The monument to Polish sailors killed in the Battle of Narvik is a reminder of the dramatic struggles during the Second World War. It is a distinctive symbol around which the local community integrates.

ORP Grom in Narvik

The monument was erected in Narvik in 1979 through the efforts of the then Polish authorities. Its author was Professor Jan Bohdan Chmielewski (1927-2014), professor of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and member of the Council for the Protection of Remembrance of Struggle and Martyrdom.

The bronze cast depicts the muscular silhouette of a sailor (reportedly posed for the sculptor by a famous Krakow ballet master), who looks out over the fjord and the surrounding hill, holding an artillery shell. The figure is dynamic, focused on the battle, and expresses steadfastness and fortitude. In the waters of the nearby fjord, the Polish destroyer ORP Grom sank during combat on 9 May 1940. A memorial was erected near the site of the ship's demise, naming the surrounding square Groms Plass, or 'Place of Grom'.

A brief history of ORP Grom

ORP Grom, a destroyer launched in the UK in 1936, took part in the Norwegian Campaign of 1940 as part of a combined British-French-Polish force. The modern Polish ship was the bane of the German forces in Narvik. It sailed along the shores for the entire polar day and destroyed enemy troops and fortifications with the fire of its guns. According to accounts from German soldiers, it was even able to 'hunt' individual soldiers, who had to take cover for hours while waiting for it to sail away. They called him "Verfluchte Polaken" - "the cursed Pole".

ORP Grom sailed on her last voyage on 4 May 1940, to knock the German flag off a nearby hill. Unexpectedly, a German Heinkel He-111 bomber emerged from behind a range of mountains and dropped a series of 50-kilogram bombs. One of them hit the ship's torpedo launcher. The powerful explosion broke the hull in half. In a short time, 59 sailors were killed.

Polish monument by the fjord

A memorial with a Polish sailor loading a shell to attack the Germans on a hilltop has become one of the sites for commemorations of the Battle of Narvik, which is considered the first victory of the Allied forces over the Wehrmacht in the Second World War. A combined British-French-Polish force, with the Independent Highland Rifle Brigade as a member, finally managed to push the Nazi forces out of Narvik at the end of May 1940.

According to a witness to the erection of the monument, the oldest representative of the Narvik Polish community, Elisabeth Borgso, the monument arrived from Poland on board a general cargo ship whose main purpose was to import iron ore. Along with the monument came a 10-member delegation from Poland headed by Janusz Wieczorek (1910-1981), head of the Office of the Council of Ministers. On the spot, it turned out that the Norwegian side was unaware of how massive the monument had arrived in the town. More than 2 metres high and weighing 3 tonnes, the statue required a suitable pedestal and a crane, which the municipality was not prepared for. The cost of hiring the machine alone was estimated at 500 crowns, which was a considerable sum in 1979. However, residents were keen to complete the fundraising for both the foundation and the crane, as the memory of the Poles' participation in the war campaign was still alive.

Warrior Grom on Grom Square in Narvik

The self-sacrificing mobilisation of the Narvik community served the memorial well yet again. Around 2000, the steel fixing of one of the monument's legs corroded, the monument lost its stability and began to tilt. One day, children playing climbed onto the statue of a sailor, which toppled over and suffered serious damage - including a broken right arm. The monument ended up in the basement of the local polytechnic, and Thunder Square was deserted.

The cost of repairing the monument proved to be very high. At that point, several local residents, who play various instruments on an amateur basis - among them a school rector, a teacher, a paramedic - formed the Groms Plass band and organised a charity concert to save the Polish monument. Specially for the occasion, they wrote a song called 'Krigeren Grom' - 'Warrior Grom', the words of which, sung in Norwegian with a Polish excerpt, describe the sorry situation:

In the cellar lay - covered with dust

A brave giant - broiling with blood.

Alone, he remained from another era,

Recalling the taste of war.

A little boy wanted to match him,

The thunder couldn't stand it and fell.

There is a square - bare and empty,

Where the warrior Grom always stood.

Stand and look around,

Now he's gone - didn't he mean anything?

The popularity of the concert exceeded all expectations. The required amount of money was collected, the monument was welded together and put back on the pedestal.

Today, Thunder Square and the memorial are looked after by the Narvik Municipality. Official ceremonies are held here every year, often in the presence of the Polish ambassador and Norwegian authorities. The music band Groms Plass has gained fame beyond Narvik and Norway. It has released several albums and gives concerts, also in Poland.

At present, the authorities have an expert report according to which the monument needs professional conservation, including securing the welds made in 2000 and cleaning the snow-covered surface. Arrangements are being made to share the costs between the Polish and Norwegian sides. Warrior Grom still stands guard over the fjord.