MORE CASUALTIES

Z1072 (NZ-G)    11^th July 1942

This aircraft crashed on take off from RAF Bramcote en route to RAF Dale.  The reasons are unknown.  Two Polish army passengers were aboard, one was killed, one survived.   The fatalities were: P/O Michal Mazurkiewicz, F/Sgt Antoni Kosturkiewicz, 2^nd Lt Pietraszek passenger & cousin of P/O Mazurkiewicz.  The survivors were: F/O Peski, P/O Wodzinski, F/Sgt Adamczyc and Cpl Szpec (army passenger) and Cpl Feliks Jaruszewski (also a passenger).

HX384 (NZ-L)    12^th August 1942

On the way to an anti-submarine sweep, this aircraft was struck by ferocious cross winds and failed to take off.  It was blown over the edge of the cliffs by the runway at RAF Dale and the entire crew were killed.  They were: F/Lt Ludwik Maslanka, F/O Tadeusz Siuzdak, Sgt Pawel Drozdziok, Sgt Marian Jerzy Modrzewski, Sgt Michal Omieljaszko and Sgt Stanislaw Rudolf Wojtowicz.

The wreckage was found on 21^st September 1991 by divers from the Llantrisant Sub Aqua Club.  Subsequently machine guns and propellers were recovered and restored; one of each is now on display at the ATC museum, Abergavenny, South Wales.  A similar set was donated to the Polish people in a ceremony aboard the sailing ship Iskra on 15^th July 1993, which was attended by members of the Polish Military and War Veterans Association.  The vessel was docked at Newcastle upon Tyne for the Tall Ships Race.  These relics are now housed in the Military Museum in Warsaw.

Z1172 (NZ-V)    20^th August 1942

This aircraft took off from RAF Dale and shortly afterwards crashed into the sea near Anglesey.  The reason for the crash is unknown.  All the crew died.  They were: F/O Leszek Teofil Wasilewski, P/O A Antoni Aleksy Zielinski, Sgt Grzegorz Piotr Gramiak, Sgt Ryszard Jarno, Sgt Ludwik Ruszel and Sgt Antoni Tycholis.

R1704 (NZ-P)   15^th October 1942

This Wellington crashed during low flying exercises over the sea near Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire, Wales.  The only crew were the two pilots and both were killed.  They were: F/O Tadeusz Skierkowski and F/O Adam Schultz.

R1413 (NZ-J)   16^th October 1942

This aircraft suffered a crash landing on 1^st October 1941 near Micklefield, Leeds, West Yorkshire.  At the time, it was manned only by a pilot (Sgt A Lozowicki) and three mechanics (Edward Wrona, Florian Polok and another named Krzempek).  This was a mysterious accident and little information exists about it except that only one of the crew was slightly hurt.

However it was finally shot down by German fighters whilst on patrol over the Bay of Biscay.  The entire crew were killed; they were: F/O Tadeusz Oles, F/O Stanislaw Targowski, Sgt Franciszek  Kubacik, Sgt Wladyslaw Mlynarski, Sgt Zygmunt Stanislaw Piechowiak and Sgt Gerard Twardoch.

A German report on the incident states that there were three Ju88’s involved; after a cautious fifteen minute pursuit, the one flown by Leutnant Dieter Meister attacked the Wellington, which was being flown very well, on a zigzag course that always allowed his gunner’s turrets to bear on their target, whilst steadily making for England; he also jettisoned his depth charges to gain speed.  Meister’s attack was not successful and he flew very low over the Wellington and came right into the range of the rear gunner who put a burst into one of the Ju88’s engine.  The engine was wrecked and began to spill coolant and fuel; Meister fell back and tried to gain altitude, protected by the other two aircraft.

Uffizier Steurich flew a new attack and his cone of fire was well aimed and the Wellington pilot was seen to collapse over his controls.  The aircraft immediately went nose down and crashed into the sea.  A yellow dinghy was observed but the crew were all dead.  Ironically, this crew had beaten off a similar attack by fighters of V/KG40 (who shot them down on this day) exactly a month earlier.  It is notable that the German report pays professional respect to the way the Polish Wellington was being flown.

R1716 (NZ-L)   1^st November 1942

Lost on patrol over the Bay of Biscay, probably shot down by an enemy fighter.  The entire crew were lost.  Flight Lieutenant  Szkuta, previously serving with 301 Squadron, had survived being shot down over Germany and had escaped to fly again.  F/O Krawczyk, previously serving with 305 Squadron, crash landed in Belgium and, in spite of his injuries, escaped to England.  The fatalities were: Flt/Lt  Ignacy Skorobohaty, Flt/Lt Alojzy Szkuta, F/O Mieczyslaw Sebastian Wodzinski, Sgt Jan Rogala-Sobieszczanski, Sgt Zygmunt Sasal and F/O Stanislaw Krawczyk.

German records show that it was shot down by Hauptman Hein-Horst Hissbach of 15/KG40 west south west of Brest, France at 16.56hrs