The 4th Volunteer, Zdzisław Łukasiewicz 2nd Corps Culture and Press Department

The 4th Volunteer, Zdzisław Łukasiewicz 2nd Corps Culture and Press Department

Author: Ognisko Polskie July 28, 2024 Duration: 47:45

Not only was Zdzisław Łukasiewicz the 4th volunteer in the Polish Army under General Anders that formed in the USSR after the Sikorski Mayski Agreement, he was given the job of travelling across USSR to muster Poles who had been incarcerated in gulags and prisons.

In this episode of Monte Cassino 80, we meet Konrad “Radders” Harandon, the grandson of Zdzisław Łukasiewicz member of the Polish 4th “Skorpion” and then 2nd Armoured Brigade who became the editor of “Taran,” the newspaper of 2nd “Warsaw” Armoured Division. Prior to Cassino, Zdzisław Łukasiewicz was transferred to Brigade HQ, and the Referatura Kultury i Prasy / Culture and Press Department.

In this podcast we follow his incredible journey from his childhood as a defender of Lwow, his student life at Jan Kazimierz University, his family links to the Armia Krajowa / Home Army and the Warsaw Uprising. we learn about Zdzislaw's and his wife’s arrest and their forced deportation to the USSR. We hear how Zdzislaw was saved by his artistic skills and how he became a key person in General Ander’s mustering of Poles to the Polish army after the Sikorski Mayski Agreement.

With Konrad we follow his grandfather’s incredible and well documented journey across the battlefields of Italy: Monte Cassino, onwards through Piedimonte and on to victory at Ancona in July 1944.


Follow Konrad "Radders" Harandon's fantastic Twitter feed where he describes himself as an Anglo-Polish history lover. Polish 2nd Armoured Brigade/Division during the Second World War. On his feed, Konrad features some of the amazing photos from his father's archives as well as sharing detailed and fascinating insights into the 2nd Armoured Brigade.

"We spoke about" Links:

Konrad “Radders” Harandon X (Twitter) @konnie83

Tadeusz Szumanski https://twitter.com/konnie83/status/1723648876849078371

Hubal film https://youtu.be/5rbuWiC5iGY?si=JMc-W5OxTzpE1p8O

Stanisław Tabisz („Piotrowski”) https://www.1944.pl/powstancze-biogramy/stanislaw-tabisz,45565.html

Gliwa https://www.foto.karta.org.pl/nasze-zbiory/fotografowie/s-gliwa,63633,zdjecie.htm

http://fototekst.pl/bitwa-o-monte-cassino-najdluzszy-polski-fotoreportaz/


Ognisko Polskie’s Monte Cassino 80 podcast is presented by Jola Piesakowska

Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute

Produced by Salt and Pepper Productions in association with #MyLondyn


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Marking the eightieth anniversary of one of the Second World War's most brutal and consequential clashes, MONTE CASSINO 80 is a reflective audio series from Ognisko Polskie. This podcast moves beyond a simple military chronicle to explore the deep layers of history, memory, and human experience surrounding the Polish contribution to the battle and the wider Italian Campaign. Each episode serves as a thoughtful examination, piecing together how the events of 1944 continue to echo through the decades. We delve into the strategic decisions and the grim reality of the fighting, but with equal weight given to the cultural and emotional legacy left in its wake. The series considers the personal stories of soldiers, the geopolitical complexities that placed them there, and the enduring symbols-from song to sentiment-that the name Monte Cassino evokes within Polish identity and beyond. Supported by the Polish Cultural Institute, this is a nuanced journey for anyone interested in how history is lived, fought, and remembered. Listen to this podcast for a multifaceted exploration that connects past sacrifice to present understanding, asking what it means to commemorate such a pivotal moment eight decades later.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 10

MONTE CASSINO 80
Podcast Episodes
In conversation with Prof Norman Davies author of Trail of Hope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:53
"I get more correspondence from" Trail of Hope "than anything else... Lots of books about Monte Cassino but not very much about the whole Odyssey".'Trail of Hope' situates the Anders Army's journey within the broader con…
Polish Women Warriors of 317 Transport - Tola Styraniec [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
In this podcast we meet Nuna Staniaszek whose mother Tola Turska, nee Styraniec was a volunteer with 317 General transport 2nd Polish Corps. Her service as listed in her Military records began in the Middle East and then…
How to Find Your Polish Roots [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:29
In this episode of Monte Cassino 80, with thanks to Kresy Family Polish WWII History Group, we meet Jan Zajaczkowski. Jan is a volunteer at Kresy Family who has become an authority on navigating the available archives as…
Porucznik Danuta Gradosielska PSK 316 Transport Company [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
"I realise now, that at 18, I was too young to understand just how dangerous this was." Danuta (Mączka) Gradosielska was 18 years old when she saw active service at Monte Cassino and the Italian Campaign as a driver with…
Corporal Waleria Sawicka PSK Signals 2 Corps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:17
"...because Polish people are actually very brave and they fight well... even the women"Marking the 80th anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino in May 2024, Pani Sawicka spoke to me for this podcast at her home in So…