Polish War Cemetery Breda

Polish War Cemetery situated facing the Texaco gas station at the Ettensebaan in Breda.

"On this field of honour are Polish soldiers who died in the Netherlands during World War Two buried. They originally belonged to the divisions of the Polish land and air forces who in September 1939, after the capture of the Polish by the German army escaped to France, where the Polish government also found shelter. After the capitulation of the French army in June 1940, the Polish soldiers succeeded again to escape from German war inprisoning. They found their way from Spain and Gibraltar to reach England safely. There they formed among many the First Polisher Armour division under command of General Major Stanislaw Maczek and the First Polish Independent Parachute brigade.

After the landing in Normandy in June 1944 these Polish soldiers fought among the Allied forces for the liberation of West Europe. In the Netherlands they fought in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, West Brabant, in the battle for Arnhem, Groningen and Drenthe. More than 500 Polish soldiers and pilots who were killed during World War Two found their last restplace in our country, 163 of them here in Breda, which was liberated by the First Polish Armour division on the 29th of October 1944."

Text according to a sign at the cemetery.

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Source

• Text: Jeroen Koppes
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1, 5), Dick de Bruijne (2, 3, 4)

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