Polish military subjects and units.
Blue UN headgear and a long-handled detector make this Polish officer one of Del Prado’s clearest support-role subjects. The 1979 date places the figure near the end of UNEF II’s service in the Sinai.
The wing and long lance are instantly recognisable. At Vienna, the less visible story is how an allied army reached the ground from which its cavalry could attack.
By 23 September 1944, Sergeant Dennis Smith’s account from Arnhem had narrowed to the essentials: shelling, rain, exhaustion and the need for relief. Six days earlier, aircraft had delivered an army into the Netherlands with the promise of speed. Now the men around Oosterbeek were measuring time by what they could still endure.
In January 1944, American infantry tried to cross a river below Cassino. In February, bombers destroyed the monastery above it. In March, the town itself was devastated. Only in May did the defensive system finally give way. Those were not four repetitions of one battle: each attempt changed the ground, the armies and the choices available to the next.
The square-topped cap, tall boots and upright rifle identify a Polish cavalry subject on foot. It is a useful starting point for correcting the persistent cartoon of lancers blindly charging tanks.
Explore King & Country DD176 Polish Humber Mk II Armoured Car, its historical setting, distinctive details and place in the D-Day collection.
