Taki on Poland and WWII
John Galt
Pole position
Taki
Gstaad
As everyone who has ever read history knows, Poland is the country
most trodden on by bad guys, set as she is at the heart of Europe
between two, er, shall we say voracious powers, Germany and Russia.
Throughout the centuries bad guys have tried to enslave the Poles, the
bravest and most devout Christian people in Europe. They, in turn, did
not exactly roll over and play dead à la Belgians in the first and
second world wars. They rose against the Russkies in 1830, 1863 and
1905; fought the Bolshies in 1920–1; finally rose against the Nazis in
1944 only to be betrayed by the murderous Stalin whose armies just sat
across the Vistula outside Warsaw and watched the capital reduced to
rubble and hundreds of thousands of courageous Polish fighters killed.
So much for those scummy types who until 1989 believed Uncle Joe to
have been a nice sort of person. We, of course, were not much better.
We supposedly went to war against Hitler for Poland, but in reality
all we did was to declare a state of war against Germany, which was
not exactly the same thing as going to war to help the beleaguered
Poles. In fact, we did the contrary. The Poles retreated in orderly
fashion in the first two weeks of September 1939, hoping that an
Anglo–French expeditionary force would come to their aid. Count
Potocki, who had resisted the Anglo–French–Polish treaty, knew that
this was horsefeathers. Neither the Brits nor the French were capable
of helping anyone in 1939, so why sign the treaty? On 17 September
someone did come, in the name of the Soviet hordes who attacked from
the east. So what did we do? Did we declare war on Stalin? Yes, we
did, and if you believe that you also believe that the Russian
oligarchs are honest businessmen.
Mind you, if we had, the British trade unions would have overthrown
the government. So what did the Poles do in return for the Allied
betrayal? Easy. They volunteered en masse, saved England with their
airmen during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, and
distinguished themselves as the bravest soldiers fighting for the good
guys. (Not such good guys in my not so humble opinion.) And the Allies
continued to thank them by betraying them in Yalta when Churchill and
Roosevelt connived to appease Stalin by ceding Polish territory to
him. No people have ever been betrayed as much by so many. Even
Napoleon, under the influence of the wonderful Marie Walewska,
betrayed Poland, although he had 2,000 Polish lancers come all the way
to Spain to break the stubborn Spanish resistance in the Somosierra
ridge. (Once the Poles took it, Napoleon bared his head in saluting
them, the only time in his career he did so.)
What does all this have to do with ‘High life'? Well, as some readers
of this column may have noticed, I am a very big Polish fan and try to
praise them whenever the opportunity arises. Sometime last winter I
received a letter from the Lady Belhaven and Stenton. Polish-born and
active in her country's affairs, she suggested that I have my portrait
painted and hung at the Polish Club, 55 Exhibition Road. I agreed, and
a very talented Polish artist, Barbara Kaczmarowska Hamilton, finished
it in pastel after just three sittings. In return I gave a dinner at
the Polish Club for the unveiling. My friend Prince Radziwill, with
typical Polish generosity of spirit, flew back from Gstaad for the
dinner, as did the mother of my children. (John Radziwill's uncle was
the same Count Potocki who was against the shameful treaty.) Barbara
Hamilton's portraits are in the De Laszlo style, soft pastel hues,
lending her subjects a dream-like quality. I was very happy with my
portrait, wrinkles and all. Bravo, Basia.
Given that my own country Greece was, like Poland, second to none in
its gallant resistance to both the Nazi and communist tyrannies, I
felt extremely honoured by the unveiling. The chairman of the Polish
Hearth Club and the Polish Council both pointed out this fact in brief
speeches. The Russians have never apologised to the Poles, nor have
Britain, France and the United States, for betraying them as cruelly
and cynically as they did. Mind you, neither the Americans nor the
British have ever apologised or recognised their responsibilities for
the murder of millions of innocent women and children via their
bombing. At least the Germans have. The sacking of Warsaw was no less
a crime than the bombing of Dresden, Tokyo and Munich, except for the
fact that our ally Stalin could have prevented it. I am very happy for
my likeness to be near that of the great General Sikorski. If there's
one person I could have chosen to be near, it certainly would have
been him.
© 2004 The Spectator.co.uk
Mummud Amud
> HIGH LIFE
>
> Pole position
> Taki
> Gstaad
You forgot to mention that the highest scoring fighter
squadron in the RAF was Polish, and that the work of Polish math-
ematicians foundation of Turing's computer COLOSSUS, which broke
the Nazi enigma codes.
> The sacking of Warsaw was no less
Er. Only a moron would call the devastation of Warsaw and
other Polish cities by the Luftwafe "sacking". Are you really
suggesting that the worst that befell Warsaw was a little
burglary? I suggest you have some reading to do.
> a crime than the bombing of Dresden, Tokyo and Munich, except for the
> fact that our ally Stalin could have prevented it.
and the bombing of Nazi munitions workers in Dresden wasn't
a crime.