Overview
Melchior Wańkowicz’s The Battle of Monte Cassino is a unique contribution to the history of World War II, indeed the history of war in general. Composed by the Polish master of reportage, this book provides the reader with an exhaustive history of one of the greatest triumphs of Polish arms: the conquest of the German redoubt of Monte Cassino, after months of intense fighting, which provided the Allies with an open road for their progress through the Italian peninsula and, finally, to victory over the Nazis in Europe. The history of the Battle of Monte Cassino (17 January — 19 May 1944), centered on the Benedictine cloister of the same name, which was a key sector of the Nazi Army’s ‘Gustav Line’ of defense. Besides the history of the long Allied siege and the eventual victory won through the efforts of General Anders’ II Polish Corps, Wańkowicz provides an on-the-spot account of the battle, at which he was present, setting the reader in the very midst of operations by his thorough and lively interviews with the soldiers who took part in it.
Reviews
I belong to the generation that not only read, but also listened to and watched, Melchior Wańkowicz on radio and television. Among his numerous public statements, the one that remains both in my heart and my memory was the moving story of the Battle of Monte Cassino, with its painful drama that inspired the collective imagination -- otherwise, perhaps, dominated by the image of the ""Red Poppies on Monte Cassino,"" that song which inevitably idealizes reality. Thanks to Wańkowicz's account, we come to understand the soldier's hardship, sweat, pain, and fear - in short, all the cruel truth of war. Thanks to its store of strategic and military details, the readers of Melchior Wańkowicz's most famous book, widely recognized as a work written with extraordinary skill, are able to explore it in depth. If a new generation of great war reporters have developed and matured in contemporary Poland, I am sure that its representatives look with gratitude upon their Master Wańkowicz, gladly admitting 'we all come from him.' In the private libraries of many Poles, The Battle of Monte Cassino is still a unique item. It is often venerated with an respect approaching that accorded to Pan Tadeusz, the national epic by poet Adam Mickiewicz -- treated like a true relic. From the very start, readers clearly understood that Melchior Wańkowicz had created not only a wonderful battle reportage, but also an act of faith in a free Poland and free Poles. Throughout the difficult years of Communist rule, this great book, in praise of the armed deeds of Polish soldiers, gave their countrymen a reason for national pride, awakening that perhaps most beautiful, but also the most difficult love -- love of the homeland. Melchior Wańkowicz (1892-1974) was Poland's greatest twentieth-century writer of factual narratives, who created an original model of literary reportage that later inspired outstanding Polish reporters such as Ryszard Kapuściński and Hanna Krall. He traveled throughout Poland, Mexico, the Soviet Union, Palestine and the United States and wrote about the Bolshevik Revolution, interwar Poland and World War II. He also had an extraordinary life: he was a politician, journalist, publisher, soldier, emigrant, and, at the end of his life, an enemy of the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland. The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-47) is a monumental work concerning one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War II. In May 1944, the Allies defeated the German army with the significant participation of Polish soldiers. Wańkowicz speaks of this battle in a colorful and realistic way, emphasizing the modern nature of the struggle on the slopes of the Italian redoubt. He polemicizes against the Romantic view of war, underscoring the role of ordinary soldiers, each of whom has a separate biography and character. An integral element of the reportage are photos, maps and drawings, quotes from military reports and orders, as well as numerous conversations with participants in the battle. There are few such suggestive and moving accounts of war in world literature. On May 20, 1944, Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary: ""The capture of Cassino is, of course, a great event for the enemy. It is deeply embarrassing for us that, together with the English, Poles also entered the ruined city."" Meanwhile, what was a shame for Goebbels was a source of glory for the Poles. To this day, the capture of Monte Cassino, which opened the route to Rome for the Allies, is a source of national pride. One of the central streets in Warsaw is named after General Wladyslaw Anders, the Polish commander. How did the Poles arrive at Monte Cassino? The path began with their defeat in the struggle in September 1939 against the invading Germans, invading Poland from the West, and the Soviets -- initially Hitler's allies -- who occupied of the eastern lands of pre-war Poland. Then, following Hitler's attack on the USSR, Stalin agreed to create a Polish army from among the Poles who had been exiled deep into his country, to send them out of his way. For he already had other plans for Poland, and did not need these soldiers either then or in the future. Following a long journey, they reached the Italian front, where General Anders undertook the attack on Monte Cassino, which was already underway. He knew that many soldiers would die. However, he hoped that any success they achieved would improve Poland's chances in the eyes of the Allies -- despite their need to cooperate with Stalin in the fight against Hitler. The Poles won the victory at Monte Cassino, but little more. Those who died were buried in the cemetery in Cassino, and General Anders, who died in 1970 in London, was buried among them, according to his wishes. The victory did not tip the Allied political scales in Poland's favor, and the country became a satellite of the USSR. During the Communist years, the story of this battle was hushed up. It was only after the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989 that a monument to the battle was erected in Warsaw, carved from Italian marble, the work of Gustaw Zemla and Wojciech Zablocki, 1999). A popular song was about the battle (""Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino"" [The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino]), was composed by Alfred Schütz, to words by Feliks Konarski). This book, The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-1947, published in Poland only in 1958) is the best-known work of reporter and war correspondent Melchior Wańkowicz -- who was with the soldiers at that time.
