On Wednesday, May 18, at the Polish Cemetery in Monte Cassino, the central ceremonies were held on the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Prof. Piotr Gliński, Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak and veterans of the 2nd Polish Corps.
“The everlasting glory of the conquerors of Monte Cassino has been forever inscribed in our homeland history and is a reason for our national pride. The most poignant reasons are the numerous testimonies about the heroism and sacrifice of Polish soldiers, ending with the sacrifice of their young lives for the Motherland. Just like the soldiers of the Second Corps 78 years ago, today Ukrainians heroically resist the invaders proving that patriotism. Willingness to make the greatest sacrifice in the name of the Motherland allows nations to survive and determines their fate”, said Deputy Prime Minister Gliński during the ceremony at the Polish War Cemetery.
The Minister of Culture and National Heritage quoted the commander of the 2nd Corps, General Władysław Anders on May 20, 1944, who said to his soldiers: “I pay tribute to our fallen heroes, whose souls stand before the Supreme Judge, and whose bodies will rest to the eternal memory of this act at the Polish cemetery at the Monte Cassino Abbey”.
Minister Błaszczak stated that the presence of young people during the ceremony in Monte Cassino proves that “the message of the soldiers of the Polish Army will always be remembered.” In his speech, he also referred to the crimes committed by the Russians in Ukraine today and the crimes committed by the Red Army.
“Red Russia and Putin’s Russia commited the same war crimes. We recognize the pictures from Bucha perfectly well from the many crimes committed against the Polish nation by Soviet torturers. Everything that we can observe in Ukraine has already happened, we experienced all of this during the Second World War”, said the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
Adrian Andrzejewski