WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Episode: Polish Heroism At Monte Cassino
Release Date: January 22, 2026
Hosts: Al Murray and James Holland

Episode Overview

This episode of "We Have Ways of Making You Talk" is part of the "Family Stories" series, where listeners submit personal or family recollections from the Second World War. Al and James, with their signature mix of historical insight and wit, share and discuss compelling stories that span Europe—from Norwegian resistance and the brutality of occupation in Italy, to British pilots' sacrifice, and, as the episode title promises, the remarkable Polish bravery at the Battle of Monte Cassino. The centerpiece is a harrowing account of survival against all odds by Polish officer cadet Stanisław Tereshuk.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Austrian POW Experience

[01:21 – 06:39]

• Contributor: Alina Kleiver, story of Joseph Stoeckel
• Joseph, an Austrian conscript, is captured aged 18 by the British in Normandy, August 1944.
• He finds his capture a relief:

  "His happiest moment in the war...the British soldier who apprehended him was himself just a young lad, trembling with fear..." (C, 02:35)

• As a POW, Joseph uses resourcefulness to survive (volunteers for the kitchen, learns English), and correspond with home, reassuring family of his well-being.
• After time in British camps, he’s shipped to Egypt, where daily life features barter with British troops—mending clothes in return for peanuts, dates, and cigarettes.
• Upon release in 1946, he becomes a life-long pacifist and anti-fascist.

Notable Quote:

"He had mended clothes of British soldiers in exchange for peanuts, dates and cigarettes." (C, 05:45)

2. Norwegian Resistance & Wartime Humour

[06:39 – 09:24]

• Contributor: Dag Runner Gunderson
• Recounts both serious and lighthearted tales from occupied Norway during WWII, including a suspected Gestapo translator in the family.
• Shares a humorous family legend of his grandfather baiting a Swedish-German soldier with a mocking poem, resulting in a furious chase and gunfire.
• The family still treasures these stories as ways to remember and cope.

Notable Quote:

"Otto Ness eats grass. March 1st. He eats shit." (A, 07:48)

"I never passed him without Dad after that, was his response." (A, 08:50)

3. RAF Typhoon Pilot: Sacrifice and Justice

[09:24 – 14:21]

• Contributor: Dave King, story of uncle Bill Cuthbertson
• Bill was a typhoon pilot, shot down over Holland and hidden by Dutch resistance for six weeks.
• Later, in a dramatic episode, both Bill and fellow pilot Jack Taylor are shot down again, captured, and executed by German militia under direct orders.
• Postwar, the perpetrators are hanged by Albert Pierrepoint.
• A striking postwar coincidence: Bill’s brother unknowingly shares a train carriage with Pierrepoint years later.

Notable Quotes:

"Their killers later lied, claiming it was an escape attempt. The truth was murder." (C, 12:03)
"Fate had drawn the line of his story full circle." (C, 13:41)
"His life for his country, his soul to God. He was 22 years old." (C, 14:10)

4. D-Day to Belsen: A British Infantryman's Ordeal

[14:21 – 15:44]

• Contributor: Craig Green, story of Tom Beresford
• Landed on Sword Beach; later wounded outside Belsen.
• Survived being machine gunned, only to use his nearly dead body as cover in no man’s land and outwitting death after being read the last rites.

Memorable Moment:

"I thought I was being robbed so I told the priest where to go. I guess that saved my life because they sent me to hospital where I received emergency surgery." (A, 15:36)

5. From Burma to Indonesia: The Naked Lieutenant

[15:44 – 18:30]

• Contributor: Nick Clark, story of Uncle John
• Served in Burma; upon hearing of VJ Day while playing hockey, the unit is sent to Indonesia to fight communist insurgents.
• A firefight occurs, and John leads the charge wearing only his boots and helmet.
• He later creates a quiet memorial for fallen friends in his garden.

