82nd Anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino — Polish President Honors Fallen at Polish War Cemetery

Polish President Karol Nawrocki and First Lady attended the 82nd anniversary ceremony of the Battle of Monte Cassino at the Polish War Cemetery on the slopes of Monte Cassino, Italy, on May 18, 2026. The ceremony included a Field Mass, the Roll Call of the Fallen, wreath-laying at the Virtuti Militari cross — Poland's highest military honor — and a tribute at the grave of General Władysław Anders, who commanded the 2nd Polish Corps during the battle. Veterans' families, Polish armed forces representatives, Italian local authorities, and dignitaries from multiple Allied nations attended. The Battle of Monte Cassino (January–May 1944) was the most costly Allied campaign in the Italian theater, comprising four major assaults on Germany's formidable Winter/Gustav Line anchored on the Abbey of Monte Cassino. The Polish 2nd Corps — composed largely of former Soviet POWs and deportees who had made their way via Iran to join Allied forces — captured the Abbey and the surrounding heights on May 18, 1944, after a final assault that began in the early hours of May 18. More than 4,000 Polish soldiers were killed or wounded in the final assault alone. The Polish War Cemetery holds 1,072 graves; General Anders himself is buried there by his own request. TVP World also broadcast a documentary segment titled 'Monte Cassino at 82: How Polish troops broke the line that stopped the Allies.' The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) of Poland co-organized the event and screened 'Trail of Hope: The Battle of Monte Cassino' Episode 3 ('Battle of Nations') at the Teatro Manzoni Cinema in Cassino on May 17, 2026, the day before the anniversary.