About two minutes into the new Polish docudrama Born For The Saber, I exclaimed aloud:
“Teddy Roosevelt would have LOVED this!”
The film — available with English subtitles on Amazon Prime and iTunes — is a passion project created to honor and preserve the heritage of the Polish saber and the 17th-century martial culture of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth for which the saber was the iconic symbol. It is an old-fashioned tale of the education of a warrior and, as such, it is almost startling to find it in the current socio-cultural climate.
Make no mistake, the training of the young Polish nobleman depicted here would be considered by a broad swath of the current population — immersed in a mindset of victimology — to be “abuse.” We here at RIR see the enobling of “the strenuous life” and are well pleased.
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Set in Poland during the first half of XVII century, the epic documentary-drama “Born for the saber” tells the story of young knight Blazej Wronowski. Jan Jerlicz, a veteran of the Muscovite wars who returns to his fatherland upon Maciej Wronowski’s — his brother’s in arms request to begin training his son, Blazej.
“Born For The Saber” is a feature story about honor, courage and war, seen through the eyes of a young noble and knight growing up in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Documentary part of the movie is a cinematic journey through history and art of the mystique of high-end crafting of the Polish saber, which to date is considered to be one of the best melee weapons on the globe. Word class experts demonstrate the art of saber fighting and forging this extraordinary weapon.
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The nobility of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a genuine aristocracy — they earned status through martial prowess and the readiness to bleed for their fatherland. The Poles were at war constantly through the 17th Century; against the Ottoman Turks to the south, Muscovy across the steppes to the east, the Swedes to the north. Their culture was built around a medieval concept of knighthood and Catholic piety. For them, the Cross and the Saber were interlocked.
While the lance-and-saber armed mounted Hussar was the pinnacle of a chivalric culture, they were not slow to adapt to the game-changing advent of gunpowder.
The knights of the Commonwealth formed a potent frontier culture — one that, in TR’s formulation, represented a high civilization that yet retained the barbarian virtues.
Born For The Saber will strike a chord with anyone who thrills to strenuous living in a rugged landscape and to values of duty, honor and courage.
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Matthew says
The Poles are a lot tougher than we in the west give them credit for. We tend to think of them as victims of the Nazi’s in WWII, but they have a long legacy of resistance to other powers. In To Hell and Back, Audie Murphy mentions one of the two soldiers in his unit he most look up to was a Polish immigrant. Think about that Audie Murphy looked up to the guy. (The second was a Cherokee Indian.)
The Poles have, historically, been ferocious. Which is one trait that allowed them to charge Nazi tanks on horseback during blitzkrieg.
J.F. Bell says
I always guessed I was a little off on the reading comprehension aspect when it came to horseback Poles versus the mechanized German Army. From the perspective of the latter this usually comes across as mocking the retrograde idiots showing up to a modern war ready to fight the Battle of Waterloo.
What I got from the story was more along the lines of: “Jesus, the brass on those guys…”
If you can track it down, Netflix has a movie titled ‘Mission of Honor’ that dramatizes the story of the Royal Air Force’s 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, the unit in question being largely made up of Polish expatriates who’d effected a fighting retreat across Europe ahead of the Germans.
I didn’t expect much — was pleasantly surprised.
No shortage of air-to-air Hurricane scenes didn’t hurt, either.
Matthew says
The band Sabaton did a song about the exiles in the Battle of Britain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QwkyKS3dng
Jacek says
This is communist propaganda. Poles have never charged with sabers for tanks. They charged the infantry army accompanying the tankst. The whole result, moreover, only from the lap in which they
Stories do take on their own power over time. Even if was merely charging dismounted infantry in the vicinity of armored cars, that seems worthy of mention, and the effort has certainly inspired many over time. That it survives — even propagandized — remains a testament to courage.
Arek Konski says
Such a thing (to charge Nazi tanks on horseback) has never happened.
Thank you for the clarification, Arek. And thank you for coming to this site.
mario says
😉 It’s just a Fake.
