On the 76th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Monte Cassino, ceremonies were held today at the Polish war cemetery on the hill. A mass was celebrated, and wreaths were laid. The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Italy and San Marino, Anna Maria Anders, daughter of General Władysław Anders, was also present. It was under his leadership that the soldiers of the 2nd Polish Corps played a crucial role in the battle.
The General’s daughter, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Italy and San Marino, Anna Maria Anders, paid tribute to the combatants, writing on Twitter: “We are at the Polish war cemetery to pay tribute to the heroes and attend a solemn mass in their intention.”
76. rocznica Bitwy na cmentarzu #MonteCassino Dzisiaj msza św i wieńce w gronie @PLinItalia i z udziałem opata klasztoru i burmistrza miasta #Cassino @Kombatanci @PLinMilano @PLInst_Roma @MON_GOV_PL pic.twitter.com/osMz2Rtz9u
— Anna Maria Anders (@Anna_M_Anders) May 18, 2020
Monte Cassino ??. Dziś z gen. Rajmundem Andrzejczakiem ?? i z gen. Tadeuszem Piotrowskim ?? złożyłam wieniec na grobie Ojca, śp. generała Władysława Andersa w 78. rocznice bitwy #MonteCassino @PLinItalia @MSZ_RP @MON_GOV_PL @Kombatanci pic.twitter.com/hum89ogNr0
— Anna Maria Anders (@Anna_M_Anders) May 18, 2022
A group of about 20 people were at the cemetery, including Cassino mayor Enzo Salera and the abbot of the Benedictine monastery on the hill, Donato Ogliari, as well as the Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome, Artur Pollok.
Mass was celebrated at the cemetery on Monte Cassino by Father Jacek Staniek from the Polish church in Rome. After the mass, a wreath-laying ceremony was held.
76. rocznica Bitwy o Montecassino. ????
Na Polskim Cmentarzu wojennym ambasador @Anna_M_Anders, córka gen.Andersa, dowódcy II Korpusu Polskiego złożyła wieniec przy krzyżu Virtuti Militari.Kwiaty pobłogosławił wcześniej opat @M_C_A_B_B_E_Y Donato Ogliari pic.twitter.com/OWv8p5QN8y
— PLinItalia (@PLinItalia) May 18, 2020
The delegation was also in the town of Cassino in front of the bust of General Anders.
The anniversary celebrations were held in much smaller numbers than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic and with the required sanitary precautions.