Alfons Laskowski was born on 11 April 1920 in Zijlanka, Poland. During WW2, h was a Lance Corporal in the 1st Polish Armoured Division, 10th Mounted Rifles Regiment.

 

The Polish 10th Regiment of Hunters on Horse was founded in 1919 and took part in the battle against Russia in 1920, and later in 1939 against the Germans who invaded Poland. In 1939, after a large part of the regiment troops were able to move out west, the regiment was re-established in Scotland. When the 1st Polish Armored Division was formed, 10th Regiment of Hunters on Horse became the Reconnaissance Regiment. That is why the regiment was equipped with rapid Cromwell tanks.

 

On 8 November 1944, the regiment fired its last shots at the battle of Moerdijk. The regiment was quarantined on the west side of Breda. They expected to get some rest and be able to regroup and train because there were some losses in their ranks. Things unfolded differently because the surveillance of the great rivers demanded all attention and there were casualties once again. Only after the battle at Capelsche Veer ended in February 1945 did some peace and the possibility of training come. Because the third squadron urgently needed some new tank commanders, a group of corporals were selected to be trained to be tank commander. Squadron commander Jan Sowa assisted by lieutenant Jozef Olesziski put together a training program. A large part of that program was already finished when Jan Sowa was sent to further training in Bovington in England.

 

On 2 April 1945 a map reading exercise was held. A 15-ton truck was used. The trainees had to take turns in the front to demonstrate their knowledge. A fatal accident happened when they were driving in a forest on the south side of Tilburg. The truck drove onto a German Riegel mine that had escaped the attention of the units that had cleared the mines. The mine consisted of an elongated box about one meter long. Usually these mines are dug into the left and right side of the road so that one caterpillar band of a tank is always destroyed. Because these mines are set on pressure, the mine went off after the front wheels of the truck passed over it. The consequences were horrible.

 

Lieutenant Jozef Olesziski, who was at the wheel, was seriously injured. Next to him was Stanislaw Byra, the soldier who had been reading the map - he was also seriously injured. In the back of the truck were Alfons Laskowski, Julian Nowak, Jan Oleksinski, Adam Skrzypczak, and Stanisław Piecyk. It is not clear whether the victims of the explosion were killed immediately or if they later died in a hospital in Tilburg. They were initially buried at the Roman Catholic cemetery at the Oisterwijksebaan. It was not until 7 August 1953 that they were transferred to the General Cemetery at the Gilzerbaan in Tilburg.

 

Source: 1PAD Facebook post  (translated from Dutch)

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