Edward Holub

Polish 2nd Corps

The Germans invaded Poland from the west on 1 September 1939, and the Russians invaded from the east on 17 September 1939. They divided Poland between them. In the Russian-controlled area, the plan to ethnically-cleanse the area soon took effect with the first of four mass deportations to Siberia that were carried out in 1940 and 1941.

Edward was deported to Siberia with his family. They were forcibly taken from their home at gunpoint, by Russian soldiers. They had been given less than an hour to pack what they could, without knowing where they were being taken. They took what they could carry and had to leave the rest behind.

They were taken to the railway station and loaded into cattle cars with 50-60 other people. This included infants, toddlers, children, teens, adults, and seniors. Most of the adults and seniors were women. The cattle car had two shelves at either end, where people could sit or sleep – the rest had to make do with the floor. There was a cast iron stove, but they soon ran out of wood to fuel it. There was also a hole in the floor that served as a toilet.

They travelled like this for weeks, and were given some water, stale bread, and watery soup, only a few times. When someone died, their bodies were cast out next to the tracks and left there. Many infants and elders did not survive this journey.

When they reached the work camp in Siberia, they were told that this is where they would eventually die, but in the meantime, they had to work to earn their daily ration of bread.

Aside from the extreme cold in winter, and extreme heat in summer, they had to contend with hordes of mosquitoes and black flies, as well as infestations of bed bugs in the barracks. There were no medical facilities in these camps, and diseases ran rampant, leading to a high death toll.

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 kilometers 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. Edward was among those who made this perilous journey to reach the Polish Army.

He enlisted on 1942-05-12. Along with the Polish Army units, he crossed the Soviet-Iranian border and was evacuated to Iran. There, the Polish 2nd Corps came under British command on 1942-08-15. Then, via Iraq, he was transferred to Palestine.

On the re-organization of the Polish Army in the Middle East, he was transferred to 3 Company, 6 Tank Battalion (later re-named 6th Armoured Regiment), 2 Warszawska Armoured Division. Polish 2nd Corps, on 1942-11-16.

Edward served in the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt) from 1942 to 1944. He served in Italy from 1944 to 1946. In 1946, together with the Polish 2nd Corps, he transferred to the UK.

He enlisted in the Polish Resettlement Corps and served in the United Kingdom until finally discharged on 1948-01-13, on absorption into industry.

Theatres of Operation in Italy:

Action on the Rivers Sangro and Rapido in the Southern Apennines
Battle for Monte Cassino
Battle for Ancona
Rearguard of 8th British Army
Action in the Northern Apennines
Action on the River Senio
Battle for Bologna

Medals awarded:

Polish

Cross of Valour
Cross of Monte Cassino
Army medal

British:

1939-1945 Star
Italy Star
Defence medal
War medal 1939-1945