Let us start with Pointmain in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. Famed Gen. Otto von Schmidt of the cavalry maneuvers fame after his brilliant success at the Loire was already on his way to Paris and was to pass through the insignificant hamlet of Pointmain. Pointmain, at that time, was a poor agricultural town and the people were just continuing to live their simple lives despite the great Prussian threat of invasion. It was during this time, during the eve of the invasion when Eugene Barbadette saw Our Lady in the sky outside their barn. He called his brother, Joseph and he saw her, too. Victoire, their mother knowing that her children were truthful, simply asked them to pray five Our Fathers and five Hail Marys but the vision stayed so, she had to tell her husband Cesar. They however couldn’t see her and so, they called the schoolteacher, Sister Vitaline. And since she too can only see stars forming an isosceles triangle, she thought of preceding apparitions where only children are gifted to see her presence. Thus, she called her two younger students, Francoise Richer and Jean Marie Lebosse without telling them anything but at once they also saw the lady describing her with the same descriptions the boys did. And thus, the village people came out to pray and sing. There were many signs and messages given to the people led now by the parish priest, Abbe Michel Guerin but the important message was that their usual prayers of being saved from the impending battle will soon be answered. The vision lasted for three hours with a baby in the mother’s arms manifesting joy and reaching out to Our Lady.
On the side of the Prussians awaiting order for the start of the offensive, several soldiers were seized with fear and told the news that they saw the blessed Virgin Mary shielding the town of Pointmain. The news scattered like wildfire and the general himself was appraised of the situation. He then made the position to cancel the attack. Explaining himself later for his changing his mind, Gen. Otto von Schmidt said, “We can’t go farther yonder in the direction of Brittany because there is an invisible Madonna barring the way to the city. Madonna guards the country and we can’t go forward.” With his reputation as a warrior, not even his superiors could question him. Anyway, a peace armistice was soon reached with Prussia taking much of the territories she invaded and with French Emperor Napoleon III, a prisoner.
Next, we go to the Battle of Marne in 1914, during the first world war. The Bishop of Mieux, Emmanuel Jules Marie Marbeu made a vow to make a sanctuary if it was spared because there were at least 100,000 Germans ready to take Paris. The French government was already evacuated to Bordeaux while French soldiers were rushing up front boarding taxis as an emergency measure. Then the unexpected happened, the Germans seemed to have been routed but that was something odd because they had everything to their advantage. Then, little by little the Truth trickled in. The German wounded prisoners of war especially those who were in the verge of dying told the story to the nurses and chaplains assisting them. Even two wounded German officers who saw the image of Our Lady when brought to a hospital exclaimed “Die Frau von der Marne!” but when the nurse nun who understood Deutsch asked, they shut their mouth.
It was told that the Germans saw Our Lady dressed in all white and with a blue belt having her head turned to Paris turned her back to the Germans and with her right hand pushed against them making them all flee in a disorganized abrupt manner. The decision of the command was to keep them quiet about the event under the pain of death. Gen. Helmuth Von Moltke wouldn’t have any of this. This is the reason why the German soldiers kept quiet about it because officers will shoot them.
One wounded German chaplain told the nurses and the priest taking care of him. He said that as a German officer, he is obliged to remain silent but as a priest he must tell the truth before he dies. Thus, he gave the testimony the same as the German prisoners of war of Our Lady pushing back the German army far back of the Marne. He died having told the whole story of the reason why the German army have to make a sudden retreat for they fled in terror at the sight of the Virgin pushing them back. To commemorate this event, the Bishop of Mieux erected a statue memorial at Barcy, the town where the Germans started fleeing.
Then, we go to our third story, the result of which approximates Lepanto. Vladimir Lenin himself proclaimed that communism will dominate the world by annexing each state to Russia. This great experiment of human bondage by nations and forced indoctrination through invasion could be explained easier as
the “Domino theory” of making subjects of nations, one by one, as one plays the game of domino. In fact, what was start in Poland was expected to be followed by the invasion of Lithuania according to Lenin’s plan so that everything would easy to springboard an offensive to Paris.
