Platoon leader Emil Czech plays St. Mary’s Trumpet Call on the ruins of the Monte Cassino monastery, source: Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum (Public Domain).

“Platoon Czech, you have a combat task to perform. Go to the monastery and, under the Polish flag, play St. Mary’s Trumpet Call”. These were the words of the commander, Col. Władysław Rakowski, addressed to his subordinate. It took the corporal two hours to get to the hill. The Battle of Monte Cassino has become a symbol of the devotion and sacrifice of Polish soldier in the name of the idea: Per la nostra e la vostra libertà – For your freedom and ours. The battle fought by the Poles, classified as part of the Italian campaign, is seen as one of the toughest of World War II.

On 11 May 1944, the Polish II Corps launched a decisive attack on Monte Cassino hill, which was defended by an elite German unit: the 1st Parachute Division. The bloody battle was paid for with numerous losses. 924 soldiers of General Władysław Anders were killed, 2,930 were wounded, and nearly 350 were declared missing. On 18 May, the white and red flag was hung on the walls of the monastery.

The battle of Monte Cassino, along with the other battles, opened up the way to Rome for the Allies and contributed to the victory of the Second World War over the Germans, while the Poles earned the title of “the best soldiers this war has produced”. On the following day, 19 May, Allied bombing planes flew over the ruins of the monastery dropping bouquets of red and white roses….