Posted on 08/24/2008 1:25:25 PM PDT by lizol
Swedish power metal band singing praises of Polish soldiers
22.08.2008
A song recorded by a power metal band from Sweden tells the story of a heroic stand by Polish soldiers in World War II.
Presented by Elzbieta Krajewska
"Baptised in fire, 40 to 1 Spirit of Spartans Death and glory; Soldiers of Poland Second to none" goes the song by the Swedish power metal band Sabaton. They tell the story of the Battle of Wizna, when over four days of September 1939, 720 Polish soldiers under the command of Władysław Raginis held off an attack by more than 42 thousand Nazis. The death statistics were 40 to 1 – the title of the song. I spoke to bass player of Sabaton Pär Sundström about the genesis of the song:
‘This is what we do, we write songs about historical war themes. Basically we did nothing different, besides that we asked our fans worldwide to send in ideas for songs for a new album. Since we had a lot of Polish fans that were very enthusiastic they sent in ideas for several historical things from Poland. One of them was the history of Wizna. We thought when we made our research that it was very interesting event in your history and something worth writing a song about.’
Since the song's premiere at the turn of June on the disc The Art of War, more than half a million fans have seen a video set to the music, with Polish subtitles, on youtube. But Sabaton itself has no Polish connections at all... Pär Sundström:
‘No more than we have a lot of Polish friends and this is the connection we have in Poland. Also whenever we go on tour we love to be in Poland because people are very friendly and hard rock fans are very very good!’
Sabaton will be on tour with their album – which also has a song about the battle of Monte Cassino, in which Polish soldiers too played no small part – for two concerts in Poland this autumn. This fan will be going to see them...
‘They're great, my boyfriend thinks they're really great. But it's a bit strange, or perhaps it's good that a Swedish band is so interested in Polish history.’
No, it wasn't. That was an ultimate sacrifice for desperately fighting Homeland.
The tour guide in Vizna told us that before the battle they solemnly swore to defend Homeland to the last drop of blood and to the last bullet and that nobody would be taken a POW from the battlefield with his hands up. The swore they would never surrender and THEY WON!!!
Heinz Guderian wrote in his diary that on that day he was defeated and humiliated as never before. He admitted that it was his army that was crushed. He wrote that if Poles had had only a half of German resources, his army would have been doomed within a day. Then he himself was walking on the battle field to see the faces of the killed Polish soldiers as he couldn't believe his army had been stopped by 800 Polish soldiers. It speaks for itself.
Making the ultimate sacrifice would have been making a final charge at the Germans. Killing yourself is pointless and a sin.
What an untold satisfaction for those satanic hordes of beasts! Raginis didn't give them that satisfaction.
There’s a possibility. Some went to England, and my mom - now deceased - and uncle flew there to see them many years ago. I regret that the ones in England are now deceased as well, and I never tried to contact them. Their children still live there. I had heard that they went to Poland quite often for visits.
My uncle is in his late 70’s. I should see if he has addresses. I would love to correspond with relatives in Poland. I still have some of my grandmother’s old letters (probably from the 1920’s, 30’s or 40’s) I can’t read them since they are all in Polish.
Mom used to listen to polkas every Sunday morning. I know they are probably not the same as the ones in Poland, but I loved them (and the Polish food!) just the same!
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=eX2F6A81yKI&feature=related
By the way, the figures in my previous posts are a little inaccurate, I quoted them from my mind. In fact, there were 720 Polish soldiers (not 8000) against more than 50,000 ( I said 42,000)
So, the ratio 40-1 seems to be much underestimated.
So silent before the storm
Awaiting command
A few has been chosen to stand
As one outnumbered by far
The orders from high command
Fight back, hold your ground!
In early September it came
A war unknown to the world
No warning they entered that land
That is protected by polish hand
Unless you are forty to one
Your force will soon be undone
Baptised in fire
Forty to one
Spirit of spartans
Death and glory
Soldiers of Poland
Second to none
Wrath of the Wehrmacht brought to a halt
The 8th of September it starts
The rage of the Reich
A barrage of mortars and guns
Stand past, the bunkers will hold
The captain has pledged his life
I’ll face my fate here!
The sound of artillery strike
So fierce
The thunder of guns
So come, bring on all that you’ve got
Come hell, come high water, never stop
Unless you are forty to one
Your lives will soon be undone
Baptised in fire
40 to 1
Spirit of spartans
Death and glory
Soldiers of poland
Second to none
Wrath of the Wehrmacht brought to a halt
Always remember, a fallen soldier
Always remember, fathers and sons at war
Always remember, a fallen soldier
Always remember, fathers and sons at war
Always remember, a fallen soldier
Always remember, buried in history
No vermin may enter that land
That is protected by polish hand
Unless you are forty to one
Your force will soon be undone
Baptised in fire
Forty to one
Spirit of spartans
Death and glory!
Soldiers of Poland
Second to none
Wrath of the Wehrmacth brought to a halt
No, no, no
Cool :-)
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