Was one of the creators of the Patriot system Polish? What happened to a man who fought in the September Campaign, survived a Soviet labour camp and the Battle of Monte Cassino, and later helped develop technologies that protect NATO countries today?

We invite you to watch a recording of this exceptional meeting devoted to General Engineer Zdzisław Julian Starostecki, one of the most remarkable and, at the same time, almost forgotten figures in twentieth-century Polish history.

His life story reads like a film script:
• he fought in the September Campaign of 1939 and in the Battle of Kock,
• he was imprisoned in a Soviet labour camp,
• he followed the combat route of the Polish II Corps and fought at Monte Cassino,
• after the war, he emigrated to the United States,
• he became an outstanding defence-industry engineer and participated in the development of the Patriot air and missile defence system during the 1980s.

This is also a story about Poland’s lost potential. How many outstanding Polish scientists, designers and inventors, forced to emigrate by the war and the realities of the post-war period, later contributed to the scientific and military strength of other countries?

A special guest at the meeting is Andrzej Starostecki, the general’s son, who came from the United States to share family memories of his father’s life.

This material is intended for everyone interested in:
the history of Poland,
the Second World War,
the Cold War,
military history,
modern military technologies,
the Patriot system,
Polish inventors and engineers,
and the lives of Polish emigrants.

If you believe that the stories of people like Zdzisław Starostecki deserve to be known by a wider audience, leave a comment, share this material and subscribe to the channel. This will help more people discover the remarkable lives of Polish heroes, scientists and engineers.

The speakers at the meeting included:
Professor Bogusław Pacek, Director of the Polish Army Museum
Brigadier General Mariusz Kubarek, Director of the Operations Centre of the Ministry of National Defence
Dr Bartosz Gondek, Director of the Institute of War Losses
Marek Wieczerzak, Executive Secretary of the Jan Karski Society
Andrzej Starostecki, son of Zdzisław Starostecki