MIKOLAJ PAWLUCZYK

He was born on 1st or 15th November 1914 (accounts vary but his military records show the date as 1st November 1914) in Minsk, Russia and he joined the training school at Bydgoszcz in 1930 but appears to have failed the course as he was released after two years. From 1933 to 1935 he was called up for National Service with 5th Air Regiment in Lida and afterwards was placed on the Reserve List.

On 26th December 1936 he married Weronika Jefimick at Brzesc (now Brest, Belarus).  He was working as a telegraph clerk at the time.  They had a daughter, Krystina on 5th January 1939.

On 27th August 1939 he was conscripted and sent to 6 Air Regiment in Lwow where he was posted to 63 Eskadra, flying as an observer and rear gunner in the brand new RWD 14b Czapla  aircraft which were perfect for their task but hopelessly inadequate against modern Luftwaffe fighters.  His main task was to photograph enemy positions and to protect the aircraft with a single Vickers K machine gun.  His task was in support of the ground troops in the Lwow area.

 

RWD 14b Czapla (Heron)

He was evacuated to Romania on 18th September 1939 and was interned there until 11th October when he escaped and made his way to Balcic (now Bulgaria) where he stayed until 17th December 1939.  On 18th December he boarded a ship to Beirut in the Lebanon and on 16th January 1940 he took another ship to Marseilles, France.  At first he was sent to a military camp at Carpiagne but then, on 24th January 1940 he was moved to Septfonds which was originally just a transit camp in WW1 and then became a settlement camp for Spanish Civil War refugees.  It was an awful place without running water and with only the most basic sanitation.  It was an inhospitable place with little or no heating and was very poor shelter through the winter; he remained there until 20th February 1940 until he moved to the air base at Lyon-Bron.

Like all the other airmen, he was under used and must have felt really frustrated and pleased to leave France for Great Britain, known to the Poles as the Islands of Last Hope.  He was evacuated from St Jean de Luz, a French port almost on the border with Spain.  He must have arrived on the Batory, the Sobieski, the Ettrick or the Arandora Star which left on the last day of the evacuation and arrived in Britain on 27th June 1940.  Just a few days later on its very next journey, the Arandora Star was torpedoed  and sunk with the loss of 805 lives

After a period of training and learning the King's Regulations - and learning to speak English - he was posted to 307 Fighter Squadron on 23rd September 1940 at RAF Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire and later at RAF Pembrey at Carmarthen in Wales.  He was grounded, probably because of malaria picked up in the Danube Delta, and spent a lot of time in No 1 Aircrew Convalescent Depot in Blackpool and various hospitals over the next few years.

He requested aircrew duties and began Wireless Operator training at the No 1 Signals School at RAF Cranwell North, Sleaford, Lincolnshire on 13th May 1942; he completed the course on 17th September 1942. Next day he went to 8 Air Gunnery School at RAF Evanton, Invergordon, Scotland where he qualified on 16th October 1942. After a few weeks back at the Polish Depot, on 16th December 1942 he went to 7 Signals School  at South Kensington, London where he learned care and maintenance of advanced radio equipment and then moved on to 6 OTU at RAF Thornaby on Tees in County Durham for operational training.  The Squadron ORB incorrectly states that he was posted in from 6 OTU at Silloth.  On 15th April 1943 he was posted to 304 Squadron at RAF Docking in Norfolk.

He was on board Wellington bomber HE304 on 17th July 1943 when it ran out of fuel on the return journey from the Bay of Biscay. The whole crew baled out and landed safely at Carlow in the Irish Republic and the plane crashed near Ballickmoylar, County Laois. He managed to send out an SOS and three aircraft were sent out to look for them but they failed to find the crash because they were unable to violate Irish neutrality and the visibility was so poor.

I have not been able to trace his immediate movements after this, perhaps he was detained in Ireland for a while.  However, I have traced a further 38 missions flown with 304 Squadron between July 1943 and June 1944, from December 1943 with a regular crew:

