Camp Tadeusz Kosciusko (1941-1942)

            On September 1939 war engulfed Poland as Hitler's armies invaded from the west and Stalin's from the east. Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris as Polish military units reformed to fight in France. When the Nazi blitzkrieg swept across Western Europe in May 1940, General Władysław Sikorski negotiated a deal to evacuate the Polish government-in-exile and military personnel to the United Kingdom. These circumstances led to the establishment of a Polish Mission in Canada that would recruit and train Poles for war. In fact, it was  Windsor, Ontario, that became the location for recruiting while Owen Sound was chosen for training. This training Camp would then be called Camp Tadeusz Kosciusko. The 700 soldiers that trained within the camp earned a reputation for fierce fighting that was forged through costly victories at Monte Cassino, Ancona, the Gothic Line, the Falaise Gap, Ypres, Arnhem, Breda, and Wilhelmshaven. Unfortunately, diminishing numbers of recruits combined with financial constraints and leadership issues led to the closure of Camp Kościuszko in May of 1942. With that being said, the success at the community level was very positive, the women swooned over the men, and they formed unbreakable friendships and some even came back to live, marry and start families.

 

 

            To learn more about the history of  Camp Tadeusz Kosciusko, please click on the PDF Icon, which is a link to the translated version as well as an edited version of the Chronicle - Camp Tadeusz Kosciusko (1941-1942). This PDF includes an introduction by Stan Skrzeszewski, Curator, Museum, and Archives of the Polish Armed Forces, Wawel Villa, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

 

The Conext of this PDF is as followed:

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. Odsiecz – Polska Walczaca w Ameryce / Fighting Poland (Relief Force) – Fighting Poland in America

4. The Story of the Polish Gold

5. Owen Sound

6. Select Biographies (More to come)

General Bronisław Duch Major Stefan Majewski Lance Corporal Chaim Goldberg

7. The Chronicle

 Bibliography

 Appendix A: Excerpts from the Diary of Arthur D’Orr Le Pan