Thread: During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the Viet Minh 312th Division was one of the first units to attack the French positions. Amongst their ranks was an unusual figure- a tall, blue-eyed man: Captain Stefan Kubiak, from Poland.
Here is his incredible story.
Here is his incredible story.
Kubiak was born on the 28 Aug 1923 in Łódź to a family of weavers. In 1939, he was deported to Memel and forced to work on a farm. He later worked in a Westphalian factory, but upon news of the Soviet advance west he fled & travelled east. Captured, he was forced to dig trenches.
Again, Kubiak managed to escape and he joined a band of Soviet Partisans, amongst whom he participated in the capture of Vilnius in summer 1944. He then joined the Red Army and participated in the recapture of Łódź.
In 1945, he was advised to join the new Polish Central School of Political Officers. He had a promising career lined up in the Polish People's Army but for reasons unknown, he deserted. Speaking fluent German, K hid amongst German people being expelled from Poland & escaped west.
Upon his arrival in western Germany, K was compromised and arrested by French Gendarmes of the occupation forces. The court gave him two choices: go to prison, or join the French Foreign Legion.
He joined the Foreign Legion.
He joined the Foreign Legion.
In 1946, he was sent for training in Algeria before taking part in the suppression of anti-colonial riots in Morocco. In December, his unit was sent to Indochina (Vietnam) to partake in the war against the Viet Minh guerrillas.
K and his comrades were tasked with 'search and destroy' operations against VM guerrillas, which involved infiltrating villages and arresting all 'suspicious elements', with torture and killings commonplace. K, a former guerrilla himself, became disillusioned and decide to defect
In Spring 1947, K, as well as 1 Austrian and 2 German members of the Legion, fled with their firearms into the jungle. They were eventually captured and taken to a VM HQ in the Ha Nam Province. One of the officers there was also a former Legion soldier, a German known as 'Duc'.
Two weeks later, K was assigned to a guerrilla unit and soon participated in the ambush of French vehicle columns. K later became an artillery officer and earned a reputation for his ability to fix and operate French artillery pieces with precision accuracy.
Kubiak earned the affectionate name of 'Ho Chi Toun' meaning 'the bringer of safety'. During the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, his dedication to the Viet Minh cause saw him donning a French officer uniform, infiltrating the French lines & causing panic, creating gaps in their lines.
After the French defeat, K remained in Vietnam, settling in Hanoi. There he married Nguyen Thi Phoung and had two sons. In 1963, K died from a tropical disease. Before his death, the Polish People's Republic forgave him for his desertion and in 1964 his family moved to Łódź. /End
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