The normal crew referred to in this partial reconstruction of his missions was as follows: F/O L. Krempa, Sgt J. ZienSgt J. Zientek,  P/O S. SawicP/O  S. Sawicki,  Sgt W. SzerszSgt W. Szerszun,  Sgt M. Pawluczyk and Sgt J. Gumiński Sgt J. GumińskiSgt M. Pawluc
2 Jul 43 Wellington X HZ258 - S Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, S/Ldr Korbut, Sgt E Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt W Kaczan
8 Jul 43 Wellington X HZ258 - S Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Fully surfaced U-Boat sighted from a height of 500 feet and engaged with machine gun fire.  Aircraft dropped to 50 feet and released 7 torpex depth charges across the swirl.  All exploded and some wreckage seen. Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt E Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt W Kaczan
Wellington X  HZ258 - S which was the first 304  Squadron aircraft in which Mikolaj Pawluczyk flew
16 Jul 43 Wellington X HE304 - C Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed in the Irish Republic.  All crew baled out and safe.  Repatriated to England.  Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt E Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt W Kaczan
12 Aug 1943 Wellington XIII HZ573 - C Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor F/Sgt S Czekalski, Sgt E Jaworski, F/Lt E Stanczuk, F/Sgt E Siadecki, Sgt B Szpinalski, Sgt M Pawluczyk
15 Aug 43 Wellington XIII HZ645 - F Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Attacked by Junkers Ju88 - rear gunner returned fire and plane reached safety of cloud cover. F/Lt J Ochalski, F/Sgt S Kieltyka, F/O J Borzych, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt S Wisniewski
17 Aug 43 Wellington XIII HZ644 - 2E Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor F/Sgt S Kieltyka, F/Sgt W Kasprowicz, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt L Winkiel
21 Aug 43 Wellington XIII HZ577 - 2J Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor F/Sgt S Kieltyka, F/O J Glebocki, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, F/Sgt E Muszala
26th/27th Aug 43 Wellington XIII HZ577 - 2J Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt Z Gustowski
2 Sep 43 Wellington XIII HZ762 - 2G Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt P Kaczan
4 Sep 43 Wellington XIII HZ577 - 2J Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt KS Pasieka, S/Ldr C Korbut, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt P Kaczan
6 Sep 43 Wellington XIII HZ551 - A Anti-submarine patrol	Flying out of RAF Davidstow Moor Sgt S Kieltyka, Sgt E Jaworski, Sgt M Salewicz, Sgt R Duszczak, Sgt M Pawluczyk, Sgt P Kaczan
19 Dec 43 Wellington XIV 2E (HF1982E (HF198) Anti-submarine patrol (Percussion T.3 extended to 49.30N)	T.3 Percussion extended to 49.30N Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack   None of the crew on this mission were on board this aircraft when it crashed into the sea, for unknown reasons, on a training flight between RAF Predannack and Cardigan Bay (Wales), less than four weeks later, on 14th January 1944.  All five crew were killed.
13/14 Jan 44 Night 13/14.01.Wellington XIV 2F (HF499) 2F (HF199) Wellington XIV Anti-submarine patrol	T.3 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
20/21.01.194420/21 Jan 44 Night Wellington XIV Wellington XIV 2R (HF275) 2R (HF275) Anti-submarine patrol	M.3 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
28/29 Jan 44 Night Wellington XIV 2V (HF121) Anti-submarine patrol	N.1 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack   None of the crew on this mission were on board this aircraft when it was shot down on the night of 7/8 April 1944 whilst on patrol over the Bay of Biscay.  The crew managed to send off an SOS call but all were killed.  This was the second off last 304 Squadron plane to be lost to enemy action.
05/06 Feb 44 Night Wellington XIV 2F (HF199) Anti-submarine patrol	M.2 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
08/09 Feb 44 Night Wellington XIV 2G (HF202) Anti-submarine patrol	M.1 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
20/21 Feb 44 Night Wellington XIV 2H (HF200) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No 2 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
24/25 Feb 44 Night Wellington XIV 2D (HF196) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No 3 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
28/29 Feb 44 Night Wellington XIV 2P (HF181) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No 2 F/O Ejbich replaced Sgt Zientek Bohdan Ejbich settled in Canada – he became a novelist and PAF Historian   Flying out of RAF Predannack
02/03 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2H (HF200) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No 3 F/O Ejbich replaced Sgt Zientek Bohdan Ejbich settled in Canada – he became a novelist and PAF Historian   Flying out of RAF Predannack
Wellington XIV  2H (HF200) He flew in this aircraft twice; both times piloted by F/O Ludwik Krempa
04/05 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2R (HF275) Anti-submarine patrol	T.2 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
07/08 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2R (HF275) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol B Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
10/11 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2C (HF179) Anti-submarine patrol	R.2 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
15/16 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2R (HF275) Anti-submarine patrol	S.1 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack
19/20 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2P (HF181) Anti-submarine patrol	S.4 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Predannack or RAF Chivenor.  19th March 1944 was the official movement date to the latter RAF Station.
22/23 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2A (HF188) Anti-submarine patrol	R.1 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor   None of the crew on this mission was on board this aircraft when it was shot down by German fighters on a patrol over the Bay of Biscay, less than three weeks later on 11th April 1944.  The crew managed to send off an SOS but all were killed.   This was the last 304 Squadron plane to be lost to enemy action.
25/26 Mar 44 Night Wellington XIV 2A (HF188) Anti-submarine patrol	T.3 Percussion Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor   Shot down over the Bay of Biscay on 11th April 1944 (see previous entry)
05/06 Apr 44 Night Wellington XIV 2B (HF185) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol A Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
27/28 Apr 44 Night Wellington XIV 2N (HF330) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.2 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
Wellington HF330 - 2N, another of his aircraft, seen here with battle damage
30 Apr/01 May 44 Night Wellington XIV 2K (HF388) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.2 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
06/07 May 44 Night Wellington XIV 2D (HF386) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.4 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
11/12 May 44 Night Wellington XIV 2M (HF334) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.4 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
16/17 May 44 Night Wellington XIV 2M (HF334) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.4 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
23/24 May 44 Night Wellington XIV 2M (HF334) Anti-submarine patrol	Box 1 patrol Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
09/10 Jun 44 Night Wellington XIV 2Q  (HF420) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol V Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
14/15 Jun 44 Night Wellington XIV 2Q  (HF420) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol No.52 Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor
21/22 June 44 Night Wellington XIV 2K (HF388) Anti-submarine patrol	Patrol Y Normal crew Flying out of RAF Chivenor

He returned to the Blackpool Depot and was later posted to RAF Morecambe Polish training wing in Lancashire on 16th November 1944. Subsequently he was promoted to Warrant Officer and transferred to 133 Wing as adjutant. He is known to have served in the Polish Army Officer training facility at Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland.  On 3rd September 1945 he received his final posting to RAF Dunholme Lodge in Lincolnshire which appears to have been a storage facility for Hamilcar gliders at this time but it was also a Polish Resettlement Corps site. He was awarded the Cross of Valour three times and the Polish Air Medal as well as British campaign medals.

On 16th July 1947 he was discharged from the Polish Air Force and the Polish Resettlement Corps at his own request.  After his discharge he returned to Poland and later joined the Merchant Navy, travelling the world until his death from a heart attack on 6^th December 1975; he is buried in the Central Cemetery in Szczecin, Poland.