Describing for the first time the full odyssey of the Anders Army. No one has ever told this story like Norman Davies has.
“I wished to demonstrate not only the rich diversity of people, who answered to Anders’ command, but also the extraordinary variety of their experiences and emotions, from death and despair, to fear and longing, ordeals and self-sacrifice, and, at the end, to a mixture of relief, resignation, bitterness, and hope” – Norman Davies
No other odyssey was like that of the Anders Army: 120,000 men, women and children over 12,000 kilometers. At the call of General Anders the Poles flowed in from all corners of the „Inhuman Land”, driven by a hope for salvation. They crossed the Soviet border driven by the hope to return home. Fighting the Germans at Monte Cassino, Ancona and Bologna, they knew that their hopes had been dashed.
They were to become a surrogate of free Poland. Accompanying the soldiers were women, children and the elderly, civilians, making every effort to lead ordinary lives. Hospitals, schools, orphanages were Polish. For the first time the hardships of life on the march, everyday dilemmas and sacrifice in battle, small joys and great tragedies come together in this panorama of one of the most extraordinary chapters of World War II.
Davies has followed the trail of Anders’ Army, visiting Russia, Iran, Israel, Italy, even New Zealand and Africa. The book contains unknown witness accounts, unpublished archival materials and photos documenting this fascinating journey along the Trail of Hope.
Norman Davies
British historian known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. University professor emeritus at University College London, a visiting professor at the Collège d’Europe and an honorary fellow at St Antony’s College Oxford. Davies holds a number of honorary titles and memberships including honorary doctorates from the universities of the Jagiellonian University, Lublin, Gdańsk and Warsaw memberships in the Polish Academy of Learning (PAU) the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea and the International Honorary Council of the European Academy of Diplomacy and fellowships of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society. Davies was decorated with the Order of the White Eagle Poland’s highest civilian award.
The meeting will be held in English with Polish translation.
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