Ernst Frey

Ernst Frey (10 June 1915–13 January 1994), also known as Nguyễn Dân and Hồ Chí Dân, was an Austrian soldier who served in the French Foreign Legion before joining the Vietnam People's Army. Frey was the Deputy Commander of the 4th Military Region, Commander of 9th Military Region, and was among the first colonels of the Vietnam People's Army. During the First Indochina War, he served as an assistant to Võ Nguyên Giáp, the Minister of Defense of North Vietnam and Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People's Army.

Born in Vienna in 1915, Frey became involved in the Austrian communist movement as a teenager and was imprisoned several times for his political activities. In 1938, he fled Austria and joined the French Foreign Legion, serving in Algeria and later French Indochina. In French Indochina, he established a communist group with some Legion members, whereby joining the Indochinese Communist Party. After the August Revolution in 1945, he took part in the Vietnamese revolutionary movement against the French. In 1951, Frey returned to Austria, had a short time serving for the Catholic Church and the Greens Party before dying in 1994.

Early life Ernst Frey was born on 10 June 1915, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary into a family of Hungarian and Jewish origin. His father was a social democrat Jewish and was serving in the First World War. As a teenager, Frey participated in the Socialist High School Youth Association (VSM). In 1934, he joined the Austrian Communist Youth League. Due to his activities in the VSM and accusations of treason, Frey was imprisoned multiple times and banned from attending Austrian universities.

Military career In 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, and German troops entered Vienna. Frey's mother was captured and publicly tortured. After being released, he escaped to France to continue his way to Spain. In Paris, Frey made a living by selling pencils. After being refused permission to travel to Spain, he remained in France and joined the French Foreign Legion, where he was deployed to Algeria. Frey was assigned to 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment. In 1941, the ship arrived to Saigon without being attacked once, His communist cell was also admitted into the Party later that year.

During the First Indochina War, Frey was responsible for training cadres and assisting a unit in the to defend capital Hanoi. He was also appointed as an assistant to Giáp, and as the commander of the 9th Military Region, which safeguard the area of the Central Base. In the same year, he was incapacitated by malaria, and started speaking of "a religious awakening".

Ernst Frey died of a heart attack on 13 January 1994.