Captain Wiesław Martelus

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This group very recently acquired from "Al-Muell", who has done great research on it (thanks again! :thumbsup).

Here we have the awards of Captain Wiesław Martelus, who served in a variety of positions relating to cryptography and counterintelligence in state security. His most interesting role, arguably, was his command of the Polish military mission with the International Commission for Supervision and Control ("Międzynarodowy Komitet Nadzoru i Kontroli" or "MKNiK") in Vietnam from April 1956 to April 1957.

I'll post the group first and Martelus' service record after, since the text is rather long. So, the awards:

Polonia Restituta 5th Class (cased)
Gold Cross of Merit (cased)
Silver Cross of Merit
Medal for Struggle in Defense of People's Rule (cased)
Medal for Protecting Public Order in Bronze (cased)
10 Years of People’s Poland Commemorative Medal
Document for 30 Years of Service to the Nation medal

Missing/split from group:
Badges and documents for 10 and 20 Years of Service to the Nation
30 Years of Service to the Nation medal

[RedMaestro2]

Moving in chronological order, we have the documents for the 10 Years of People’s Poland Commemorative Medal, the Silver Cross of Merit, and the Gold Cross of Merit.

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Documents for the Order Polonia Restituta 5th Class, Medal for Protecting Public Order in Bronze, and 30 Years of Service to the Nation medal.

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Finally, the document for the Medal for Struggle in Defense of People's Rule.

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Here is an excellent translation of Martelus' service record, very helpfully provided by "Al-Muell." The original is available here: Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej. Attached is a section of an IPN publication listing Martelus under "Section C" 1952 - 4/1956. This isn't totally accurate according to the full record, so I've included it more as yet another piece of documentation.


The service record (IPN Sz 0118/3892 (8508/VI, IPN Gd 078/3892)):

Names: WIESŁAW
Surname: MARTELUS
Date of Birth: 03.01.1928
Father's name: IGNACY
Mother's name: ANTONINA
Place of Birth:ŻÓRAWEN

PUBP(Local State Security Office) in SIERADZ, assignment unknown, function: messenger, since 01.01.1947

PUBP in SIERADZ, assignment: Security, function: guard, since 01.10.1947

WUBP(Voivodeship State Security Office) in SZCZECIN, Assignment: none, function: at chief's disposal, since 15.06.1948

WUBP in SZCZECIN, Assignment: Department II (fighting against anticommunist partisans, Ukrainian partisans, Post-nazi spies and Verwolf), Section IV (no idea); function: cryptographer, since 16.06.1948

WUBP in KOSZALIN, assignment: none, function: at chief's disposal, since 01.12.1950

WUBP in KOSZALIN, assignemnt: Department II (same), independant crtyptography unit, function: senior cryptographer, since 01.02.1951

WUBP in KOSZALIN, assignemnt: Department II (same), independant crtyptography unit, function: supervisor, since 01.07.1951

WUBP in KOSZALIN, assignment: Independent section "C" (no idea, possibly a cryptography section?), function: supervisor, since 01.09.1952

WUdsBP in KOSZALIN, assignment: Independent section "A" (cryptography)function: supervisor, since 01.04.1955

WUdsBP in KOSZALIN, assignment: Independent section "A", function: Senior officer of the operational technique, since 01.04.1956

Z II SG WP (2nd directorate of the HQ of the Polish Army - intelligence and counterintelligence), WARSAW, assignment: JEDNOSTKA WOJSKOWA NR 2000 (unit prepearing officers for diplomatic service in Korea and Vietnam), Function: Head of the Polish Military Mission at MKNiK in Vietnam, since 01.04.1956

KW MO (Voivodeship HQ of the MO) in KOSZALIN, assignment: none, function: at chief's disposal, since 02.04.1957

KW MO in KOSZALIN, assignment: Department III (fight against anti-national activity, part of the SB - Security Service), function: Senior Operational Officer, since 01.06.1957