During this international offensive, Poland was abandoned by the more powerful Christian nations which feared the godless Russian intent. Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Britain, when Poland sought help, simply replied that Poland should accept its fate. On August 10, 1920 the government of England even telegrammed Warsaw to surrender to Russia before its people may be annihilated. This however, only strengthened the resolve of Gen. Josef Klemens Pilsudski who was trying to consolidate the polish forces into one cohesive group which could marshal a decisive counterattack once Warsaw has fallen. It was plain to see that with the singular but swift attack of the Russian First Cavalry under Gen. Semyon Bodgonny, all the Polish defensive fronts collapsed as early as June of 1920.
On the spiritual side, Benedict XV called on all Christian nations to “pray for God’s mercy for Poland, to join the faithful in imploring the Most High God through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary may save the Polish nation from her final defeat and in that way turn away the new plague of Europe. ” On August, 13 when the Soviets started their attack on Warsaw, all the trains were full of diplomatic corps headed for Poznan. But Cardinal Achille Rati, papal nuncio to Poland and future Pius XI, raised the monstrance in a perpetual prayer for deliverance in the eucharistic procession he led in the main streets of Warsaw amidst shelling.
Polish politicians who at first were lukewarm against Pilsudski, because he had no real military training, now were agog telling him to make the counterattack already to save Warsaw. Then inexplicable happened, on August 15, the Polish forces counterattacking gained all the grounds taken by the Russians as they fled and retreated. Pilsudski and his other officers even doubted the ease by which they were gaining ground. They thought they had to be careful because the Reds seemed to be allowing them to enter a great snare as they advance. But no, it was a continuous advance to the Vistula River where the Red Army rested after a grueling but quick retreat. Unknown to the Poles, the Virgin Mary had appeared to the Russians and they were terrified as she pushed them back. Prisoners of war have told the story of how Russians had to hide in kennels despite the dog bites they have to endure just to escape the Virgin’s apparition which according to them really occurred. The problem was the officers told them to be mum about it and those who won’t were easily eliminated by the cheka units following the regulars who will never allow deserters to live. Gen. Mikhail Tukhachevsky had to admit defeat but he can not admit to the Virgin Mary story. There was an intriguing story of Semyon Bodyonny’s disobedience which caused the failure. However, after the appearance of the Virgin starting the 15th, the Russian 1st cavalry under him just had continuous setbacks. But one insubordination was true, which would well manifest his real selfish character, Josef Stalin tasked to help the problematic armies did not respond, for he was bent in getting Lvov for the loot.
To this day, there is still a dearth of testimonies concerning the Cud nad Wiza or the Miracle of Vistula. This is due to the fact that most of the Red Army draftees were illiterates and couldn’t communicate very well. Also, was the more pressing fact of the chekas and officers who will easily shoot them once they tell their stories. On the Polish side, a recently-found letter quotes a certain Jozek in his letter to Stazienko how she manifested herself, “meanwhile, people say generals are generals, but in the morning of August 15th, while we were journeying, on a horse-drawn cart to take part in the indulgent feast, the Mother of God appeared to the Bolsheviks in the sky and dispersed them into the four winds.” Of course, the Poles will not run out of witnesses from their senators to pastor priests. Vladimir Lenin had to cancel his plans and die.
This is why I have called Our Blessed Virgin Mother the Terror of Armies because she did strike terror in the hearts of those belonging to the cruelest armies, the Prussians, Germans and the Russians. May she forgive me if I have done something in excess for saying that.
But I must of course share with you, the reason I am sharing these stories. Apparently, Our Lady may be depended upon when we are confronted the worst of armies trying to invade our land. Apparently, also, we did not resort to her that much when the Japanese came for the American protestant attitude had adulterated the piety of the Filipinos. But sometimes, I notice how much the Chinese presence in the West Philippine Sea affects our people as the controversial Lipa apparition message includes the dangers posed by China. Then, may I say this; if indeed the Chinese try to invade us, then we have only one recourse as Pointmain, Marne and Vistula show us: The Blessed Virgin Mary.
– Marciano “Arci” del Sol
