Epilogue

Epilogue

Polish soldiers' armed effort on the fronts of the Second World War made a permanent mark in the history of Europe and the world. Soldiers acted according to the credo of their ancestors, fighting for your freedom and ours. Although they were sometimes lonely in their fight (September 1939, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944), thanks to their patriotism and fortitude, they left the next generations with a standard of morality and behaviour, contained in the words Honour and the Motherland. Thanks to it an their children and grandchildren could, in 1989 turn into reality their vision - a vision of Poland as independent and democratic country.

The decades that have passed since the end of the Second World War have caused that presently a false image of Poland and the Poles in that period is noticeable. More and more often claims emerge that it was Poland which attacked Germany in 1939, that the Poles are to blame for the extermination of Jews, even that the Polish Army was fighting hand in hand with the Germans against the allies. In this way our country, a victim of the aggresive policy of its neighbours (Germany and the USSR) becomes an aggressor in their eyes.

It is a painful phenomenon for us, the Poles. For there still live, although not very numerous, witnesses of the joint soldiers' efforts - of the Poles, the British and the Americans. Jews saved by Poles are also trying to testify to the truth of those times.

In Europe's various countries there are numerous symbols left - of gratitude of local populations to the Polish soldiers. These are monuments, remembrance plates and - above all - soldiers' cemeteries.