'Czerwone maki' (2024), a Polish film about the bloody Battle of Monte Cassino

The bloodiest battle fought in Italy during World War II took place at Monte Cassino between January and May 1944.

The Monte Cassino Polish Military Cemetery, where the poppies drank Polish blood
Wojtek: the history of a bear who was a corporal in the Polish Army in World War II

The battle pitted some 240,000 Allied troops from several nations (Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, among others) against 140,000 Germans heavily entrenched in a mountainous area around the historic Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino, about 130 km south of Rome. It was the first monastery established by Saint Benedict of Nursia, patron saint of Europe, in 529. The abbey was completely destroyed in the battle, but was rebuilt after the war.

The battle ended in an Allied victory but at a very high price: 55,000 casualties on the Allies' side, compared to around 20,000 on the Germans' side. The final assault fell to the Polish Second Army Corps, led by General Władysław Anders. Both his commander and his troops were survivors of the Soviet Gulag, where they were sent by Stalin after the German-Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. The soldiers of the Polish Second Corps, who eventually numbered around 50,000, made a long and arduous journey from Russia through Iran with their families, reaching the British Mandate of Palestine and from there passing to Egypt and finally to Italy.

In 2024, a Polish film about this battle was released, titled "Czerwone maki" (Red Poppies) and directed by Krzysztof Łukaszewicz. The title is based on a beautiful Polish song about this battle, which I already told you about here. The film focuses on the role of the Polish Second Corps in this battle. The story begins in Iran, with the protagonist being a very troubled and undisciplined soldier. Throughout the film, we see the famous Wojtek bear, whom I also told you about here, several times. The film uses a great deal of resources and deals with military issues quite rigorously. It's not the best war film I've seen, but I liked it.

It should be noted that the film spares no detail when it comes to showing the brutality of this battle. Ultimately, the Poles suffered many casualties, having to enlist auxiliary personnel from the Second Corps for the front. It should be noted that the Poles were the first to raise their flag on the ruins of Monte Cassino on May 18, 1944, a victory that is still a source of pride in Poland today, but with the bitter taste of the many lives lost and the fact that, ultimately, Poland itself was occupied by Stalin's dictatorship, which was the cause of that war in alliance with Germany in 1939.

In Spain this film can be seen in Spanish on Prime Video and on Movistar Plus, under the title "La batalla de Montecassino". Here is the film's trailer in Polish (you can turn on automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):