Dying Echoes: Memoirs of the War 1914-1920
By Stanisław Kawczak
Translated by Andrew Kavchak
Independently published
Publication date: November 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-1705880210
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Dying Echoes: Memoirs of the War 1914-1920 by Stanisław Kawczak was first published in Poland in 1936 (Milknące Echa: Wspomnienia z Wojny 1914-1920). It tells the story and experiences of a young Polish conscript in the Austrian army who fought during WWI wearing the Austrian uniform against the Russian army on the Eastern Front and the Italian army on the Southern Front. Kawczak began his military career as a corporal, and was promoted to officer cadet, lieutenant, and finally captain. From the beginning of the war his heart was in the struggle for Polish independence and the defeat of the three occupying powers (Germany, Austria and Russia) which had partitioned Poland since the 1790s. Kawczak was among the founding members of a secret organization among Polish officers known as “Freedom” (Wolność).
This book is considered in Polish literature among the best of the WWI memoirs and an authentic historical account of the plight of Polish soldiers in the Austrian army and nascent Polish forces.
This is the first English translation, with introductions by Stanisław Kawczak’s son and grandson.