Page 14 News of Polonia Pasadena, California August 2009

Westerplatte from 1 to run along the waterfront in one of the 59 commands in a breaking voice. Westerplatte Major Sucharski spent the rest of the war in

In the late evening of 31 August 1939 the civilian garments that Lieutenant turned into a little fortress; later the a POW camp. In July 1945 he joined the phone rang on the desk of Major Jerzy Henningsen acquired, and we took turns Germans nicknamed it a Little Verdun. The Polish forces in Italy, but he had no strength Lychoc, the Pomorze Chief of Staff. The wearing them. Once I ran as far as the wall Germans attacked three more times that day to command the troops. The years spent in man on the other end of the wire whispered surrounding Westerplatte. but all attacks failed. They lost between 80 the prison camp had ruined his health. He the phrase in one breath, “The guests are On 30 August we learned about Hitler’s and 100 killed. [Flisowski] The Poles would died on 30 August 1946 in a military coming across the bridge” meant: the ultimatum and mobilization in Poland. On not cease fire even while seeing the hospital in Naples. Before his death he German troops were crossing the pontoon 31 August at 18:35 hr. we received the Germans retreating. Platoon Leader Piotr begged to be buried in Poland. His wish bridge over the Vistula en route from East combat order - attack on 1 September. Buder reported that he literally had to drag came true 25 years later. On 1 September Prussia to the Free City of Danzig. In the Gryczman did not neglect the earlier his men away from machine-guns to make 1971 his remains were reburied on command of the Pomorze Army Pomorze, sudden alarming signal. He ordered his them spare ammunition. [Zgorniak] Westerplatte; the last surviving officer from Lychoс’s report ignited an understandable soldiers to re-assume their action stations. On 2 September the watch on Schleswig- Westerplatte, Lt. Leon Pajnok, commanded unrest. However nobody suspected yet that Intuition did not fail him. Exactly at 4:45 Holstein reported spotting a white flag on the ceremony. it was an ominous signal of the coming war. Schleswig-Holstein’s eighteen guns of Westerplatte, [Busch] but when the troops The defense of Westerplatte already The words of the secret report were wired calibers ranging from 88 to 280 mm opened went to take Westerplatte into their during the Second World War became the farther to Warsaw, to the General Staff. fire at Westerplatte. Their salvoes covered possession, they encountered the previous symbol of honorable heroic resistance, At dawn 1 September 1939 on the barracks, outposts, storages, as well as fast resistance. For the rest of the day, since the peninsula was of no military or Westerplatte, Polish soldiers from the the railway siding; under its rubble was hitlerites conducted alternately artillery and economical significance. Its commander, detachment of Warrant Officer Jan buried its supervisor, Jan Najsarek - air bombardments. Hundreds of bombs and Henryk Sucharski, became one of Poland’s Gryczman were getting ready to march out probably the first casualty of the Second shells fell on the small, inflexible peninsula. national heroes, never challenged from any to the barracks after a tiresome night duty. World War. The artillery fire and explosions A witness of the fights, later a respected point, whatever political divisions might The soldiers were collecting their weapons on Westerplatte merged in one hellish roar, German historian Anton Bassarek, noted on split Polish society. It was not until 1994 when suddenly a rifle shot resounded. Its which overwhelmed even the invaders. A that day: that his fame was put in question. Captain echo bounced off of the red-brick wall former artillery officer from Schleswig- Bomb after bomb fell, turning the Franciszek Dąbrowski was Sucharski’s which surrounds the tiny peninsula of Holstein, Fritz Otto Busch, remembered battlefield into one hell of a fire, smoke and deputy in the days of the battle for Westerplatte, it flew over the port canal and curling clouds of smoke with columns of mud. People of Danzig were watching this Westerplatte. farther to the sleeping city, to the mouth of yellow-orange fire billowing here and there. spectacle from the roofs and the city’s hills After the war he worked many jobs; the Vistula, and vanished. Gryczman Iron and steel, earth and wood whirling in with admiration to the Hermann Gцring’s eventually a reference from a Soviet General the air and falling back to the ground. (...) air force in action. This and that old veteran helped him to obtain a license to keep a instinctively looked at his watch. The time was 4:17 am. The crewmen who stayed on the soldier, who spent many days under the news-stand in Cracow. He died in 1962. After Poland regained its independence in battleship’s deck watched with glazed eyes shower of shells on the Somme and in the Before his death he wrote a testimony with 1918, it was granted the right to establish its on the fire’s bright glow. Their ears roared Flanders, would only shake his head, the provision that it be not opened until Military Transit Depot on Westerplatte to from the fire and explosions of heavy shells. watching the exploits of our airmen. thirty years after his death. When the time guard Poland’s interests in the port of the The steady rattle of machine-guns, and Because what was falling