Monte Cassino Cross

**Wisnia** · 02-13-2020, 12:49 PM

Hello Fran

I sent a letter and called WBH about your case. Because the ladies are reluctant to talk and they are obscured by legal regulations, I don't know what will happen, I am waiting for the answer what is in the deposit.
Please forgive me that he will speak Polish...:

12 lut 2020 13:21

Od: zylkos
Do: wbh zbiory
Temat: Depozyt numer 1757.
Do Pań:
Monika FAŁEK,Magdalena ŻÓŁW.
Witam.
Proszę o sprawdzenie co zawiera Depozyt numer 1757 i co jest zapisane w Wykazie depozytów po żołnierzach PSZ na Zachodzie poległych w czasie II wojny światowej Centralnego Archiwum Wojskowego z 2003 roku,dotyczącym zawartości tego Depozytu.
Rodzina KUBISIAKA Aleksandra odnalazła się we Francji.Żyją jeszcze jego dwie siostry i wnuk.
Ponieważ LUDZIE Ci nie mówią po polsku zwracam się z prośbą o to w jaki sposób można ten Depozyt odebrać.
Wedle informacji ze strony CAW:
W Centralnym Archiwum Wojskowym przechowywanych jest 1630 depozytów po oficerach, podoficerach i żołnierzach służących w czasie II wojny światowej w Polskich Siłach Zbrojnych na Zachodzie.
Depozyty te wydawane są rodzinom i spadkobiercom tych żołnierzy. Aby móc odebrać depozyt należy przedstawić dokumenty potwierdzające jak najbliższy stopień pokrewieństwa ze zmarłym, np.: świadectwo urodzenia, metrykę chrztu, świadectwo ślubu, akt zgonu lub poświadczony notarialnie dokument potwierdzający prawną zdolność dziedziczenia po poległym. Depozyt może również zostać wydany osobie notarialnie upoważnionej przez prawnego spadkobiercę.
Przekazanie depozytu może nastąpić wyłącznie w siedzibie CAW po uprzednim okazaniu wymienionych dokumentów (z których wykonywane są kopie) oraz wypełnieniu protokołu przekazania.

Osobą upoważnioną do udzielania informacji i wydawania depozytów jest Magdalena Zółw, tel 261 813 883
Ponieważ zgłaszają się Ludzie ze Wschodu i Zachodu,którzy nie mówią po polsku jest problem jak sprawę taką załatwić...

Waiting for the official response of WBH

Best wishes

Artur

**Fran** · 02-13-2020, 04:12 PM

Thank you Artur

I've ran your post through Google Translate and got the gist of it. It would be great indeed if you could get that information for me. I can provide every legal document needed. Crossing fingers.

**conrado** · 02-17-2020, 08:40 PM

Hello again Fran,

In addition to my post #146:

Your Grandfather was in the 1st Team of his Platoon during attack on the town of Case Nuove. They cooperated with the 2nd Squadron of the 1st Krechowiecki Lancer Regiment. The Platoon was supposed to take control of the left edge of the town and then check if there was an enemy in the town.

Below is a scrap from the Battle Log of the 1st Platoon:

17.7.1944 (poniedziałek) --> July 17, 1944 (Monday)
Druż. I. --> 1st Team
st. strz. Kubisiak c.k.m. --> Lance Corporal Kubisiak heavy machine gun

Here is a description of this action from the 1st Platoon Battle Log mentioning about your Grandfather:

Translation:
"200 meters after crossing the river we encounter the first enemy positions. After several series of tommyguns, the Germans surrender. We move on, several Germans are sitting behind the rampart again, and they surrender again after a while. Lance Corporal Kubisiak is wounded. Light wound in the left hand. He dressed his wound and walks back with the prisoners. We have taken 8 prisoners so far."

Your Grandfather returned to the Platoon from the hospital on July 25, 1944 together with Corporal Gudaj. His Platoon was stationed at that time in the town of Numana southeast from Ancona. Here is a mention of this from the 1st Platoon Battle Log:

Regards
Konrad

**conrado** · 02-17-2020, 09:42 PM

Fran,

Another curiosity that may be interesting for you.

I would like to show you a table showing the sizes of clothes and shoes of individual soldiers from your Grandfather's 1st Platoon from the Battle Log:

In the first column are the names of the soldiers, then "bl." - size of battledress, "spod." - size of trousers, "buty." - size of boots, "berety." - size of berets

As you can see from this table your Grandfather was a quite big man and definitely the largest of his Platoon together with st. strz. Brauliński.

I also post for comparison a tables showing the numbers of each size of battledress, trousers, headwears and boots statistically per 1000 men:

Scales of issue battledress

Scales of issue ammunition boots

I hope this information is a bit helpful for you.

Regards
Konrad

**Fran** · 02-18-2020, 03:32 PM

Thank you so much Konrad, yeah, he was quite tall indeed

My mother found a treasure trove of information and pictures she thought she'd lost.

My Grandfather is playing the harmonica. It looks like it's Lance Corporal Franciszek Wośko giving the two thumbs up.

It seems like this last one is directly related to the top picture of this page from the book, that Tom sent me. I'd bet my ass they've been taken at the same time

**Fran** · 02-18-2020, 03:38 PM

My mother also found this document related to his involvement in Norway, before the Independent Commando Company was formed.

I've found his name in the PISM Archives, Daily Orders of the 1st Podhalański Rifle Battalion (Scotland), 06/1940 - 12/1940

Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

If you'd be so kind as to check these archives out, this part is as absolute mystery to us.

**Krakow1** · 02-18-2020, 03:48 PM

It says that Private Kubiczak Aleksander was awarded a Cross of Valor (Krzyz Walecznych ) for the first time.

**Fran** · 02-18-2020, 04:00 PM

Thank you Tom

I've found his name on page 45 of 160, and the archives are in three separate pdf. Pretty hard to browse through.

What's really weird is that he only kept Corporal Gudaj's Monte Cassino Cross. My mother sent me this document saying he got the 1939-1945 Star, as well as the Italy Star. They are nowhere to be found.