Officials and veterans gathered at the Polish War Cemetery in Loreto last week to pay tribute to soldiers from the wartime 2nd Polish Corps led by Gen. Władysław Anders.
The ceremony was part of events to mark the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Adriatic port city of Ancona by Polish soldiers.
As part of the commemoration, Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) unveiled an exhibition depicting the wartime journey of the Anders Army. Titled Trails of Hope, the display was opened by Anna Maria Anders, Poland's ambassador to Italy and Gen. Anders' daughter.
Lech Parell, head of Poland’s Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression, has said that "the liberation of Ancona and other towns in Italy's Marche region was an operation planned and executed from beginning to end by the Polish Armed Forces in the West."
More than 1,000 Polish soldiers were killed during the 2nd Corps’ Adriatic campaign, which began in June 1944, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency has reported.
They were all laid to rest at the Polish war cemetery in Loreto.
Polish troops commanded by Gen. Anders liberated a host of cities across Italy’s eastern Marche region as part of their Adriatic campaign. These included Ancona, which was captured after heavy fighting on July 18, 1944.
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Source: IAR, PAP