OKOLOW-ZUBKOWSKI, Konstanty (#178)
#178
Captain (earlier Lt Cdr) Konstantyn ZUBKOWSKI
Polish Navy
Alan Pollock’s Rough Notes:
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Captain (earlier Lt Cdr) Konstantyn ZUBKOWSKI POLISH NAVY: for POLAND’s gallant fighting servicemen and their 37 MAJOR POLISH NAVY WARSHIPS and 10 Motor Torpedo & Gun Boats at SEA, as in the AIR & on LAND, also recalling POLISH service men and women in all three of their fighting services.
Captain ZUBKOWSKI’s unbroken WW2 PN & RN service at sea included active service in NARVIK, NORWAY and then GUNNERY with the crew of battleship HMS “KING GEORGE V” (one of four 1936 programme battleships, inc. Duke of York, Anson & Howe, reverting to 14 inch guns (ten) and the new 5.25″ high angle/low angle AA guns in eight twin turrets), witnessing that chase & even taking the single photograph taken and printed in the ‘Illustrated London News’ of the final drama of the DESTRUCTION and SINKING OF BISMARCK on 27/28May41; later he served in MOTOR GUN BOATS including DROPPING AGENTS & later in the DESTROYER HMS GREYHOUND / PN GARLAND including the support of the ANZIO BEACHHEAD
N.B. 7,136 POLISH SERVICEMEN would die in combat in exile, 1,005 being a similar one seventh on bombers, as the ratio of British losses being so heavy in BOMBER COMMAND. Deepening the personal and national tragedies of the POLISH FORCES at the end of the war was the compounding political decisions that the POLES in Britain were not to take part in the VICTORY parades as the POLISH NATION, they who had been our largest ALLY, a bigger military component in the dark days of late 1940 than of all the other German-occupied countries combined – the intense patriotism and sacrifice of the POLISH PEOPLE received shallow change in the harsh post war settlement, offset somewhat by some of the deep admiration of many British, Commonwealth and Allied commanders and servicemen for their staunch Allies, in their new post-war host countries.