TADEUSZ MIECZNIK

He was a pilot and was born on 25^th February 1915 and he is known to have served in 304 Squadron, and was with them on 16^th December 1942 but transferred to 138 Squadron, fling covert missions for the SOE; he was awarded the Order of Virtuti Militari Silver Cross, 5^th class.  On one such mission, on 18^th September 1943, Halifax BB309, flying out of Tempsford in Bedfordshire, was picked up by the German Radar station “Seehund” at Tybjerg, Denmark and shortly afterwards it was attacked by a night fighter.  The crippled aircraft made a forced landing and crashed into a house.  Three adults and two of the children were killed in the house; miraculously six other children survived.  Five of the crew were also killed and one other taken prisoner.  Flight Sergeant Miecznik suffered a broken arm and leg and was taken to hospital but later escaped to Sweden. 

The night fighter, a Ju88, was flown by Lieutenant Richard Burdyna from IV/NJG3 and he was so preoccupied with the carnage that he circled to watch then struck power lines, killing himself and his two crewmen.  They now rest in Vestre Cemetery, Copenhagen, Denmark.

The bodies of the dead Polish crew were buried by German troops in shallow graves in the churchyard and without ceremony.  On 30^th September 1943 the horrified priest had the bodies exhumed, placed in coffins and buried properly, with a Christian service and they all now lie in Slagille Cemetery.  The funeral was paid for by A.P. Moller, a local ship owner.

F/Sgt Miecznik was taken to Ringsted Hospital and when the Doctor thought he was well enough to travel he contacted the local resistance who placed a ladder at his hospital window and helped him to get out.  He was taken overland to Copenhagen and then, in a small boat, to Sweden.

The seventh member of the crew, Sergeant  Roman Puchala, suffered only minor head injuries and escaped across the fields and was sheltered on a local farm, where he was captured after a few hours. He was initially taken to Dulag Luft, a Luftwaffe transit camp  near Frankfurt am Main, Germany for interrogation and then on to Stalag Luft VI Gross Tychow, near Tychowo, Poland..  Finally, he went to Stalag 357 at Fallingbostel  in Lower Saxony, Germany.