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Wrzesie agwicy
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Wikipedia article
'Wrzesie agwicy' (English: 'Scorching September') is a 1947 book of literary reportage written by the Polish historian and political journalist Melchior Wakowicz. The book is a collection of analytical thinking stories written by Wakowicz in the early 1940s, while the author was in exile. Following the invasion of Poland, he left the country in late September 1939 for Romania, later moving to Cyprus, BritishPalestine, Italy, and finally, to London. 'Wrzesie agwicy' gives a vivid account of the Polish September Campaign; its title refers to the fact that Nazi Germany, together with the Soviet Union invaded the Second Polish Republic jointly in September 1939. The book was first published in 1947, in London, by 'Gryf Publishing House'.[http://www.wankowicz.pl/index.php?go=10 Melchior Wakowicz, Dziea] It was reprinted in 1990 by 'Polonia Publishing House', while several stories from the book were printed separately, with the most popular one, 'Westerplatte', having been printed in 1959, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1989, and 1990. In August 2009, Warsaw publishing house 'Prszyski i Spka' reprinted the book in the third volume of collected works by Wakowicz. In this volume, 'Wrzesie agwicy' is published together with other war-related stories, such as 'Strzpy epopei', 'Szpital w Cichiniczach', and 'Po klsce'.[http://www.proszynski.pl/Strzepy_epopei__Szpital_w_Cichiniczach__Wrzesien_zagwiacy__Po_klesce-p-30155-10009-.html Melchior Wakowicz. Strzpy epopei. Szpital w Cichiniczach. Wrzesie agwicy. Po klsce.] Prszyski i Spka, Warszawa 2009.
The introduction to the 2009 volume was written by Tadeusz Pawe Rutkowski, historian of the University of Warsaw. Rutkowski wrote that Wakowicz collected stories of the September Campaign "on the spot, planning to publish them in the press (...) After crossing the Romanian border, he faced a general chaos and bitterness of the lost war. For the Polish nation, the speed of German units, their advancement in armour and airforce, and the panic evacuation of Polish authorities, were a complete shock (...) 'Wrzesie agwicy' was written to present heroism of the Polish soldier, and to show the world that the invasion was not an easy walk for the Germans. Polish troops were eager to fight, but were defeated by numerical and technological superiority of the enemy (...) New stories were added to the book throughout the war. 'Wrzesie...' is full of emotions, not always factually accurate and spiked with statistical errors, yet authentic and direct (...) Wakowicz presents people who kept on fighting aware of hopelessness of their position. He describes the country which was attacked by two enemies, with soldiers trying to reach southern border, between the Wehrmacht in the west, and the Red Army in the east. The detailed description of fighting sometimes is far from reality, which was the result of Wakowicz's inability to confront stories told by different people. Therefore, the description of the Battle of Westerplatte, based mainly on the account of Mayor Henryk Sucharski, diverges from historical works (...) It is a paradox that the book, written for immediate publication as an answer to German propaganda, did not accomplish its task. Its author, banned by the government of Wadysaw Sikorski for his pre-war affiliations, did not receive permission for the publication. As a complete book, it was not published until 1947, reaching a narrow circle of readers. In the People's Republic of Poland, 'Wrzesie agwicy' was never published in its complete form. Communist censorship accepted the chapters about Westerplatte and Major Dobrzaski, but descriptions of Soviet invasion and fighting with the Red Army were not available for Polish readers until 1990".
