My New Polish BD

[GregK]

Hi all,

This little baby came in the mail for me the other day. It came from a seller in Poland and was a bit of a gamble. I got a solid return policy before commiting. I got it in my hands and was blown away by it. Needless to say that I won't be using the return policy.

A little about the BD. It's to a man of the 7th Lubelski Lancers who were responsible for Recon. for the 3rd Carpathian Rifles at Cassino. You can see the shadows of where the collar "kites" were replaced by the red and white of the 7th Lubelski Lancers "flags". Best part of it is that it's a NZ issue BD and the trousers were included also. I will elaborate as I post the pics.

Cheers,
Greg

[GregK]

Closeup of the collar.

Here's a closeup of the collar insignia. You can make out the shadows of the "kites" that were removed. The flags are made of a plastic type material. If any of you have had any experience with Polish militaria you may have handled a 3rd Carpathian divisional shield made of the same material.

[GregK]

The "ribbon bar".

This is the "ribbon bar". As you can plainly see it's not really a ribbon. It's individual threads wound around a piece of "plastic" to make the ribbons.

[GregK]

BD sleeve

Left sleeve. Nothing too fancy. Just the standard POLAND tab. Of note though is the shoulder insignia. It's of the pre-war style for the 7th Lubelski Lancers. Don't know when it would have been added but looking at it it's been there a looooong time.

[GregK]

The other side.

This side is a little more "fun". Again the standard title but the 8th Army shield is kind of neat. It's made of metal and attached with two screw posts to the reverse. It's definitely field made as it is a bit crude and the cross is a little uneven. I have it's "brother" in a grouping in my collection.

[GregK]

Badges

The pocket with the badges. Standard 2nd Corps badge as well as the Italian manufactured 7th Lubelski Lancers. Scarce badge and it's been on there forever.

[GregK]

Last but not least.

Last shot. Shows the NZ issue stamps. I should have also mentioned that this BD was modified (as per usual) by opening up the collar and adding shoulder pads.

Thanks for looking. Please feel free to post any comments.

Cheers,
Greg

[ROBB]

WEll thats a beautifull BD ,really stunning ,those ribbon bars are quite interesting ,Rob

[Gary Jucha]

Nice BD

Hello Greg ... Nice BD..

On the point of the plastic collars (and other plastic badges), I had heard a story that a toothbrush factory that was "liberated" in Italy , and it's contents were the source for the production of these items.
Reputidly, the Poles melted down the coloured plastic's used for the tootbrushes, utilising them for the badges ....
(The old "Polish" field workshops strike again !!)

Regards

Gary J.

[DJT]

I already had a sneak preview on this Bd but again have to say its a beauty! Its quite amazing when you think about it because A) it was probably worn at Monte Cassino and B) the guy obviously survived the onslaught!
Nice touch that its actually a NZ BD too.

Greg, are the BD trousers dated too? Also forgot to ask you before why the collar kites had been replaced?

[vicjoy1945]

Hi Greg,

Nice BD !!

I've always been a bit leery about WWII Polish army-in-exile items that come out of Poland. The main reason being that I don't know of many Poles who served with the army-in-exile that actually returned to Poland after the war...and lived. So...I wouldn't think that there would be a large stock of army-in-exile memorabilia in Poland. Unless, of course, there was a mass influx of Polish veterans who returned after the fall of Communism. Is this the case ??

Also, I believe the army-in-exile veteran were somewhat "personna non-grata" in Poland under the Communists. Certainly the Communist government didn't care for them...how did the Polish population in general (especially those who grew up under Communist rule) feel about the Polish army-in-exile veteran ???

Interesting to note that the BD has the Polish 2 Corp badge on the pocket. Also, I'd love to see a picture of the back of the Lancers badge if possible !?!

Thanks,

Vic

[Adrian Stevenson]

A real beauty Greg!

[GregK]

Thanks all.

Hello all,

Firstly I'd like to thank all of you for your kind comments. I really appreciate it.

Gary,

I've also heard the factory story. I've heard several different versions which include it being a piano factory, a toy factory, and a toothbrush factory. I have never been able to confirm any of them but am sure that one of them is right.

Des,

Of course you got a sneak peek. Who else would appreciate it as much as you. As far as the kite replacement goes I really couldn't say for sure why it was done. Probably thought the flags looked sharper. I know that I would want a "fancier" tunic for all the lovely Italian girls!!! The trousers themselves don't have any date marks that I can see. There are some stamps but the trousers have also been modified. I will snap a few pics in the coming days.

Vic,

Although your statement about exile soldiers returning home is partially right but it's a little off. In fact many returned and most were left alone by the Communists. Of course there were a few "troublemakers" that were made examples of but most escaped unscathed. Of course many decided not to return (my grandfather and if I remember correctly your father as well) but many refused to leave wives and children behind to rot in Communist Poland. A prime example of an exile pilot returning home was that of Witold Lokuciewski - a pilot in the 303 Sqn. He returned after Stalin's death and rejoined the Polish air force in 1956. He moved up in the Communist hierarchy and became an attache with the Communist government as well as a diplomat. Of course this is the other extreme but there was a "happy medium" in between.

Now that the spiel is over I can safely reassure you that there is a vast quantity of exile material back home. Much of it is in the form of badges and documents but there are still many BD's and the like around. As long as you weren't wearing them while denouncing the Communists at the top of your lungs you were pretty much safe. After all a Communist Pole and and exile Pole are still countrymen and I have rarely heard of a case of "brother killing brother" under these circumstances.

I will post a shot of the back of the badge soon.

Thanks again for all of the comments. Please keep them coming.

Cheers,
Greg

[kazak]

You lucky devil gregg,thats a great Bd!

Ive only started "collecting" Polish kit this year and am far behind you guys,.Your post has made me kick myself,a week ago,at Detling,I came acrross a pocket shield with the black maddona,on handeling it I was concerend about the weird rubbery feel to it and walked away,now I read that this material is pukka,oops. Can anyone one point me in the right direction for good reference material regarding Polish uniforms etc in English,as my Polish is still pretty basic...Thanks

kai.

ps,ade,what a top event ay.
pps,any info on the r84?found a 39dated water bottle marked with the soldiers initials,S L(Polish w).

[vicjoy1945]

Hi Greg,

When I asked my dad why he didn't go back to Poland when the war ended he replied..."I had two counts over my head that held the death penalty...I had already had a taste of Stalin's hospitality !!!" I understood completely. He survived two years of hell in Siberian camps where many Poles around him died. He lost his father, mother, brother, and sister to the same Soviet "hospitality". However, he did have two brothers that survived the war. One was a cavalry officer by profession that fought against the Bolesheviks at Warsaw. He also fought in 1939, survived Dacau, and was liberated from Matthausen. His other brother lived a block away from his parents home and the war never touched him.

Virtually all of the Poles I have spoken with have said that returning Polish army-in-exile veterans had a very rough time...many were forced to be "re-educated"...many were taken prisoners again or simply shot. Yours is the first time I've heard that most were allowed to re-establish roots with no Communist retribution as having "fought with the enemy." I've also been told by other Poles that the contribution of the Polish army-in-exile soldiers was completely obliterated in the Communist school systems regarding WWII...in fact, they were told that those Poles who fought with the Allies were traitors and indeed enemies. I remember mentioning proudly to other Poles who had come here from Poland and grew up during Communist rule that my father served in Anders army and being greeted with a very abhorred look...this was very disturbing to me.

I'd love to hear from other Poles on this subject....

Vic