Flanked by an honor guard, the minister placed floral tributes both at the cemetery and at a nearby statue of General Władysław Anders, commander of the 2nd Corps, whose troops stormed the German-held Benedictine monastery on 18 May 1944 after 80 days of fierce fighting along the Gustav Line.
The battle cost the Poles 923 dead, 2,931 wounded and 345 missing but opened the road to Rome for Allied forces, which entered the Italian capital less than three weeks later.
Kosiniak-Kamysz travelled to the site a day after meeting his Italian, German, French and British counterparts in Rome under the so-called E5 format, launched last year to coordinate European military assistance to Ukraine.
Sunday’s official commemorations will include an open-air Mass, roll-call of the fallen and further wreath-laying organized by Poland’s Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression. Events will continue through Monday.
Earlier on Saturday, the minister visited St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican to place flowers on the tomb of Pope John Paul II ahead of the 105th anniversary of the Polish pontiff’s birth on 18 May 1920.
(jh)
Source: PAP