A Pole, a Frenchman, two nephews and a saber and a glass. No, this is not a mistake at all. Today I would like to introduce you to the story of a French ensign who, due to his merits and strong drinks, became a second lieutenant of the 2nd Infantry Rifle Division ... well, he almost became one.
It all began when in June 1940 - in the face of the inevitable defeat of France - the soldiers of the unit mentioned at the beginning decided to cross the border of neutral Switzerland, wanting to avoid captivity. Captain Jan Józef Korabiowski and his 4th battery from the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment were among the unfortunates for whom the fight with the Germans actually ended. In his memoirs - quoted in Kamil Janicki's book “Drunken War. Alcohol during World War II "- Korabiowski described a situation that is both funny and bizarre, showing unexpected effects of alcohol abuse by the commander.
Late night binge and unexpected promotion
Korabiowski and his colleagues - from the battery he commanded - after disarming, were directed to a small village, where the already hospitable Swiss placed the rest of the squadron along with the command. As you can easily guess, the Polish artillerymen, devastated by the second defeat within a few months, started to drink it, having nothing better to do. However, anyone who thought that this only applied to privates and non-commissioned officers would be wrong! The charges were not inferior to them either. The more that what, like what, but they didn't lack alcohol.
The French may not have been very brave, but the troops at the front could count on a regular supply of alcoholic beverages, which now traveled with the veterans to Switzerland. As our hero noted, on the second day the squadron commander, Major Antoni Zdrojewski, ordered a briefing for officers, which ended with a libation.
A group of Polish soldiers escorted by the Swiss to the place of internment. What will they do there? Maybe remembering another failure over a glass of something stronger?
There would probably be nothing interesting about it, if not for the unexpected consequences of long hours of drunkenness. For here, along with the Poles, a certain ensign of the French Army, who had previously served as a liaison at the command of the squadron, also went to the Alpine country. According to the account of Jan J. Korabiowski: He turned out to be very useful in dealing with various matters with the French. His surname was pronounced "Miel", and I don't remember when he was spelled . Never mind the last name, the important thing is that he was so helpful that the well-fledged Major Zdrojewski decided to reward him "for his faithful service" with a promotion to a second lieutenant in the Polish Army. Moreover, there was even an appropriate ceremony:
The ensign knelt on one knee and the major touched his shoulder with his finger and said in French (and he knew French perfectly) that he was appointing him a lieutenant in our Army for his services to the squadron. It was of course celebrated with a new round of glasses and everyone had a great time.
The Swiss are making order
Everything is fine, but the next day, when the Swiss ordered French officers serving with Polish troops to move to a special camp for the soldiers on the Seine, there was a problem. Freshly baked second lieutenant "Miel" categorically stated that he is not going anywhere, after all, he is an officer of the Polish Army, not the French Army . After such a declaration, order-like Swiss - colloquially speaking - completely stunned.
There was nothing for them to do but to contact the command of the 2nd Infantry Rifle Division, which they immediately did. Of course, nothing was known there about the willful appointment made on double throttle by major Zdrojewski and in the end, despite strong protests from the person concerned, the French ensign had to part with his newly acquired rank and new colleagues.
Thus, the officer corps of the 2nd Warsaw Light Artillery Regiment, due to Swiss meticulousness, however, did not increase by a resourceful young French ...
Sources:
Basic:
- Kamil Janicki, Drunken War. Alcohol During World War II, Erica Publishing Institute, 2012.
Complementary:
- Marek Straczyński, From the Funeral Card - late Lt. Col. Józef Jan Korabiowski, Edinburgh Information Bulletin, 2008, No. 106.