"I belong to the generation that not only read, but also listened to and watched, Melchior Wańkowicz on radio and television. Among his numerous public statements, the one that remains both in my heart and my memory was the moving story of the Battle of Monte Cassino, with its painful drama that inspired the collective imagination -- otherwise, perhaps, dominated by the image of the ""Red Poppies on Monte Cassino,"" that song which inevitably idealizes reality. Thanks to Wańkowicz's account, we come to understand the soldier's hardship, sweat, pain, and fear - in short, all the cruel truth of war. Thanks to its store of strategic and military details, the readers of Melchior Wańkowicz's most famous book, widely recognized as a work written with extraordinary skill, are able to explore it in depth. If a new generation of great war reporters have developed and matured in contemporary Poland, I am sure that its representatives look with gratitude upon their Master Wańkowicz, gladly admitting 'we all come from him.' --Jan Miodek, University of Wroclaw In the private libraries of many Poles, The Battle of Monte Cassino is still a unique item. It is often venerated with an respect approaching that accorded to Pan Tadeusz, the national epic by poet Adam Mickiewicz -- treated like a true relic. From the very start, readers clearly understood that Melchior Wańkowicz had created not only a wonderful battle reportage, but also an act of faith in a free Poland and free Poles. Throughout the difficult years of Communist rule, this great book, in praise of the armed deeds of Polish soldiers, gave their countrymen a reason for national pride, awakening that perhaps most beautiful, but also the most difficult love -- love of the homeland. --Krzysztof Maslon, author of The Curse of Contradiction Melchior Wańkowicz (1892-1974) was Poland's greatest twentieth-century writer of factual narratives, who created an original model of literary reportage that later inspired outstanding Polish reporters such as Ryszard Kapuściński and Hanna Krall. He traveled throughout Poland, Mexico, the Soviet Union, Palestine and the United States and wrote about the Bolshevik Revolution, interwar Poland and World War II. He also had an extraordinary life: he was a politician, journalist, publisher, soldier, emigrant, and, at the end of his life, an enemy of the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland. The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-47) is a monumental work concerning one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War II. In May 1944, the Allies defeated the German army with the significant participation of Polish soldiers. Wańkowicz speaks of this battle in a colorful and realistic way, emphasizing the modern nature of the struggle on the slopes of the Italian redoubt. He polemicizes against the Romantic view of war, underscoring the role of ordinary soldiers, each of whom has a separate biography and character. An integral element of the reportage are photos, maps and drawings, quotes from military reports and orders, as well as numerous conversations with participants in the battle. There are few such suggestive and moving accounts of war in world literature. --Maciej Urbanowski, Jagiellonian University On May 20, 1944, Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary: ""The capture of Cassino is, of course, a great event for the enemy. It is deeply embarrassing for us that, together with the English, Poles also entered the ruined city."" Meanwhile, what was a shame for Goebbels was a source of glory for the Poles. To this day, the capture of Monte Cassino, which opened the route to Rome for the Allies, is a source of national pride. One of the central streets in Warsaw is named after General Wladyslaw Anders, the Polish commander. How did the Poles arrive at Monte Cassino? The path began with their defeat in the struggle in September 1939 against the invading Germans, invading Poland from the West, and the Soviets -- initially Hitler's allies -- who occupied of the eastern lands of pre-war Poland. Then, following Hitler's attack on the USSR, Stalin agreed to create a Polish army from among the Poles who had been exiled deep into his country, to send them out of his way. For he already had other plans for Poland, and did not need these soldiers either then or in the future. Following a long journey, they reached the Italian front, where General Anders undertook the attack on Monte Cassino, which was already underway. He knew that many soldiers would die. However, he hoped that any success they achieved would improve Poland's chances in the eyes of the Allies -- despite their need to cooperate with Stalin in the fight against Hitler. The Poles won the victory at Monte Cassino, but little more. Those who died were buried in the cemetery in Cassino, and General Anders, who died in 1970 in London, was buried among them, according to his wishes. The victory did not tip the Allied political scales in Poland's favor, and the country became a satellite of the USSR. During the Communist years, the story of this battle was hushed up. It was only after the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989 that a monument to the battle was erected in Warsaw, carved from Italian marble, the work of Gustaw Zemla and Wojciech Zablocki, 1999). A popular song was about the battle (""Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino"" [The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino]), was composed by Alfred Sch�tz, to words by Feliks Konarski). This book, The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-1947, published in Poland only in 1958) is the best-known work of reporter and war correspondent Melchior Wańkowicz -- who was with the soldiers at that time. --Marcin Kula, University of Warsaw"
