Monte Cassino

[FatFather]

Hi,
As I wrote some time ago, I'm living in street named "Heroes of Monte Cassino". Maybe someone could ask: "Which heroes?", but in Poland everybody remembered about allies, some peoples loved in history admires opponents, but the most know about polish troops charged on closter hill.
After less than two weeks will be anniversary of this moment. I hope, my dio will be ready.
Some my troops from Hat, Zvezda, Esci sets.







This figure was in box "trash" from the times I was very young and played toy soldiers. As a child a didn't saw how beautiful is this figure. Now, is one of my most favorites.



Now, I look on maps, and old photos. Next step - dioram. Will be continued...

[Bluefalchion]

Fantastic Poles! Will you paint some Green Devils for them to fight?

[Alex]

Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino
I know this song.
Yes, these are the heroes.

[Graeme]

Very good looking figures for a very hard fought battle.

[FatFather]

Fantastic Poles! Will you paint some Green Devils for them to fight?

Yes!
I have a lot of painted Green Devils, but today morning I've found memories with beatiful moment with german soldiers and polish medic. It will be next .
By the way. My friend was on wedding party. About midnight, when most of participants were drunk, two, old grandfathers in corner were in good moment for stories. One of them told "I was in fight on Monte Cassino". Second said "Me too". So, one of them was shooting from upper position. Two families frozen in one moment. Both veterans took glasses and said "For kammeraden". This was short lesson of Polish history. One family was from Silesia (in pre-war and war time it was part of Germany). Grandfather in war time was taken to Green Devils. Second family was from Polish East Borderland (after war taken by Soviet Union. Second grandfather was in Soviet prisoner, and in war time escape with polish army of general Anders thru Iran, Palestine, Tobruk, Italy.
Thank you for your opinion.
FF

[carlosfaro]

I love this kind of real human stories...no good or bad or my nation or your nation, but human beings and real personal circunstances...

I remembered something similar, a friend of mine here in Spain has family in Austria and Russia..why? In 1936 there were 3 brothers when Spanish Civil War started.. Elder brother was sent to USSR to train as a war pilot for the spanish Republic, but war finished and he was still in soviet union.
Middle brother was looked with suspicion by new national spanish autorities and when Operation Barbarrosa took place in 1941 enlisted as volunteer with the spanish "blue division" (spanish volunteers whch were sent by Franco regime to fight enquadred in the Whermacht), hoping maybe to find elder brother
Small brother (my friends grandfather) stayed as child in Spain
War was over: elder brother had fought in Russia and remained there making his own life and family.., middle retreated with the defated germans and finally hided and stayed in Austria,alsomstanishing and marrying there, small stayed always in Spain..
Only many years later these incidental family branches could meet again...

Sorry for the intromission, i think story was opportune here,,,

Fatfather congrstulations for figures and selected topic... monteCassino is a very iconic battle of wwii...Actually most powers of european war were present there (with ironical absence of italians..) with many unexpected countriedS, as Poland, represented...

[Zed1]

Speaking of wartime family stories, I'd like to add mine, which is rather tragic.
My father's family had lived in Silesia since the 17hundredsomethings. In 1921 due to the results of the Versailles treaty, there was a referendum after which Silesia was split - some parts decided to stay with Germany, while others went to Poland. My family lived in the regions close to the border. Most of them stayed with the German side, but one of my great-granduncles decided to side with the Poles because of 'economic advantages' - whatever that meant. This man had a son who served with the Polish army during the late 1920s - I have pictures of him wearing a pre-war Polish infantry uniform.

When war broke out in 1939, the split family found itself on different sides of the front. My great-granduncles son knew that he would have to rejoin the army. He also knew that his relatives on the other side would have to join the ranks themselves. The possibility of having to shoot at his own relatives was too much for him. So he chose the rope instead - his mother-in-law found him hanging in the attic.

[Bluefalchion]

That's very sad, Sasha. War puts a terrible strain on those whose lives it encounters. Who knows how each of us would react if faced with the prospect of being forced to fight against our own brothers?

My connection to WW2 is through my Norwegian paternal grandfather. He was a merchant marine and helped protect the convoys traveling between the U.S. and England. He also served as a sailor aboard one of the last operating clipper ships (non re-enactment). My older uncles recall living through the German occupation of Norway. My grandmother had one of the only radios in their neihborhood. They concealed it under the floorboards beneath the dining room table. The Germans never found it.

[FatFather]

Hi,
I did not expect how dramatic, human, stories provoke my topic. Always thankful, that hole my life spend in peace. I'm a second polish generation which lives without a war.

Zed1 It's very sad. No words to write about it.

Dear friends I like your stories. I was journalist, book writer and I see great potential in them. Today I work in museum, and I'm learnig history. I often say to young people stories like that.

Today I made base to dio.
First step.


It looks as the ancient theatre.


After using my special primer with solvent it looks as a volcanic lanscape.


First layer with smooth plaster and stones.


Next will be second layer of primer, painting stones and rocks, ground, grass, and others.


Will be continued...

[FatFather]

Little update,

Great disappointment of my wife. She has hope I baked the chocolate cake. No, that's black primer.


Based colour for ground, stones and rocks.


Be continued...

[Zed1]

The cake is a lie!

Looking forward for the result - this looks really interesting.

[FatFather]

Hi,
Step by step, almost finished...

Terrain, even my wife said: "Nice" (did she forget history with chocolate cake ?)


First soldier


Will be finished, soon.

[Bluefalchion]

Wow, that terrain ended up looking really fantastic. I have studied the battle. You have evoked it expertly.