Has Anyone heard of a expatriot Polish WWII Ace who flew during the Batttle of Britian downing some 20 Luftwaffe fighters? He was nick-named “The Polish Air Forece” and I believe he flew a Hawker Hurrican A name or any info would be greatly appreciated. I am doing research on another Polish Ace who flew a Spitfire so I’m sure there were at least two.
Thanks
Chuck
Hiya Chuck,
There were many Polish pilots flying for the RAF during the Battle of Britain. I believe the highest scoring Pole during BoB was Witold Urbanowicz, with 17. I could be mistaken…
Anyhoo, this page may help you out. Be sure to explore the whole site, lotsa way-cool and groovy stuff there…
Fade to Black…
Thanks!
No prob, Chuck.
It could also be Josef Frantisek, he had 17 kills as well. Although I may be confusing the two…
Anyhoo, you may also want to check this book out:
Polish Aces of World War 2 published by Osprey.
Osprey also publish a book on Hurricane Aces of WWII.
Fade to Black…
It’s been a while since I’ve learned about this topic of foriegn pilots for the Allies during the Battle of Britain. If my memory is correct… Frantisek was Czech and the leading allied ace during the B.o.Britain. I’m sure the info is on the web somewhere.
That could be, CZ, I’m a little sketchy on the whole subject of foreigners in the RAF. [:(]
Fade to Black…
Hey blackwolfscd,
The site and links are fantastic! Thanks so much!
Chuck
There is, somewhere out there, a kit of an RAF Huricane of a polish BoB ace. I think it was a 1/72 Frog then Novo offering. I can’t remember the name of the pilot though. It will probably come to me in the early hours of the morning and then I will let you know.
Have patience
Dai
This all started becasue I have a Heller 1/72 Hurricane MK1 of the 302nd Polish squardron, but their material on the history of the aircraft and even the aircraft is so sketchy -I mean they say the Hurricane came into its own in Africa. While that may be I remember seeing a recent article that reviewed footage the German High Command shot during the BoB. The Germans mistook so many hurricane kills for Spitfire kills, at least according to this article, that the Luftwaffe underestimated what the Spitfire could do.
I’m just now trying to model “real” aricraft. It’s good to klnow about the pilots, the unit alll of the history. This forum is the greatest thing I’ve stumbled across in decades!
Thanks everyone
Chuck
Years ago, I read Johnnie Johnson’s book on his service. He tells of a Polish pilot attached to one of his squadrons whose whole family had been killed in the Polish invasion. He hated Germans so much, when he exploded a Do 17, parts of the crew were stuck to his airplane. He wouldn’t let the ground crew clean the plane. I think his name was Gladyich and he was a high scorer.
Hi friends ! I’m really suprised (and proud as well) to see how many of you know a part of Polish history ! It’s great for me ! BTW - you can also find other Polish aces like Skalski, Horbaczewski, Lokuciewski, Zumbach and many others ! Regards from Poland ! Aleksander (proud like hell !)
Hey Aleksander,
I’m really tracing my ancestory here. My family had already left Poland (and on the other side Ireland) long before the war but there are still tugs and the heart strings. I feel great pride in what the Poles did during WWII. It’s part of my heritage. Someday, God willing, I will see the country of my ancestors! Thanks for your coments.
Same here AZJOJO. My family is Czech and I think i’ll start doing some models with CZ colors, Perhaps a czech t-34 and diorama in the near future. Smaller nations are less well-known for their contributions in WW2, nevertheless, they still made sacrifices to liberate their countries. I’m 100% czech-texan and i know how you feel when you talk about Polish pride azjojo.
Aleksander,
If you are speaking of Jean Zumbach his book is pretty good. The story of his escape from Poland is interesting.
For those who don’t know Mr. Zumbach was a Swiss citizen born and raised in Poland (he considered himself Polish, having never seen Switzerland) who escaped Poland just in time (with some other sqdn. members and their aircraft) only to have to escape from Rumania to prevent interrment.
Originaly printed in french as “Mister Brown” the English version is “On Wings of War”
Everytime I stick my fingers together with super glue I remember your words of advice, “Never be afraid to try something new, and remember amatures built the Ark,
professionals built the Titanic”
THANK YOU!
By the way my “Sandy” is finished and I have built a Hurricane and found markings for the 306th, an all Polish unit! All of you folks have been a great help. I have a Spitfire that will be a Polish flier also. Just haven’t done the research yet.