A group of detectorists have stumbled across a lost relic of Poland’s wartime past in the forests near Starachowice in southeastern Poland.
The discovery was made by members of the Fort Monuments Protection Group who uncovered an eagle standard of the 12th Light Artillery Regiment (also called the 12th Mechanised Division), a unit of the 12th Infantry Division from Tarnopol.
Military eagles on standards are based on the eagle of the Polish coat of arms that represent “Honour and Fatherland” and feature a white eagle with a golden beak, talons, and a golden crown.
The regiment can trace its heritage to 1919 with the formation of the 6th Polish Rifle Division of the Blue Army in France. Upon returning to Poland, the regiment was redesignated as the 12th Infantry Division and fought in the Polish–Soviet War.
During the 1939 Invasion of Poland by German forces, the regiment was part of the southern group of the Prusy Army but was surrounded and destroyed during the Battle of Radom.
At the time, the 12th was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Józef Kuberski of Tarnopol, who was later murdered during the Katyn Massacre – a series of mass executions of Poles carried out by the Soviet Union between April and May 1940.
According to experts, the eagle standard was likely buried to prevent being captured as a war trophy – providing historians with a physical link to the opening days of World War II and the tragic fate of the Polish Army.
The standard was also found alongside a leather belt and fragments of a ceremonial sash bearing the inscription “12th PAL”.
The objects are being sent for conservation, during which they will be formally entered into the register of historical monuments. Meanwhile, the Fort Monuments Protection Group is working in close collaboration with experts from local museums to continue the search for Poland’s lost treasures in the vicinity of Starachowice.
Sources : Fort Monuments Protection Group
