The book "Forgotten Heroes” dedicated to the fate of the soldiers of the 1st Armored Division of General Stanisław Maczek was presented on 3 October 2024, at the President Lech Kaczynski Central History Point in Warsaw. The book was published by the IPN Publishing House. This is an extraordinary tribute to the Polish heroes who 80 years ago liberated Western Europe from German occupation.
The authors of the publication – Dirk Verbeke and Johannes Vande Voorde – set out on the liberation trail of General Maczek's soldiers of the years 1944–1945, leading through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. They reached the heroes of those events, for whom the struggle reflected the following idea: the Polish soldier fights for the freedom of all nations, but dies only for Poland. Despite the great sacrifice they made, they could not enjoy life in a free homeland after the war.
Their complicated fate was highlighted by Prof. Karol Polejowski, Deputy President of the IPN:
They fought to free Europe and the world from German totalitarianism, and after the war they were not allowed to return to their communist-enslaved country. They remained in exile, in Belgium, Flanders and the Netherlands. (...) Their fate, I hope, also thanks to our joint efforts, will survive in the memory of future generations.
The conversation with the authors was moderated by Rafał Dudkiewicz. The meeting was attended by diplomats His Excellency Ambassador Etienne de Poncins (Embassy of France in Warsaw), His Excellency Ambassador Rik Van Droogenbroeck (Embassy of Belgium in Warsaw) and Ellen Parker, Second Secretary for political affairs at the British Embassy. We were also honoured with the presence of Karolina Maczek-Skillen, General Maczek's granddaughter. The discussion concluded with a piano concert performed by Marie Francois.
The publication presented is part of the international project "Trails of Hope. The Odyssey of Freedom," implemented by the IPN since 2022. Participants in the discussion were able to see part of the exhibition by the same title, which presented the combat route of Gen. Maczek's soldiers, with particular emphasis on the areas of Belgium and the Netherlands liberated by the Poles.
The event was organized by the Institute of National Remembrance and the Embassy of Belgium Delegation of Flanders in Poland and the Baltic States.
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One of the authors of the book "Forgotten Heroes. In the footsteps of Polish liberators: from Arromanches to Wilhemshaven" - Dirk Verbeke, is a former secretary of the Belgian Tielt, liberated by Polish soldiers in 1944. He was the initiator and curator of the "Armored Wings" exhibition, created in cooperation with the Institute of National Remembrance. He cares for the cemeteries and war graves of Polish liberators in Flanders. In 2021, the Institute's President Karol Nawrocki Ph.D. honored him with the "Witness of History" award.
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The 1st Armoured Division entered combat fighting bitterly during the last phase of “Operation Overlord” until the unit encircled the Germans in the so-called “Falaise Pocket”. In September 1944 they swept along the English Channel liberating such towns as: Saint-Omer, Ypres or Ghent. In October 1944 they liberated Breda. The capture of the town by the Poles enabled the Allies to move towards the River Meuse and capture a beachhead in Moerdijk.
One of the most extraordinary events in the history of the 1st Armoured Division occurred in April 1945 when Maczek’s soldiers liberated the Stalag VI-C Oberlangen, at that time the only German female POW camp. Its prisoners were Polish women who fought in the Warsaw Uprising. On 6 May 1945, Maczek’s division ended its Second World War combat trail capturing the Kriegsmarine naval base in Wilhelmshaven.