CW MSW (Training Center of the Ministery of Interior) in LEGIONOWO, assignment: one-year officer school, function: student, since 01.09.1958

KW MO in KOSZALIN,assignment: none, function: at chief's disposal, since24.07.1959

KW MO in KOSZALIN, assignment: Department III, function: Senior Operational Officer, since 01.09.1959

KW MO in KOSZALIN, assignment: Department III, function: INSPEKTOR, since: 01.04.1967

KW MO in KOSZALIN, assignment: Department III, function: Senior Inspector, since 01.06.1971

KW MO in KOSZALIN, assignment: Department III, operational group, function: supervisor, rank:cpt. (no rank listed earlier) since 01.01.1975 until 01.06.1975

Additional data:
From 01.06.1975 to 15.02.1977 service in the MO. /// according to the personal questionaire: 15.03.1948-1.10.1948 worker of the Fotolaboratory in the WUBP in Łodź. Since 28.02.1948 cryptographical/fotographical coursein the MBP (ministery for the Public Security)in Warsaw. From 1.09.1962 to 30.03.1963 course on conducting some investigation procedures.

NOTE: His son's file is also available.

[RedMaestro2]

Z II SG WP (2nd directorate of the HQ of the Polish Army - intelligence and counterintelligence), WARSAW, assignment: JEDNOSTKA WOJSKOWA NR 2000 (unit prepearing officers for diplomatic service in Korea and Vietnam), Function: Head of the Polish Military Mission at MKNiK in Vietnam, since 01.04.1956

As "Al-Muell" has translated from the Polish wikipedia:

"In the years 1952-59 at the Directoriate I (operational) [of the Polish General Staff] and in the years 1959-61 at the Directoriate II [military intelligence] the "Military Unit 2000" was operatring, that was created by the Minister of Defence K. Rokossowski's organizational order nr. 0047 of 2nd of June 1952. It's task was to prepeare workers of the diplomatic service and the Army for the tasks of the future observational mission in Korea, and later in Vietnam. The personnel of the unit was 120 people, of whom 40 were the officers of the Polish Army, while the rest came from MSZ [Ministry of Foreign Affairs], MSW [Ministry of Interior Affairs] and WSW [Military Interior Service - military police, responsible also for military counterintelligence tasks]."


From the English wikipedia regarding the International Commission for Supervision and Control ("MKNiK"):

"The International Control Commission (ICC), formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam (ICSC), was an international force established in 1954 that oversaw the implementation of the Geneva Accords that ended the First Indochina War with the Partition of Vietnam.[1] It reported on the progress of the ceasefires and any violations against them. The force comprised troops and officers from Canada, Poland, and India representing the non-communist, communist, and non-aligned blocs respectively.

Although supposedly neutral, the members of the ICC often took sides in the Vietnam War (Second Indochina War) and even offered aid to both sides. Canadian personnel were known to have done intelligence work for the United States during their bombing of North Vietnam.[2] Actions such as these often led members of the ICC to become targets with several members losing their lives. Even with admissions from Hanoi, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong are believed to have killed ICC members.[3]

With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, the ICC was dissolved and replaced with the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS).[1]"

The article "The Polish Army in International Peacekeeping Missions (1953-2011)" by Krzysztof Gaj and Janusz Zuziak in the quarterly Polish Ministry of Defense, Historical Research, Historical-Military Review elaborates on the Polish role in the MKNiK. According to this study, the Polish mission was originally 160 strong, 2/3 of the group military. During Martelus' tenure in command (April 1956-April 1957), the mission was overseeing elections in addition to its normal roles. This was also an "extremely difficult" time for the mission because of serious incursions across the demilitarized zone (by the South Vietnamese, I think).


Attempting to link Martelus' awards to his service record: the Silver Cross of Merit was possibly awarded for his service in Vietnam. The Gold Cross of Merit was most definitely awarded for activities with "Division III", possibly relating to the 1968 crisis. The Polonia Restituta 5th Class was either for general excellence (a sort of long service award) or specific actions in "Division III".