ANTONI MENTLAK - KNOWN COMBAT MISSIONS

Virtuti Militari awarded to 301 Squadron retrospectively (in 1966) for the Special Duties Missions to Warsaw

Antoni Mentlak - Known Combat Missions

F/O Jan Miszewski – first pilot

F/O Stanislaw Machej – second pilot

F/O Gebik – navigator

F/Sgt Janusz Antoniewicz – wireless operator

F/Sgt Marian Koc – air gunner

F/Sgt Pacut – despatcher

Sgt Antoni Mentlak – flight engineer

Mission 01    20/21 Feb 43       Poland

From RAF Tempsford on board Halifax DT726 NF-H.    They took off on Operation File at 18.52 and were over the primary target point 154 in Poland at 00.20; the secondary point 103 was not necessary as the crew clearly saw the recognition signal of 8 red lights and 8 white lights, one of which was flashing. They responded with the recognition code letter Z and dropped the 6 containers of supplies and four men – they had instructions to drop the men only (in a safe place) if they failed to get the correct signal at either point 154 or 103. The aircraft landed safely at RAF Middleton St George, County Durham – a long way from their home base – at 07.29 after a successful mission.

W/O Bolesław Hułas - first pilot

F/S Rzewuski Mieczysław - second pilot

F/L Malinowski Mieczysław - navigator

F/S Krzeczewski Eugeniusz – radio operator

F/S Miniakowski Stefan - front gunner

Sgt Mentlak Antoni – mechanic/flight engineer

F/S Dubiel Józef - rear gunner

Mission 02    16/17 June 43       France

Mission 03    17/18 June 43       France

F/O Sancewicz Zbigniew - 1st pilot

F/O Goszczyński Michał - 2nd pilot

F/O Krywda Władysław - navigator

Sgt Łuksza Tadeusz – radio operator

Sgt Mentlak Antoni – mechanic/flight engineer

The air gunners who usually flew in the crew were Sgt Andrzej Godecki and F/Lt Eligiusz Zaleski but sometimes there were different airmen taking their place on the flights.

Mission 04    15/16 July 43       France

Mission 05    22/23 July 43       France

Mission 06    24/25 July 43       France

Mission 07     08/09 Aug 43       Denmark

Mission 08     12/13 Aug 43       France

Mission 09     13/14 Aug 43       France

Mission 10     16/17 Aug 43       France

Mission 11     18/19 Aug 43       France

Mission 12     20/21 Aug 43       France

Mission 13     23/24 Aug 43       France

Mission 14     09/10 Sep 43       Poland 

Including F/Lt Zaleski and Sgt Godecki from RAF Tempsford on board Halifax JD-319 'A' Operation Flat 2 to Lichtarz 101 The pilot on this mission was F/O Zbigniew Sancewicz.

Mission 15     16/17 Sep 43       Poland

From RAF Tempsford on board Halifax BB378 ‘D’ Operation Neon 1 to Gurnek 103

Mission 16      21/21Sep 43       Poland

From RAF Tempsford on board Halifax LW276 ‘E’ Operation Neon 5 to Lustro 201

Mission 17     13/14 Oct 43       France

Mission 18     15/16 Oct 43       Poland

From RAF Tempsford on board Halifax JD171 ‘P’ Operation Cottage 55 to Zyto 1 801

Mission 19     18/19 Oct 43       Poland

From RAF Tempsford on board Halifax JD319 ‘A’ Operation Oxygen 1 to Chochla 507 The pilot on this mission was F/O Zbigniew Sancewicz.

After 1586 Flight was formed, Sgt Antoni Mentlak and his crew flew from RAF Tempsford (Overnight 6/7 November 43) via Gibraltar to RAF Sidi Amor near Tunis (The first place where the Flight was stationed after the movement, firstly to Tunisia and later to Brindisi in Southern Italy).

Mission 20    06/07 Nov 43       Tunisia

RAF Tempsford to RAF Sidi Amor, Tunisia via RAF Gibraltar classed as a combat mission/operational flight because their course took them over enemy territory.

Mission 21    15/16 Dec 43       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JD319 ‘A’ on Operation Ohio 1 to Rybitwa-1 16 The pilot on this mission was F/O Zbigniew Sancewicz.

Mission 22    18/19 Dec 43       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JD319 ‘A’ on Operation Ohio 2 to Tukan-1 12 The pilot on this mission was F/O Zbigniew Sancewicz.

Mission 23    13/14 Feb 44       Italy

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy to ...............in Northern Italy

Mission 24    17/18 Feb 44       Italy

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

Mission 25    22 Feb 44            Jugoslavia

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

Mission 26    24/25 Feb 44       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JN956 ‘E’ on Operation Weller 5 to Wieszak 311 and with agents on board

Mission 27    03/04 Mar 44       Greece

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

Mission 28    07/08 Mar 44       Greece

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

Mission 29    17/18 Mar 44       Czechoslovakia

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy. This may have been the mission mentioned in Bienecki’s book, Polski Zaloga over Europe in which they dropped supplies to the Jugoslav partisans en route and were attacked by an enemy fighter but escaped by hiding in clouds

Mission 30    03/04 Apr 44       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JP177 ‘P’ on Operation ................ to Zamek

Mission 31    06/07 Apr 44       Greece

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

Mission 32    09/10 Apr 44       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JP177 ‘P’ on Operation Weller 3 to Kaczka 127 with agents on board

Mission 33    12/13 Apr 44       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JP177 ‘P’ on Operation Weller 15 to Lichtarz 223 with agents on board

Mission 34    15/16 April 44      Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JP177 ‘P’ on Operation ...................to Paszkot 239

Mission 35    16/17 Apr 44       Poland

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy on board Halifax JP236 ‘A’ on Operation Weller 15 to Obraz 318 with agents on board

Mission 36    25/26 Apr 44       Italy

In Polish Special Duties Flight 1586 flying from RAF Campo Casale, near Brindisi, Italy

There are five more missions, details of which I have not been able to find. If you can help please contact me on neville.bougourd@gmail.com and also if you have any more information on the missions listed above.

Special thanks to Frances Gates and Piotr Hodyra for the incredible amount of information they have supplied to make this chart possible.