In Ancona and Loreto Poles and Italians paid tribute to soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps, who 80 years ago liberated these Italian cities from the German occupation. The celebrations commemorating the anniversary of the liberation of Ancona and the Marche region, organised by the Office for Combatants and Represented Persons and the authorities of the Italian city, were attended, among others, by the Kombatants of the 2nd Polish Corps.
– The conflict for Ancona is called a Polish battle, although it was not fought solely by Polish forces, due to the fact that under command General Władysław Anders The Italians besides fought," said Lech Parell, Head of the Office for Combatants and People Repressed at the ceremony in Italy. Under St. Stefan's gate, which on July 18, 1944, soldiers of the Carpathian Ulan Regiment entered the liberated city, Poles and Italians celebrated the memory of the subordinate General Anders. The ceremonies were attended, among others, by the last surviving Kombatants of the 2nd Polish Corps: Captain Władysław Dąbrowski, Captain Krzysztof Flizak, Lieutenant Józef Skrzynecki and Stanisław Guscin and veterans of missions performed abroad.
As stressed by the Head of UdsKiOR, all participants Ancona fights They helped defeat Nazi Germany. In turn Agnieszka Hoppen-Klikowicz, a Polish chargé d’affaires, recalled that the port town was crucial for troops allied in a triumph over German troops. Daniele Silvetti, Mayor of Ancona, stressed that the soldiers of the 2nd Corps liberating Ancona fought very bravely.
During the celebration, Lech Parell decorated the people earned in commemorating the past of the 2nd Corps with Pro Bono Poloniae and Pro Patria medals. The delegations submitted flowers under a commemorative plaque placed on the gate of St. Stefan, as well as at a memorial commemorating the soldiers of the Ulanów Karpacki Regiment and an obelisk devoted to the memory of the Italian resistance.
Ancona's anniversary celebrations began yesterday in Italian Loreto. It is besides the merit of Polish soldiers to save the Basilica of Our woman of Loretań after the temple was bombed by the Germans in July 1944 and became in flames. At the Polish War Cemetery in Loreto, which has more than thousands of soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps, a mass was celebrated and the appeal of the deceased was held. Head of UdsKiOR stressed that the liberation of Ancona and another towns of Marche region was a planned operation and performed by the Polish Armed Forces in the West. “This is how Polish soldiers one more time proved their courage and commendable determination,” Lech Parell said. Senator Kazimierz Michał Ujazdowski (Third Road-PSL) added that soldiers, fighting for the freedom of Europe, besides fought to keep the thought of Polish independency in the eyes of the world. "This solemn minute reminds us of the tremendous sacrifice that Poles made, who devoted their lives with courage and determination to bring freedom to our lands," said Moreno Pieroni, Mayor of Loreto.
For tonight there is simply a screening of the documentary “To Win Monte Cassino” directed by Dominika Sierzputowski and the beginning of an outdoor exhibition dedicated to the liberation of Ancona. The celebrations will end with a performance of the Military Orchestra from Bydgoszcz in the city square.