incessantly on came his son at first could not believe his Free City of Danzig. On 9 December 1925 eardrum-breaking barking of the anti- Westerplatte must have had an impact on eyes. The testimony said, that on 2 the Council of the League of Nations issued aircraft canons shooting at point-blank the defenders as horrible as the most September 1939, after the hellish a resolution, which allowed Poland to keep range. (...) thunderous fire of the great battles in the bombardment and casualties of the first days 88 soldiers of the Polish Army on Is there anybody still alive? The chief West. When our assault troops renewed of the defense, Sucharski had broken down Westerplatte. As the German-Polish petty officer asks his men servicing the advance after this cannonade, they and ordered to hoist the white flag - relations strained, and the Free City saw guns, and stretches his neck to see anything encountered a real firestorm. [Bassarek] probably the one spotted from Schleswig- more hitlerite provocations and violence, it through this firework in front of us. The At 14:00 Georg Wolf returned to the ship. Holstein. was decided to enlarge the Westerplatte sailors shake their heads in silence and wipe Out of 49 men of his platoon he brought The commander was shaking and garrison, and strengthen its firepower in the sweat from their foreheads - no, back 13. On 3 September at 14:40 hr. the blubbering; he had foam on his lips. case of an aggression. On 1 September 1939 certainly nobody... [Busch] Ju-87’s finally flew in, recalls Helmut Doctor’s assistance was necessary. We the Westerplatte’s (dubbed) “the dead The artillery bombardment of the tiny Schauer. Sixty machines dropped about 500 fastened the Major with belts to a bunk and garrison” numbered 182 well trained and peninsula lasted almost an hour. When the bombs on Westerplatte. When we went to put a stick in his mouth. Westerplatte fought armed men. They were supposed to resist guns silenced, the Germans launched the attack the Poles welcomed us with the fire on against the will of its commander - those for 6-hours, then increased to 12 hours. attack with the forces of their infantry, SS of the same strength as before. This soldier words seemed iconoclastic. [Borowiak] For After that Polish troops would arrive to aid Danziger Heimwehr, and naval infantry. On deserves respect. 45 years Sucharski’s name had been given them. the other side of the red-brick wall the Information services of the Polish to streets and schools, ships and boy-scout On 25 August 1939 a Kriegsmarine’s Polish garrison was waiting. As soon as the Supreme Command repeatedly announced: squads throughout the whole of Poland. battleship Schleswig-Holstein came to assault group leaps across the ruined wall “Westerplatte fights on”, “Poland salutes the Now his story was menacing with a scandal. Danzig for a courtesy visit. She anchored in into the shallow forest, a machine-gun fire lions of Westerplatte”... German forces It was not until two years later that the the port canal right across the Westerplatte bursts out, rifle shots rattle, and the hand exceeded the Polish ones twenty times. The newspaper Polityka dared to publish an and did not leave after the visit was grenades explode before the brave marines. days filled with fights were passing, but no extensive article on the findings in officially over. During this ostensible visit [Busch] Corporal Edmund Szamlewski aid was arriving. Exhausted Polish soldiers Dąbrowski’s testimony. The article went the garrison of Westerplatte was on guard opened fire from his machine-gun barely were scrambling to gain strength so they virtually unnoticed, but that was just the 24 hours a day. In fact, under the decks of from 50 metres and literally mowed the could fight, casualties were mounting, and beginning. The story fascinated a Polish the German ship a 225 man German assault assailants. Those who were looking for the wounded were agonizing without writer Mariusz Borowiak, who in 2001 company was concealed. Till 23 August cover from the bullets, lay for a moment, supplies. At night and dawn 3 September the published the book Maіa flota bez mitуw 1939 it quartered under command of Lt. and then fled to safety. But then Gryczman’s Germans made two sorties by a battalion of (Little fleet without myths), in which he Henningsen in the building of a grammar men opened fire from the flank. The naval cadets. The attacks were repelled, and presented results of his research. The book school in Memel. Germans were stumbling and falling on the then a lull came for the rest of the day. On 4 caused an outcry, and the author was After the war the West German journal ground. Wrote Busch: and 5 September the Germans did not try to accused in travesty of history and national “Quick” spoke to four of the Germans. The Germans from the assault group take Westerplatte in fights. Instead they imponderabilia. Several months later Among them were artillery Mate Georg realized, Westerplatte is not ripe yet for resorted to a heavy bombardment. Borowiak published another book, Wolf, later a doctor in Essen, and engineer storming. (...) Schleswig-Holstein and two torpedo boats Westerplatte. W obronie prawdy Senior Mate Helmut Schauer, later an This resistance must be broken - the anchored off Brosen, two batteries of 210 (Westerplatte. In defence of the truth), in officer of the Bundesmarine and the sooner the better. The watch