The Sobczynski family's war

Father was a member of the Polish Army that took part in the September Campaign. He was a commanding officer in an artillery unit. Parents also married around the time of the Declaration of War (September 1939).

My older brother was born in 1940. Contributor born in 1944 and grew up in the immediate aftermath of World War Two.

During early part of war, the family fled to Eastern Poland (currently Ukraine). For most of the war, the family were relatively safe there before the contributor's birth.

Later, however, in 1944 the German and Soviet armies clashed in Eastern Poland. The family were ordered to flee their home and find safety in the nearby woods. It was under these circumstances that the contributor was born. His mother went into labour in the woods, close to where a battle was taking place, near the small town of Brzow. Within a few hours of his birth, Germans withdrew/retreated westwards.

When family returned to home they found their home destroyed; they found it windowless, ransacked by Soviet soldiers and devastated by explosions. However, structure of home/shelter stood, but needed to be re-organised, but at least they still had a place of safety to return to.

As speaker was growing up, there was a heavy focus on speaking/talking about wartime memories - some family members died during the early part of the war, others fled to Middle East and joined the fighting in North Africa, invaded Italy and took part in the Battle of Monte Cassino. Some fled to Romania, and some remained in Polish cities such as Warsaw and Krakow, some were caught by Germans and imprisoned. Some family members died in concentration camps.

Contributor's childhood, growing up under the shadow of these dark events, even today a process of mulling over/speaking about events has not left him.

The brutality of this whole experience is evident through his family's experiences. Although his childhood was happy and relatively sheltered from immediate gruesome events, their impact on others, shared with him as stories, heavily impacted his childhood and these stories are a major presence in his childhood.

Before the contributor's birth, within the family home, the father had possession of a radio (a offence punishable by execution - even the execution of the whole family - if found during a house search). Through the radio, they learned the good news of the progress of the war, including the German defeat at Stalingrad, and shared this news with others in his resistance unit.

Listened to BBC (Polish language - shortwave capable radio set). Father also understood English (but had access to Polish language programmes such as "Voice of America: broadcast to Occupied Territories").

Thus, the family were aware that the Germans would be defeated in the war. There was some rejoicing/optimism about this nine months before contributor's birth - he thinks this was a cause for optimism led to his birth nine months later.

Contributor's uncle (mother's brother) fled to Romania, through Italy and France, joined Polish Army mobilising in the western front in France. Although France overrun by the Germans, wanted to stay to help resistance, but was captured by Germans during the invasion. Was placed in POW Camp but escaped to Spain, captured by Franco's forces in Pyrenees - escaped to Portugal and escape route through British submarines to Scotland and eventually settled in England. Served for the rest of the war with great distinction, and awarded honours, including CBE, for war services.