was Polish (he fought at Monte Cassino) I'm always drawn to Polish subjects.

 

Here's F/O Ludwik Paskiewicz demonstrating to Miroslaw Feric how he made 303 Squadron's first kill on 30 August 1940. Kept it pretty clean as Polish ground crew took great care of their machines and this is the first day of 303's involvement in the battle.

 

Airfix 1/48 Hurricane and ICM pilots. Codes and serial for RF V from Xtradecal

 

Thanks for looking

 

 

 

 

[Alpha Delta 210]

Great work. I particularly like the black and white picture.

[tonyot]

Lovely job and huge respect to your Dad,.....Cassino was a hell of a battle and the Poles succeeded where everybody else had failed. 

Cheers

            Tony

[Gerrardandrews]

Your Dad was a Hero, and your model is really good, and nice and clean 😊

[JohnT]

Lovely model and diorama.  I like the poses of the pilots.  Great Hurricane too.

 

What Gerrardandrews said about your Dad is 100% right too.  I visited Monte Casino around fifteen years ago and its quite a place.  I went a little way over to the Polish War Cemetery and paid my respects.  Its laid out very differently to our Commonwealth cemeteries but it made a huge impression.

 

If you have not read it get a copy of Olson and Clouds book "For Your Freedom and Ours".  I must take it down and re-read it again now.

[StevieD]

Many thanks for the kind words on my father everyone.

 

Yes he had one hell of a life.

 

When I was a kid  all he told us was "I come from a place that doesn't exist where everyone is dead."

 

He was 14 when the Nazis invaded. His village was right on the River San, which became the border with the Soviets - but he was on the Soviet bank My family was loaded onto cattle wagons and deported to Siberia in 1940 where they died. He was the only one to get away and hid out in the forests.

 

He was taken by the Germans when they invaded in 41 as slave labour to Romania.  In late 43/44 he was  offered a choice - the Wehrmacht or Auschwitz . He fought the communists in Yugoslavia and then to Italy where his unit surrendered/ was captured by the Allies. He was then drafted to the II Polish Corps and so to Cassino. He's in a quite a famous photo on Snakeshead Ridge bringing his dead mates down from the mountain.

 

Came to this country in '46. He was only 21. Grew up alone in a war and must have seen stuff we can barely imagine. No wonder never talk about it. Quietest, nicest bloke you'd ever meet. No stress counceling in those days either. Just worked down the pit for the next 25 years.

 

Went to Cassino last year and stood on the same spot that he did.

 

 

 

 

[stevej60]

Excellent build and finish Stevie,figures really add to the scene,and great story of your Dad's life,Ive seen Cassino from the

bottom of the hill how they managed to capture it is the stuff of legend.

[clive_t]

Great build and photos, and one hell of a back-story to go with it. Respect to your dad.

[frankie]

My utmost respect to Your dad !!!!!! 

[JWM]

Congrats! Moving story (and well told) and beautiful diorama.

Regards

J-W

[Janremco]

Great looking Hurricane. Looking realistic.

 

Jan Remco

[dieselweasel]

Many congrats on a brilliant build, Stevie, also my respect to your Dad.

ATB

Jim

[Martin Ford]

My word Stevie that's some life story, thank you for sharing it.