On 13 June 2026, a ceremony was held in Montbard, France, to commemorate the soldiers of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade who fought during the 1940 French Campaign.

The focal point of the celebrations was the naming of one of the streets in the town after Lieutenant General Stanisław Maczek—commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, which conducted defensive operations in Burgundy in June 1940. The event was attended by Prof. Karol Polejowski, Deputy President of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN).

The plaque bearing the name Rue du Général Stanisław Maczek was unveiled by, among others, the general’s granddaughter, Karolina Maczek-Skillen.

The ceremony was also attended by, among others, Mayor of Montbard Laurence Porte, President of the Association Franco-Polonaise de Montbard Didier Mars, President of the Association of Families of the 1st Polish Armored Division Joanna Wielgat, Commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade Lt Gen Mirosław Downar, Col. Artur Kuler—Deputy Defense, Military, Naval, and Air Attaché at the Polish Embassies in France and Portugal, based in Paris; President of the Comité du Souvenir Français de Montbard Bernard Nicolas; as well as representatives of local authorities, civic organizations, and residents of the region.

After the ceremony, the participants proceeded to the Parc Cemetery in Montbard. At the graves of Polish soldiers, they laid flowers and paid tribute to the fallen.

The closing ceremony took place at Montbard City Hall, where Prof. Karol Polejowski was among those who took the floor. In his speech, he paid tribute to the sacrifice of Polish soldiers who fought on the battlefields of World War II:

– More than a dozen Polish soldiers fell in the bloody Battle of Montbard in 1940. Four years later, in Normandy, several hundred more gave their lives. This was only a fraction of the sacrifice made by the entire nation and the people of the Second Polish Republic on the altar of European freedom in the fight against totalitarianism. May the memory of this sacrifice remind us today of the price that Poles were willing to pay for “our freedom and yours.”

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The commemorations were preceded by ceremonies in Molesme, where the participants laid flowers at the military section of the local cemetery and paid tribute to the fallen, and followed by a Holy Mass at the Church of Sainte-Croix. Subsequently, the IPN Deputy President Prof. K. Polejowski, together with the Director of the IPN President’s Office, Marek Jedynak Ph.D., the Director of the IPN Press Spokesperson’s Office, Rafał Kościański Ph.D., and the Director of the IPN Office for the Commemoration of Struggles and Martyrdom, Adam Siwek, met with representatives of the local government of Molesme.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by Joanna Wielgat, President of the Association of Families of the 1st Polish Armored Division, and Nathalie Lazzarotti, Mayor of Molesme.

At the cemetery in Fontaines-les-Sèches, a delegation from the Institute of National Remembrance laid flowers and paid tribute to the Polish soldiers who fought on this soil in June 1940.

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On the second day of the commemorations, 14 June, a delegation from the Institute of National Remembrance visited the resting places of Polish soldiers who fell during the 1940 French campaign. IPN Vice President Prof. Karol Polejowski laid wreaths and paid tribute to the heroes at the cemeteries in Savoisy, Saint-Martin-du-Mont, Ahuy, and Savigny-le-Sec.

In Saint-Martin-du-Mont, Lieutenant Władysław Malanowski, commander of the motorcycle platoon of the 2nd Squadron of the 10th Mounted Rifle Regiment, was commemorated. At the cemetery in Ahuy, the delegation paid tribute to Second Lieutenant Tadeusz Kozubowski, while in Savigny-le-Sec, the memory of Antoni Majowski was honored. The delegation also visited the grave of Jeanne Corot in Savoisy—a Frenchwoman who assisted wounded Polish soldiers during the fighting in June 1940.

At the conclusion of the ceremonies, K. Polejowski and the commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, Lt Gen Mirosław Downar, thanked the soldiers of the honor guard for their service and their participation in the celebrations.