In every war there comes a moment when the enemy is not around, bullets do not whistle overhead, and air raids somehow bypass a man. What did the soldiers do to avoid boredom getting emery before the next fight? They provided themselves with a bit of normalcy, everyday life and laughter.
It was different on different fronts. Somewhere in the world, soldiers shot white bears, others went to souks in their free time, and others drank French wine and fraternized with Résistance . The Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade (SBSK), which spent the war in the sands of North Africa and the Middle East, also had to do something about the free time of its soldiers.
The conditions in which the SBSK cultural section had to operate were really specific. On the one hand, the landscape is unknown (and the soldier cannot sing to rosemary that he will go to the girl), on the other hand, the constant terror of war and distance from large centers of the Polish population. It was therefore necessary to strain the minds and still heal the longing of the shooters for the homeland, develop their bodies and minds. How did it work in practice?
Something for the body
Sports life was a very important branch of cultural and educational activity from the psychological and health point of view. Team games and exercise allow you to relieve stress, build bonds in the group, improve fitness and ... simply provide great entertainment.
Tobruk Fortress on the German war plan.
From 1940, the cultural and educational section of the brigade was responsible for sport. Many sports were practiced under her wings, including volleyball and boxing. The most popular, however, was the Polish national sport, ie football.
The representation of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade were real aces! The team was joined by many pre-war "Junaks", that is players from Junak Drohobycz, who won the Lviv league competition just before the war and was almost a sure candidate to pass the elimination of the state league. Among the Carpathians there was, among others, the president of the club, Maj Mieczysław Młotek, and the players were trained by the great shooter of "Junak" - Tadeusz Krasoń.
SBSK has played many matches in Egypt with local soccer clubs. Social meetings with the Allied teams were also not uncommon. The Carpathian players liked the game so much that their matches with Egyptian teams were shown in the newsreels and widely reported in the press. From the book by Zbigniew Wawr entitled "Tobruk 1941" we learn that in total during their stay in Egypt, the brigade's soldiers played 24 matches, winning two-thirds of them.
The article is based on the book by Zbigniew Wawr entitled Tobruk 1941 (Bellona 2011).
Learn shoot, learn!
When the Germans attacked Poland, they did not care how much was left until the final exams, whether the gymnasium ended, or whether Greek was acquired, they understood mathematics. Many young people, instead of going to schools, marched to the barracks and thus reached the Middle East. The military decided it was time to make up for the shortcomings in the education of soldiers and in December 1940 organized a Polish gymnasium and high school in Tel Aviv.
Polish soldiers serving in the 2nd Corps could take up their interrupted education there. However, it was not until May 1942 that the first 44 Carpathians went there. They were to complete a six-month preparation course for the secondary school-leaving examination. Interestingly, the level of education of the SBSK was quite good - out of 4,000 soldiers, only 11 were illiterate.
Do, re, mi and V for Victory
When the body was fit and the high school diploma in the army was almost passed, it was still necessary to nourish the spirit. Here, too, the cultural and educational department played an invaluable role. On August 15, 1940, the Carpathian choir performed for the first time with an accompanying orchestra. As you know, even debuts are sometimes severely judged, but the Polish soldiers got away with it.
Reviews of their performance in the Palestinian press were positive. The SBSK choir was so liked that it was invited to a radio performance in Jerusalem. Interestingly, on the day of the brigade's choir performance, the broadcasting "Soldier's Day from wake up to the last post" began.
Manuscript of "Songs about the fourth company" (all photos from the album:Z. Wawer, Tobruk 1941, Bellona 2011).
Folk songs and patriotic songs amused the shooters many times. Most of the choristers served normally in line units, so it is even more appreciated that after the service they entered the stage and entertained their brigade colleagues with their vocal performances. Contrary to all appearances, it is not that easy to do.
It's time to start the curtain up.
Choir singing and promoting Polish music in the ranks of the Allies was not the only field for artistic exploitation. They were even more fortunate in the field of theater.
Real celebrities joined the ranks of the brigade:Marian Hemar (before the war, together with Tuwim, he wrote texts for, among others, the triumphant theaters "Qui pro Quo" and "Warsaw's Cyrulik"), Paweł Prokopieni (he sang in a duet with Jan Kiepura), or Stanisław Młodożeniec (co-author of futurism in Polish poetry).
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While female roles have been a problem many times, they have been dealt with in a number of ways. When one actress appeared among the entire brigade of actors, for example, the musical comedy "Their eight, she is one" was played.
Most often, the performances were played by two ladies:Maria Kijewska and Zofia Dechaine, and girls from the Allied colonies (if any girl / colony - delete as appropriate - was just nearby).
The Theater Leader of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade gave the soldiers moments of respite. Until 1942, she staged 45 performances in total. It was also present in besieged Tobruk. The soldiers defending the city asked the command to send them a theater introduction. The request was granted, of course, and the actors entertained the shooters with a smile on their faces.
Soldiers of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade (all photos from the album:Z. Wawer, Tobruk 1941, Bellona 2011)
Reading under siege
In order to make the soldiers even more cultural, in March 1941 a book rental was launched. Over the course of a year, it was possible to accumulate a trifle of several thousand volumes (let us remind you that there were fights all the time!). In the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade there were libraries on wheels that reached all divisions.
Interestingly, even the line units participating in the fights in Tobruk had books from these libraries in their backpacks. Polish historical novels in difficult times lifted the spirits of Carpathians.
Soldiers of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade (all photos from the album:Z. Wawer, Tobruk 1941, Bellona 2011).
The brigade also had its own publishing house. Zbigniew Wawer lists in the album "Tobruk 1941" several items printed in North Africa:"Guide to Cairo and Luxor" (circulation of 2000 copies), "Calendar of a Polish soldier in the Middle East" (6000 copies) and a book by Adam Epler "The last Polish soldier of the campaign 1939 ”(circulation of 800 copies).
Interestingly, the second largest publication was the book "Venereal diseases, symptoms, treatment and prevention" (5000 copies). We can only guess the reasons for its release…
Two pages from the magazine "Za steering w Tobruku" (all photos from the album:Z. Wawer, Tobruk 1941, Bellona 2011).
Finally, a few more words about the press. SBSK, like most large armed formations, published its magazines. Considering the field conditions and possibilities, their level must be appreciated. Richly illustrated and well-edited newspapers were a sensation.
The cultural and educational department responsible for this kind of projects distributed many different titles:"Ku free Poland", weekly magazines "Polska" and "Nasz Tygodnik", "Nasz Drogi" biweekly, and "Głos Tobruku" during his stay in Tobruk. Admittedly, the command did a lot to prevent soldiers from having to stare out into the vastness of the desert.
Source:
- Zbigniew Wawer, Tobruk 1941 , Bellona 2011.