From Poland to Great Britain
After the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, the Soviets occupied eastern Poland. Wladyslaw Grzelak was 15 years old in April 1940 when he and his family were deported. He ended up in Metlishino, Siberia.

When Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the Soviets had to release the Poles and many began their journey west to join the Polish armed forces. Grzelak's journey took him via the Middle East and the Southern Cape to Scotland. In this way, he eventually covered 40,000 kilometres from Poland on his way to Driel and Oosterbeek.

German artillery and air force
After arriving in Oosterbeek on 24 September 1944, the Poles first occupied foxholes west of Hartenstein where they experienced heavy shelling by German artillery and the German air force: “I think it was the worst experience of my whole life. […] this barrage seemed impossible to bear and still to retain one’s sanity.”

From the forest to the Stationsweg
Later that day they moved past Hartenstein to the Stationsweg to relieve the British forces there. Soon after arrival the first losses were to be deplored. One of the British men remembered: “The Captain of the Poles (Gazurek), whilst going round the positions with my platoon commander (David Eastwood) during the change over, was sniped from a housetop and killed within five minutes of his arrival.”

Based on his description, Grzelak ended up in one of the houses on the corner of the Stationsweg and Paul Krugerstraat. A few British had made themselves comfortable there and were lying in their dirty clothes in a lavishly made bed and making tea.

Grzelak said about his place: “I had my place in a small WC with a tiny window, overlooking part of the rear garden on my left and with the road running parallel to a nearby railroad (Paul Krugerstraat) … to my right”.

A day of suspense
In this position, the night and day of 25 September 1944 passed in an alternation of suspense about what was going to happen. The tension rose when they heard tanks and the relief was great when it turned out that they were going somewhere else.

This tense waiting was alternated with an occasional shot at German troops in the distance. At the end of the day, the message came that they would withdraw that night across the Rhine to Driel.

The Polish soldiers left seven of their men behind on the Stationsweg, five in field graves and two were missing.