Notable Quote:

"No wonder the communists legged it so quickly." (C, 17:37)

"I like to think it was there as a memory to his mates who didn't make it back..." (C, 18:19)

6. Fear and Betrayal in Wartime Italy

[18:30 – 25:53]

• Contributor: Lorenzo Greco Moro, story of Dino Giovanelli
• As a teenager, housed drunken Nazis and lived in constant fear of violence.
• Betrayed by a fascist neighbor and sent to a labor camp; narrowly escapes deportation by a daring nighttime escape.
• The trauma haunts his family to this day.

Notable Quote:

"If I moved, they'd hear me and I was dead. If I stayed, I'd be dead." (A, 21:16)

7. Polish Heroism at Monte Cassino (Highlight Story)

[25:53 – 30:56]

• Contributor: Karol Tereshuk, story of father Stanisław Tereshuk
• A 21-year-old Polish officer cadet fights in the fourth and brutal Battle of Monte Cassino (Operation Diadem).
• Volunteers to carry a flamethrower, becomes ensnared in barbed wire, and grievously wounded by grenade and machine gun fire.
• Left behind after a chaotic retreat, is found by the Germans, endures multiple additional wounds and burns after his evacuation truck is hit by mortar fire.
• German soldiers, ordered to execute him, narrowly fail as he feigns ignorance of their plans.
• Survives seven days without food or water, enduring unimaginable pain and horror, before British troops find and save him.
• He loses a leg but survives, carrying the wounds of war in body and memory.

Notable Quotes:

"Why? His feet were pointing in different directions...his brain power alone was not enough and the twisted left leg refused to turn." (C, 26:48)

"Fuel cans began to explode, showering the poor man in burning petrol, and he did what little he could to protect himself, trying to shield his face with his burning hands." (C, 28:22)

"When we leave, finish him off, was the officer's reply. Stanisaw, who spoke several languages, gave no indication that he had understood the German conversation." (C, 29:17)

"His rescuers called for a stretcher and gently placed him on it. The stretcher was laid across a jeep and the British soldiers pushed the jeep for two kilometres to the first aid post without the engine running to reduce shaking and prevent further trauma." (C, 30:24)

Memorable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• [02:35]: "His happiest moment in the war...the British soldier...was himself just a young lad, trembling with fear." (Alina Kleiver, on Joseph Stoeckel)
• [08:50]: "I never passed him without Dad after that, was his response." (Dag Runner Gunderson)
• [12:03]: "The truth was murder." (Dave King)
• [14:10]: "His life for his country, his soul to God. He was 22 years old." (Dave King)
• [15:36]: "I told the priest where to go. I guess that saved my life..." (Craig Green)
• [17:37]: "No wonder the communists legged it so quickly." (Nick Clark)
• [21:16]: "If I moved, they'd hear me and I was dead. If I stayed, I'd be dead." (Lorenzo Greco Moro)
• [28:22]: "Fuel cans began to explode, showering the poor man in burning petrol..." (Karol Tereshuk)
• [29:17]: "'When we leave, finish him off,' was the officer's reply." (Karol Tereshuk)
• [30:24]: "The British soldiers pushed the jeep for two kilometres...to reduce shaking and prevent further trauma." (Karol Tereshuk)

Segment Timestamps

• Austrian POW Experience: [01:21–06:39]
• Norwegian Resistance: [06:39–09:24]
• RAF Typhoon Story: [09:24–14:21]
• British Infantryman at Belsen: [14:21–15:44]
• Burma Tank Regiment in Indonesia: [15:44–18:30]
• Italy, Nazi Occupation & Escape: [18:30–25:53]
• Polish Heroism at Monte Cassino: [25:53–30:56] (Feature Story of the Episode)

Tone and Language

Al and James relay the stories with sensitivity and admiration, occasionally interjecting humour or personal reactions—true to the podcast’s style. The original words from the letter-writers are kept intact wherever possible, preserving the firsthand, emotional testimony.

Conclusion

This episode weaves a tapestry of ordinary people’s extraordinary courage, endurance, and even humour in the face of war’s horrors. The Polish story at Monte Cassino, a grim and inspiring account of survival, stands as a centerpiece for this collection—an emblem of WWII heroism and suffering. For listeners, these stories evoke not just historical events, but the lived experience of a generation.

For more listener stories or to contribute, email wehavewaysolehanger.com and label submissions as "Family Stories."