Well, it is perhaps apocryphal in its details, but there is at least some evidence of Poles attacking armored cars from horseback at Krojanty. We can take that as heroism, tanks or no tanks, and even if the truth is stretched somewhat.
mario says
This polish cavalry charge at Krojanty was against resting German soldiers. The attack was quick, but the Poles did not know about two armored vehicles behind the hill. An Italian reporter sat in one of them. He was the first person who write about the Polish tank charge 🙂 That’s how the myth was created.
Amazing how this tale has been embedded over time and accepted as truth. It is valuable to have it cleared up. Thanks for coming to our site, Mario.
mario says
Gebels knew the power of propaganda 🙂
thank you very much
mario says
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203328599188115&set=a.10203328598868107&type=3&theater
Uhlans still live in Poland !
Gniewko says
Only to supplement, Polish cav attacked German tanks but after dismount and with use of anti-tank rifle “wz. 35”
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karabin_przeciwpancerny_wz._35
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k82-BrqOAOk — dokumentary about Battle of Mokra where Polish cav fought.
Craig you must understand thad Germans and Russians used the lie about charging against tanks to makes our ancestrys folls with sabers. They where brave like under Wizna and Westerplatte, but not idiots.
God bless USA.
Indeed. In the end, I would argue that the German and Russian attempt to make Poles look foolish backfired. Instead of looking foolish, it made Poles — at least to many of us — look valiant in the face of a crushing Nazi war machine. Thank you for adding clarity to this story, which has resonated for many years in the minds of many. Niech Bóg błogosławi Polsce 🙂
Arek Konski says
There was a “Polish” film where such an lancers change was shown, but it was the artificial freedom of the director, or deliberate misrepresentation. The film was made when Poland was not really Polish… long before the upheaval of 1989.
mario says
Life is simple, unfortunately dirty politics are ruining it.
The same with the lives of every soldier.
I have a feeling, we think similarly.
I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for coming to our campfire, it is great to have you here.
Ugly Hombre says
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/cc/ae/d0ccae0726c06321587870376e5c389f.png
The Poles beat the ever loving hell out of the GD Bolsheviks in 1920 and saved all of free Europe- the Polish Sabre drank deep.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Bij_Bolszewika.jpg
Hats off to them and much thanks!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Polish-soviet_propaganda_poster_1920_Polish.jpg
Ugly Hombre says
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Soviet_War
“Russia sought to cross Poland in order to stimulate a Europe-wide communist revolution.”
From Weki- the background.
mario says
This charge was for resting German soldiers. the attack was quick, but the Poles did not know about two armored vehicles. An Italian reporter sat in one of them. He was the first to write about the Polish tank charge 🙂
Great information. Thank you.
lane batot says
Sigh. Hopefully this film will be available on DVD one day. I still remain far behind all this new technology, but am also not dependent on it, nor distracted so much by it! Regarding the Poles, I think MUCH of our perception here in the Far West was influenced by those damn Nazis, who denigrated, dehumanized, ridiculed, and hoped to exterminate the entire Polish population–and some of that extensive propaganda lives on to this day. HIGH TIME for books and films to be produced to refute such notions! I read, not long ago, an incredible story of courage and survival of the Polish people against the occupying Nazis in World War 2, “The Zookeeper’s Wife”–incredible story! I haven’t seen the film by the same title yet, but I will, I will.….
Raf Wawer says
Well, a part of a life of a man in Commonwealth was dealing with conflicts with neighbors, courts, offences against honor, doing politics on local parliaments and obviously war. Saber fencing was simply a command of social survival and a must if you wanted to achieve anything in your life.. like getting nice woman for wife 😉
IN the 17th century the wars were never ending: Sweds and Russians, Romanians, German, Turks in various constellations, rarely one at a time. Sure heavy cavalry — the winged hussars, were unbeatable, winning battled with 1:10 odds, but skilled and cheeky light cavarly was the core of military force. Check Lisowczyk — they were nightmare across whole Europe 😀
Nice movie — I am happy you like it, especially as I am one of the crowd funders. 🙂
“Saber fencing was simply a command of social survival and a must if you wanted to achieve anything in your life.. like getting nice woman for wife” We could use a lot more of this in our country. It would rapidly cut down the number of asshats we are forced to deal with every day.