Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross |
|
|---|---|
  The front (top left) shows "MONTE CASSINO MAJ 1944" and the back (top right) has the medal's unique number. Cross 25369 was given to Sapper Jan Giedo from the 5th Engineers Battalion, 5th Kresowa Infantry Division.
|
|
| Type | Campaign medal |
| Eligibility | Polish II Corps |
| Awarded for | Campaign service |
| Campaign(s) | Battle of Monte Cassino |
| Clasps | None authorised. |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 1944 |
The Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross (in Polish: Krzyż Pamiątkowy Monte Cassino) is a special medal. It was given to all soldiers of the Polish II Corps who fought in the tough Battle of Monte Cassino. This battle also included fights for nearby places like Piedimonte and Passo Corno during World War II.
After the Polish soldiers bravely captured Monte Cassino in May 1944, the Polish government, which was in exile in London at the time, decided to create this cross. It was made to remember the important role the Polish II Corps (also known as Anders Army) played. They helped capture this key location, which had stopped the Allied forces from moving forward in Italy for a long time.
About 50,000 of these crosses were ordered from a company in Tel Aviv. At that time, Tel Aviv was part of Palestine, which was under British rule. The Polish forces had trained there in 1942 and 1943. In total, 48,498 crosses were given out to soldiers who took part in the battle. Each soldier also received a special document with their cross. While it's often thought that there isn't one main list showing which cross number went to which soldier, records do show which groups of numbers were given to different units within the Polish II Corps. The actual lists of who received the crosses are kept at the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum.
The 1502 crosses that were not given to soldiers were later sold to collectors. When the medal was first created in June 1944, it was the 19th most important medal in the Polish system of awards.
Contents
Who Received the Monte Cassino Cross?
The Monte Cassino Commemorative Cross was given to almost all soldiers of the Polish II Corps who fought in the battle. This included everyone from top commanders to regular soldiers.
Important Leaders Who Received the Cross
The first few crosses were given to the most important leaders of the Polish II Corps. Here are some examples:
- Cross number 1: General Władysław Anders, who was the main commander of the 2 Polish Corps.
- Cross number 2: General Zygmunt Bohusz-Szyszko, the Deputy Commander of the 2 Polish Corps.
- Cross number 3: Bishop Józef Gawlina, who was the Polish Army Field Bishop.
- Cross number 4: General Bolesław Bronisław Duch, commander of the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division.
- Cross number 5: General Nikodem Sulik, commander of the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division.
- Cross number 6: General Bronisław Rakowski, commander of the 2nd Armoured Brigade.
Units and Their Crosses
After the main commanders, crosses were given to entire units that fought at Monte Cassino. This included many different types of military groups, such as:
- Soldiers from the Headquarters of the 2nd Corps.
- Many soldiers from the 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division, including those who were killed in action.
- Soldiers from the 5th Kresowa Infantry Division, including various rifle battalions, artillery regiments, and support units like engineers and medical companies.
- Soldiers from the 2nd Warsaw Armoured Brigade, including armoured regiments and their support teams.
- Various artillery regiments, anti-tank units, and anti-aircraft units.
- Engineers, signals battalions, and military police units.
- Medical services, supply and transport companies, and workshop units.
- Even war correspondents, like Melchior Wańkowicz, received a cross for being there.
The detailed lists of which specific cross numbers went to which units are very long. These records show that the cross was given to nearly every soldier who was part of the Polish II Corps during this important battle. Recent studies have found that the last known cross given to a named soldier was number 48847. The full lists of all recipients are kept at the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum in London.
See also