officer seems mm mortars, and the coastal battery at which he did not leave room for further commander of the corvette Kiel. Wolf not to notice the excitement around him. He Glettkau all participated- it means from all doubts - Major Sucharski did not command recalled: On 24 August we were in Combat brushes away all the doubts, worries and the possible sides. [Busch] The artillery the defense of Westerplatte. readiness at 19:30 hr. fears: bombardment continued on 6 September in Borowiak did not base his work solely on We embarked in beautiful, warm weather. Concrete bunkers are too strong, but no the morning, then in the afternoon the Dąbrowski's testimony. He had also Yet we were surprised that instead of cabins worries, mates, we’ll try again. The Germans decided to renew their assault. researched materials left by another officer we were quartered like herrings in a can in Polaczeks won’t hold any longer. [Busch] They tried to silence Polish emplacements from Westerplatte - 2nd Lt. Zdzisław the holds at the very bottom of the ship with The Poles did not let themselves be caught by setting the forest afire. An armored Krugielski. Both sources are concordant: on the equipment. We could not understand by surprise. The Hitlerites’ first attack cost handcar pushed a railway cistern filled with 2 September Major Sucharski suffered a what was going on. Next day we learned them dearly. Sergeant Heinz Denker from fuel towards Westerplatte’s railway siding. psychical break-down and ordered to hoist a from the radio, that our ship was going for a the naval infantry group visited Westerplatte Yet the Poles hit it with machine-gun fire white flag. Apparently he also had an attack courtesy visit to Danzig. At 12:00 hr. we again in 1979; he recalled the atmosphere of and anti-tank shells, and destroyed it. The of epilepsy. In those circumstances Captain were told to arm, and collect the individual the fights on that day: We knew nothing content of the cistern went aflame and lit the Dąbrowski took over the command; he food rations and ammunition. On 25 August about the enemy. We were attacking along enemy positions. Three German plans were personally tore down the white flag and at 16:00 hr. we moored at the Danzig the railway, having only an old 1:1000 map repelled that night. ordered to continue fighting. The resistance waterfront across the Polish zone, without pill-boxes marked. At once we The attack on Westerplatte was to be continued under his command. To avoid Westerplatte. noticed that the ship’s huge 280 mm shells renewed on 7 September. Silence. The white demoralization of the troops Dąbrowski did We were briefed by the ship commander needed to go 600 m to explode, while in fact flag on the roof. The Poles have not let them have contact with Sucharski; Captain Kleikamp. General Eberhardt they made only 400 m. The first attack surrendered. (...) It’s 09:30 hr. officers and NCO’s were obliged to swear presented plans of Westerplatte, stating that ended at 10:00 hr. Our company lost 127 Indeed, as the food, water and hope an oath of silence. Yet on 5 September Westerplatte lacks fortifications. The men out of 225. (...) exhausted, the Poles decided to surrender. Sucharski appeared at the officers’ meeting garrison numbers 100 soldiers. Taking the We came back to the ship. I saw Greiser in After 7 days of fights, which cost the and begged them to lay down their arms. He base cannot take more than three hours. An the SS uniform and Eberhardt, who Germans some 300-400 killed and many was visibly depressed; I can’t take it any assault company will disembark at 21:30 hr. approached us and said, that we’d receive wounded, the enemy took Westerplatte. The more, I can’t take it any more, he sobbed. on the waterfront, which will be cleared by support of an SS squad. Our commander, Poles suffered relatively low casualties: 15 Dąbrowski warned that he would detain police. No lights to be allowed. Captain Lieutenant Schuck who replaced the killed and 53 wounded. [Flisowski] The Sucharski if the latter kept agitating for Kleikamp reads the order concerning wounded Henningsen, said three squads commander of the German forces, Gen. surrender. [Borowiak]. combat actions of the training ship wouldn’t be enough. The Poles were Friedrich Eberhardt, let Major Sucharski Borowiak’s critics argue that his “Schleswig-Holstein.” 20:15 hr. Radio fighting like lions and were well entrenched. keep his saber as a sign of appreciation of conclusions are far-fetching. His research is surveillance receives the order “Military We need air support. his courage. The Germans could not believe based solely on the testimonies of operation cancelled.” Complete Meanwhile an alarm sounded among the that such a tiny outpost without serious Dombrowski and Krugielski, which disappointment, Says Helmut Schauer: Poles. Soldiers hurried to put on their fortifications could resist so long. They emerged like deus ex machina nearly 50 For the several next days we spent time helmets and belts, grab their rifles and run to saluted Polish soldiers marching into years after the war. During that long period their action stations. Their commander, captivity, and protected them of Danzig no other evidence to support it ever became under the deck. One could walk out briefly at night. Sometimes our men were allowed Major Henryk Sucharski, was issuing short town-folks, who wanted to lynch them. Westerplatte to page 15