Witez II
In 1938, the Arabian horses of Poland were the pioneers of a resurrected breed. Bloodlines that had nearly been destroyed in World War I had staged an extraordinary recovery, and new lines were flourishing with the help of imported Arabians from Hungary, Austria and Arabia. In that year a dark bay colt was born at Janow Podlaski out of famous desertbred lines (his grandfather had been imported from Arabia only seven years earlier). The colt was called Witez II, "The Prince." But unlike many of today's stallions, who are earmarked for active but mostly stable lives on stud farms almost from the time of birth, Witez II was not to make his way easily into the world. In the autumn of 1939, Adolph Hitler's troops invaded Poland, and it was clear that no village, farm, or horse was safe from becoming a spoil of war. Witez II and the horses he pastured with were in danger, and their handlers knew that the only escape route lay to the east. Safety for the travelers meant that the horses and their handlers could not all go together, so Witez II and the other yearlings were divided from the rest of the herd and sent away on their own. The small band was only a few miles into their journey when a group of German bombers appeared in the sky above them and began dropping bombs into the field. The horses erupted into panicked flight and within moments the group was disbanded. Witez's handler managed to regain control over him but by then the pair had been separated from their companions and was forced to proceed alone. If travel with the band was treacherous, travel alone was much more so and Witez II and his handler were eventually forced to seek safety with a local woodcutter, who recruited the horse to help haul lumber until it became too dangerous for the pair to remain. In an effort to disguise his charge, who was clearly developing into a quality animal, Witez's handler smeared his coat with mud and they began the journey to Janow, where it was hoped they would have more ready access to feed. Janow was now occupied by the Germans, however, and upon their arrival it became clear that the only available feed was at the stud. Undaunted, Witez's handler stole into the stud each night and brought food out for his charge, but it was not enough. It eventually became obvious that the horse would die if his situation did not change, and so his handler reluctantly turned him over to the Germans in the hope that they would restore his health. It is not commonly known that at that time, Nazi Germany was financing a program to breed a "super horse" to carry the Nazi army of "super men." An evaluation of Witez II convinced his new German handlers that the horse was of high quality and fit to join the other 1500 horses of various breeds who were participating in the program in Hostau Czechoslovakia. It was not long after Witez II was moved to Hostau that the Americans and Russians began to advance to what German veterinarian R. Lessing, who was in charge of the program, considered uncomfortably close to the Hostau stud. Dr. Lessing and his assistant, W. Kroll, began to fear that the Russians might capture their horses and slaughter them as food for the troops. Speaking only a few English words they had learned from a German-English dictionary, Dr. Lessing and Dr. Kroll traveled through enemy lines under a white flag to ask for American assistance. "Wonder horses ..." they told the Americans, "All the good horses ... super horses ..." Their appeal was accepted and General George Patton Jr. gave permission for the Colonel in charge to negotiate for the horses' surrender. But the Germans refused to give up their "Super Horses" peacefully, and General Patton was eventually forced to give the order for his Third Army to "liberate" the horses as "prisoners of war" before the Russians could arrive on the scene. The mission was not a simple one, however, and although Hostau was quickly captured the two platoons of Lieutenant William D. Guinlivan were cut off from the rest of the American forces and were forced to wait for reinforcements despite a dwindling ammunition supply. On April 28, 1945 the Americans finally secured the German stud and rode Hitler's army of "super horses" out of Hostau. By the time they reached Bavaria, 200 miles away and under fire en route, many of the horses were lame but not one of them had been lost. The horses were taken to the Monsback Stud and cared for by Colonel Hamilton, General Patton's "best horseman," who checked each horse's pedigree and lineage and made arrangements for them to be transported to the United States on a freighter bound for Front Royal, Virginia. In those days, traveling overseas was no small matter, especially in the middle of winter. Heavy seas delayed the journey and the constant moisture of being at sea began to turn the hay storage moldy. Many of the equine travelers coliced, but Witez managed to make the journey in fairly good condition. During the voyage, the foal *Wontez, a *Witez II son, was born to the mare *Iwonka III. From Virginia, *Witez II was sent to a division of the Army Remount Service, where he stood at stud until 1949 when the government determined that the horse was no longer a necessary vehicle of war. *Witez II was sold at auction and sent to California, where he joined the Hurlbutt Calarabia ranch and enjoyed the remainder of his years as a stud. His amazing story helped him to earn the respect and admiration of Arabian breeders and hobbyists alike, but it was "the look of eagles" that fired his success as a stud and secured numerous championships for his get. *Witez II lived until 1965, when he died quietly in his pasture. During his US stud career he produced 215 foals, 30 of which became champions. *Witez II descendents today number in the thousands. His story has been remembered in two books, and his image has even been reproduced on a Polish postage stamp. If it can be said that the Arabians of Poland pioneered the resurrection of their breed, then it can surely also be said that Witez II pioneered the Polish Arabian's legacy in America.
Past articles by Becki Bell:
The Arabian Influence (July 2002) | Horses on the Arabian Peninsula (May 2002) | Witez II (March 2002) | Arabian horses in America: *Leopard (January, 2004) | Turkish Arabian Horses: The History of Cirit (August, 2004) | The Spanish Arabian (June, 2003) |
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