Publication history
'Wrzesie agwicy' was based on the author's 1943 collection of reportages, published in British Palestine in 1943 during the Mediterranean Campaign. It was titled 'Wrzeniowym szlakiem'. Wakowicz wrote it under pen name Jerzy uyc.Aleksandra Zikowska-Boehm: Na tropach Wakowicza po latach, Warszawa, Prszyski i S-ka, 2009, pages 79-81 In 1947, after coming to London, Wakowicz expanded 'Wrzeniowym szlakiem', adding new stories, and changing the name of the publication into 'Wrzesie agwicy'. As the author claimed, most of his reportages had been written in the final months of 1939, and were based on personal interviews with soldiers of the Polish Army and Polish civil servants, who witnessed or fought in the Invasion of Poland. Due to his work, the defenders of Westerplatte, and Major Henryk Dobrzaski became legendary figures in Polish historiography. Nevertheless, 'Wrzesie agwicy' should not be considered a history books, as in some cases Wakowicz's interlocutors did not give truthful testimonies. Among others, in August 1946 in Italy, Wakowicz interviewed Major Henryk Sucharski, who did not mention the fact that in the first days of the Battle of Westerplatte, he suffered a nervous breakdown, and the defence was commanded by Captain Franciszek Dbrowski.Mariusz Borowiak, Westerplatte. W obronie prawdy, Warszawa, Alma-Press, 2008
In the 1947 foreword, Wakowicz writes: "Most of this book was written in 1939, to give testimony to our fighting. At that time, everything that the world knew about September, came from our enemies, who spread lies about the campaign that lasted only for eighteen days. The world wondered why small Finland defended itself for so long. That is why I wrote the book in a hurry, without sources, with one target - to show Polish fighting spirit. So, my book is not a report about the war itself, but rather about Polish spirit in September 1939 (...) Loose pages wandered with me across the world, and when in 1943 I finally had the chance to publish the stories, several were missing (...) Currently, when so many people from oflags, gulags and Poland joined us, the need for re-publishing the book for Poles in England has arisen. I am adding 'Westerplatte', the story of General Tadeusz Kutrzeba's airforce, and the story of Major Hubal."
Chapters
'Dywersja niemiecka w Polsce' (German Subversion in Poland)
The activities of the pro-German fifth column began in the Second Polish Republic right after World War I. Several German organizations operated in the 1920s and 1930s, including the 'Deutsche Arbeitspartei', the 'Jugendbund', and the 'Volks Bund', headed by Hans Glodny, a man who had a Polish father and a German mother. Following the Great Crisis, unemployment in Poland was widespread, especially in Polish part of Upper Silesia, whose mines produced more coal than Poland needed. German propaganda took advantage of this, telling Silesians that Polish rule took away their jobs, and promising that after the return of Upper Silesia to Germany, new posts would be created.* Okres "przyjani" polsko-niemieckiej (The Period of Polish-German "Friendship")
:Following the 1934 GermanPolish Non-Aggression Pact, several legal German associations were opened in Poland, such as the 'Jungdeutsche Partei', created by engineer Wiesner from Bielsko-Biaa. Upon orders of Rudolf Hess, military sabotage was under preparation, with members of the German minority being sent to the Third Reich for training. Meanwhile, Hitler reduces unemployment, and German enterprises need workers. Polish citizens are often employed, but on the condition that they join German organizations, and their children attend German schools. Training for saboteurs is organized in the town of Leobschutz, where participants learn how to use guns and grenades.
* Tu przed wojn (Right Before the War)
* Wybuch wojny (The Outbreak of War)
'Pierwsze trzy dni wojny w Gdasku' (First Three Days of War in Gdask)
* Zostaj (They Are Staying)* "Gocie" przechodz przez most (The "Guests" are Crossing the Bridge)
* Immunitet (Immunity)
* Zemsta (The Revenge)
* Tortury I morderstwa (Tortures and Murders)
* Wyzwolenie (Release)
Westerplatte
'Te pierwsze walki' (The First Fights)
* Pierwsze czogi (First Tanks)* Pierwsza gorycz (First Bitterness)
* W opaach (In Trouble)
* Obrona mostu (Defence of a Bridge)
'Dzieje kompanii saperskiej' (The History of a Company of Sappers)
* Jeszcze stawiam pod karabin (I am Still Standing by a Gun)* Masakra w lesie (A Massacre in a Forest)
* Biae rkawiczki (White Gloves)
* Jak zajc w kotle (Like a Hare in a Cauldron)
* Pono nasi bij w tarabany (Apparently, Our Boys are Beating the Drums)
* Odwet niemiecki (German Retaliation)
* Cmentarzysko broni (A Cemetery of Weapons)
'Jdrek, Witek, i ich tysice' (Jdrek, Witek, and the Thousands of Them)
* Opowiadanie Witka (Witek's Story)* Walka pod Kamionk Strumiow (The Battle of Kamionka Strumiowa)
* Hej! Gdzie to walcz jeszcze? (Hey! Are They Still Fighting Somewhere?)
