Adolf KRZYWDZINSKI | polishexiles

Adolf KSZYWDZINSKI

Adolf was born in Trembowla, Poland in 1919. During the September Campaign he served in the 6th PAC / heavy artillery in Lwow, Poland. He was imprisoned in a P.O.W. camp in Russia,

In June 1941, Germany turned on its ally, Russia. Stalin then quickly changed tactics and allied himself with the west so that the allies could help him defeat the Germans. This led to the signing of the Sikorski-Majewski agreement that called for the freeing of Poles imprisoned in POW camps and labour camps in the USSR, and the formation of a Polish Army in the southern USSR.

The news of this ‘amnesty’ did not reach every camp, but where it did become known, the men and boys soon made plans to make their way south to join the army. For most, this meant walking thousands of kilometres and only occasionally getting on a train for part of the journey. Many did not make it, and those who did were emaciated skeletons by the time they got there.

General Anders was in charge of the army, and he tried hard to get the Russians to provide the food and equipment they had promised. When this became more and more impossible, he negotiated the right to evacuate the army to Persia, where the British would provide what was needed.

The evacuation took place by ship over the Caspian Sea to Pahlavi in Persia (now Iran). The ships that were used were oil tankers and coal ships, and other ships that were not equipped to handle passengers. They were filthy and lacked even the basic necessities, like water and latrines. The soldiers and civilians filled these ships to capacity for the 1-2 day trip. When there were storms, the situation got even worse – with most of the passengers suffering sea sickness.

Adolf joined the Polish 2nd Corp. under General Anders, in a heavy field artillery unit. Adolf trained in Iran, Iraq, Palestine, and Egypt, before setting sail for Italy where he fought in many battles, including Monte Casino. He was injured and taken to the hospital, but he went back to the front to join his comrades in battle.

After the war, Adolf was sent to a resettlement camp in Scotland. In 1947 he emigrated to Winnipeg and shortly after, he joined the Polish Combatants Association, Br. 13 and the R.C.L.A. Mynarski V.C. Br. 34. Adolf worked for C.N.R. for 36 years.

Adolf passed away in Winnipeg on February 19, 2001.