"I belong to the generation that not only read, but also listened to and watched, Melchior Wańkowicz on radio and television. Among his numerous public statements, the one that remains both in my heart and my memory was the moving story of the Battle of Monte Cassino, with its painful drama that inspired the collective imagination -- otherwise, perhaps, dominated by the image of the ""Red Poppies on Monte Cassino,"" that song which inevitably idealizes reality. Thanks to Wańkowicz's account, we come to understand the soldier's hardship, sweat, pain, and fear - in short, all the cruel truth of war. Thanks to its store of strategic and military details, the readers of Melchior Wańkowicz's most famous book, widely recognized as a work written with extraordinary skill, are able to explore it in depth. If a new generation of great war reporters have developed and matured in contemporary Poland, I am sure that its representatives look with gratitude upon their Master Wańkowicz, gladly admitting 'we all come from him.' In the private libraries of many Poles, The Battle of Monte Cassino is still a unique item. It is often venerated with an respect approaching that accorded to Pan Tadeusz, the national epic by poet Adam Mickiewicz -- treated like a true relic. From the very start, readers clearly understood that Melchior Wańkowicz had created not only a wonderful battle reportage, but also an act of faith in a free Poland and free Poles. Throughout the difficult years of Communist rule, this great book, in praise of the armed deeds of Polish soldiers, gave their countrymen a reason for national pride, awakening that perhaps most beautiful, but also the most difficult love -- love of the homeland. Melchior Wańkowicz (1892-1974) was Poland's greatest twentieth-century writer of factual narratives, who created an original model of literary reportage that later inspired outstanding Polish reporters such as Ryszard Kapuściński and Hanna Krall. He traveled throughout Poland, Mexico, the Soviet Union, Palestine and the United States and wrote about the Bolshevik Revolution, interwar Poland and World War II. He also had an extraordinary life: he was a politician, journalist, publisher, soldier, emigrant, and, at the end of his life, an enemy of the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland. The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-47) is a monumental work concerning one of the largest and bloodiest battles of World War II. In May 1944, the Allies defeated the German army with the significant participation of Polish soldiers. Wańkowicz speaks of this battle in a colorful and realistic way, emphasizing the modern nature of the struggle on the slopes of the Italian redoubt. He polemicizes against the Romantic view of war, underscoring the role of ordinary soldiers, each of whom has a separate biography and character. An integral element of the reportage are photos, maps and drawings, quotes from military reports and orders, as well as numerous conversations with participants in the battle. There are few such suggestive and moving accounts of war in world literature. On May 20, 1944, Joseph Goebbels wrote in his diary: ""The capture of Cassino is, of course, a great event for the enemy. It is deeply embarrassing for us that, together with the English, Poles also entered the ruined city."" Meanwhile, what was a shame for Goebbels was a source of glory for the Poles. To this day, the capture of Monte Cassino, which opened the route to Rome for the Allies, is a source of national pride. One of the central streets in Warsaw is named after General Wladyslaw Anders, the Polish commander. How did the Poles arrive at Monte Cassino? The path began with their defeat in the struggle in September 1939 against the invading Germans, invading Poland from the West, and the Soviets -- initially Hitler's allies -- who occupied of the eastern lands of pre-war Poland. Then, following Hitler's attack on the USSR, Stalin agreed to create a Polish army from among the Poles who had been exiled deep into his country, to send them out of his way. For he already had other plans for Poland, and did not need these soldiers either then or in the future. Following a long journey, they reached the Italian front, where General Anders undertook the attack on Monte Cassino, which was already underway. He knew that many soldiers would die. However, he hoped that any success they achieved would improve Poland's chances in the eyes of the Allies -- despite their need to cooperate with Stalin in the fight against Hitler. The Poles won the victory at Monte Cassino, but little more. Those who died were buried in the cemetery in Cassino, and General Anders, who died in 1970 in London, was buried among them, according to his wishes. The victory did not tip the Allied political scales in Poland's favor, and the country became a satellite of the USSR. During the Communist years, the story of this battle was hushed up. It was only after the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989 that a monument to the battle was erected in Warsaw, carved from Italian marble, the work of Gustaw Zemla and Wojciech Zablocki, 1999). A popular song was about the battle (""Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino"" [The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino]), was composed by Alfred Sch�tz, to words by Feliks Konarski). This book, The Battle of Monte Cassino (1945-1947, published in Poland only in 1958) is the best-known work of reporter and war correspondent Melchior Wańkowicz -- who was with the soldiers at that time."
Author Information
Melchior Wańkowicz (1892–1974) is one of the most noteworthy Polish authors of the twentieth century, specifically in the genre of reportage. Charles S. Kraszewski translates from Polish, Czech, and Slovak. Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm is author of over 35 books and Fulbright Scholar.
