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1st Polish Armored Divisional Signals - Mickey Mouse


disneydave
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This design was created at the Disney Studio for the First Polish Armored Divisional Signals. I don't know the creation date yet for this one.

 

Here's some background I have in my database for the unit the design was created for:

 

"This unit was part of the 1st Polish Armored Division. The unit was formed in February 1942 and was comprised of men who had been evacuated from France in 1940. The Division saw action in Normandy in 1944, and then campaigned through Belgium, Holland and Germany. The Division ended the war with the capture of the German port of Wilhelshaven."

 

This is one of the very few designs created during the war to feature the likeness of Mickey Mouse.

 

blog_polish.JPG

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Excellent info! And a little sensational. I can not imagine where and when the Polish 1st Armoured Division met the people from Disney Studio. The Polish paras visited the USA-based airborne troops but our tankers trained in the UK only.

 

The signals unit you mentioned was a Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. J. Grajkowski. By the way -- during entire ETO hostilities the Polish 1st Armoured Division twice had the US divisions as its partners.

 

If I am not mistaken Lt. Col. Grajkowski lives in the USA.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

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Excellent info! And a little sensational. I can not imagine where and when the Polish 1st Armoured Division met the people from Disney Studio. The Polish paras visited the USA-based airborne troops but our tankers trained in the UK only.

 

The signals unit you mentioned was a Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. J. Grajkowski. By the way -- during entire ETO hostilities the Polish 1st Armoured Division twice had the US divisions as its partners.

 

If I am not mistaken Lt. Col. Grajkowski lives in the USA.

 

Best regards

 

Greg

 

Hi Gregory...thanks for the comments. I will query my friend at the Disney Archives in Burbank, California - they have files filled with a lot of the original correspondence that was sent in during the war, from men asking for insignia designs. I will email him and ask who requested the design.

 

Almost all of the over 1,200 requests for insignia arrived by mail, but some men did in fact make personal appearances at the Studio and spoke to artist Hank Porter in person. I would imagine the request for this design came via the mail. I'll post the info as soon as my friend responds.

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Gregory - my friend at the Disney Archives wrote me today saying the request for this design was sent to the Studio via mail by someone named Tadeusz Daszkiewicz. The finished art was mailed out to him in June 1943.

 

Cheers!

 

David

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David,

 

Yet another interesting and great posting!

I will share this with my Fiance, as she was born in Poland and I am sure she will find this neat...

Cheers,

Duffy

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Gregory - my friend at the Disney Archives wrote me today saying the request for this design was sent to the Studio via mail by someone named Tadeusz Daszkiewicz. The finished art was mailed out to him in June 1943.

 

Cheers!

 

David

Thanks a lot for additional info!

I will try to check who Tadeusz Daszkiewicz was. Of interest is the fact from what place Polish tankers took Disney's postal address? They trained in UK in isolation from the US troops and their press or other media. For the first time they met the Americans at Chambois in August 1944. I am not sure as well if Disney cartoons were available in the Polish divisional field cinema. Maybe Tadeusz Daszkiewicz wrote to the US Embassy and then the US cultural attaché sent him address to Disney Studio?

 

Best regards

 

Greg

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Thanks a lot for additional info!

I will try to check who Tadeusz Daszkiewicz was. Of interest is the fact from what place Polish tankers took Disney's postal address? They trained in UK in isolation from the US troops and their press or other media. For the first time they met the Americans at Chambois in August 1944. I am not sure as well if Disney cartoons were available in the Polish divisional field cinema. Maybe Tadeusz Daszkiewicz wrote to the US Embassy and then the US cultural attaché sent him address to Disney Studio?

 

Best regards

 

Greg

 

Thanks Greg...it will be interesting to see who he was and where he was stationed.

 

Cheers!

 

David

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Thanks a lot for additional info!

I will try to check who Tadeusz Daszkiewicz was. Of interest is the fact from what place Polish tankers took Disney's postal address? They trained in UK in isolation from the US troops and their press or other media. For the first time they met the Americans at Chambois in August 1944. I am not sure as well if Disney cartoons were available in the Polish divisional field cinema. Maybe Tadeusz Daszkiewicz wrote to the US Embassy and then the US cultural attaché sent him address to Disney Studio?

 

Best regards

 

Greg

 

Hello Greg.

 

Here is what my good friend at the Disney Archives emailed me today:

 

"The letter from Daszkiewicz has the following address on it:

 

P.O. Box 260/40

London, EC1

Great Britain

 

And that is where Disney shipped the art. We do not have the envelope the first letter was sent in, so I can't say what address [the art] was sent to. However, back in those days, if a letter was addressed as simply as "Walt Disney Studios, Hollywood," it would find its way here. We have examples that prove that, although we can't imagine such a thing in today's postal service."

 

So Greg, we now know Daskiewicz was in the UK at the time.

 

Cheers,

 

David

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