* W armii generaa Kleeberga (In General Kleeberg's Army)
* Ziemia zwraca bro (The Soil is Returning the Weapons)
* Ucieczka z niewoli (Escape from Captivity)
* Znowu przed Bolszewikami (Again Fighting the Bolsheviks)
* Dziecko! (A Child!)
'Walka o polskie niebo' (The Struggle for the Polish Sky)
* Oglne dane (General Data)* Brygada obrony Warszawy (The Brigade Defending Warsaw)
* Lotnictwo w armii generaa Bortnowskiego (The Airforce in the Army of General Bortnowski)
* Lotnictwo w armii generaa Kutrzeby (The Airforce in the Army of General Kutrzeba)
* Lotnictwo w armii generaa Szylinga (The Airforce in the Army of General Szyling)
* Dzieje dywizjonu karasi (The history of a Unit of PZL .23 Kara)
'Z generaem Sosnkowskim' (With General Sosnkowski)
* Dywizja Je (The Je Division)* Genera Sosnkowski obejmuje komend (General Sosnkowski Takes the Command)
* Z odsiecz dla Lwowa (With Relief for Lww)
* Pogrom Niemcw pod Jaworowem (The Defeat of Germans at Jaworw)
* Boje pod Janowem (Fighting Near Janw)
* Przebicie si 11. Dywizji na Brzuchowice (The Breakthrough of the 11th Division to Brzuchowice)
* Bj pod Brzuchowicami (The Battle of Brzuchowice)
* Jak w 1863 roku (Like in the year 1863)
'Z generaem Andersem' (With General Anders)
* Patrzc z Iraku wstecz (Looking Back from Iraq)* Pierwsze dni wojny (The First Days of War)
* W Pocku (In Pock)
* Marsz na Warszaw (The March Towards Warsaw)
* Natarcie na Misk Mazowiecki (The Attack on Misk Mazowiecki)
* I znowu piknie zorganizowana grupa (And Again the Group is Finely Organized)
* Przebicie si na Suchowol (The Breakthrough to Suchowola)
* Walka o przepraw (Fight for the River Crossing)
* Marsz midzy niemieck I rosyjsk armi (The March Between German and Soviet Armies)
* Rozgrom Niemcw (The Sweep of Germans)
* Walki z nasuwajc si armi Tiuleniewa (Fighting the Advancing Army of Tulenev)
* Ostatnie chwile grupy generaa Andersa (Final Moments of the Group of General Anders)
* Resztki 26. puku uanw I 9. DAK-u (The Remains of the 26th Uhlan Regiment)
* A co z resztk batalionu majora Peruckiego (And What With the Remains of Major Perucki's Battalion)
* Losy generaa Andersa po wrzeniu (The Fate of General Anders after September)
Hubalczycy (The Soldiers of Hubal)
* W nieznane (In the Unknown)* Pierwsza utarczka pod Maciejowicami (First Skirmish at Maciejowice)
* Dwie walki w Grach witokrzyskich (Two Skirmishes in the Holy Cross Mountains)
* Bdziemy pomostem midzy wrzeniem I wiosn (We Will be a Bridge Between September and Spring)
* Opay w Cisowniku (The Trouble in Cisownik)
* Uani werbuj, strzelcy maszeruj - zacign si (The Uhlans are Recruiting, the Shooters are Marching - I Will Join)
* Willa I po willi (A villa destroyed)
* Szkolenie I... niesurbodynacja (Training and... Disobedience)
* Wielki bj pod Huciskami (The Great Battle of Huciska)
* Okrenie pod Szaasami (The Encirclement at Szaasy)
* "Trdowaci" (The "Lepers")
* mier Hubala (The Death of Hubal)
* Epilog (Epilogue)
References
* Melchior Wakowicz. 'Strzpy epopei'. 'Szpital w Cichiniczach'. 'Wrzesie agwicy'. 'Po klsce'. Prszyski I Spka, Warszawa, 2009;
* Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm 'Melchior Wakowicz: Polands Master of the Written Word', Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, 2013;
Category:1947 novels
Category:Polish novels
Category:Second Polish Republic
Category:Poland in World War II
Category:Invasion of Poland
Category:World War II memoirs
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