A COBI minifigure of a Polish soldier of the British Army in printed battledress, fixed to a matching brick with a metal chain and keyring. The connection points are glued so it survives daily use.
Monte Cassino
The monastery above Cassino had stopped three Allied assaults and cost thousands of casualties. In May 1944 the Polish II Corps was given the task.
The men who took it had reached Italy by a route that is difficult to summarise: deported to Soviet labour camps after 1939, released under an amnesty when Germany invaded the Soviet Union, marched out through Persia, reorganised in Iraq and Palestine, and shipped to Italy. Many had buried family members along the way.
They attacked on 11 May, were thrown back with heavy losses, and attacked again. On 18 May a patrol of the 12th Podolian Uhlans found the ruins abandoned and raised a Polish flag over them. Around 900 Polish soldiers were killed and 3,000 wounded.
They are buried in a cemetery on the slope below the monastery, and the inscription there says that for their freedom and ours these soldiers gave their bodies to Italy, their hearts to Poland, and their souls to God.
In the COBI range
One of a series of sixteen figure keyrings from the Historical Collection. Set 1373 is the retail display holding the full assortment. Set 2269 is General Maczek's Cromwell.
Specifications
Contents: one minifigure on a brick with metal chain and keyring · Glued connection points · Printed detail
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