JOZEF STENDERA (JOZEF STENDEROWSKI)

Jozef Stendera 





He was born on 6^th March 1918 in Bochum, Germany and, after completing his education in Poland, he trained in electrical engineering.  Whilst training, he organised a gliding club at the college and took A and B glider pilot certificates.  Following this he enrolled for military training at Bydgoszcz in 1935, qualifying as a radio mechanic in 1938.

Because of his diminutive size, he was concerned that he would not be accepted for this training.  In his own words:                      

"I never liked medicals, but I decided to attend.  I managed to get through most of the difficult tests but, at the end of 'tortures' I had to go before the Chief Medical Officer.  After examining my reports, he took a long look at me and said "I will pass you, on the 'condition' that you go and see the School Commandant and ask him whether he will accept you with your height." - I was only five feet two inches tall in my shoes.

So, I went to look for this Commandant and found him standing with a few other officers around him. There were too many of them for my liking, so I lost my courage and, after walking in three large circles around them, I went to do my exams instead.  I passed these with 'flying colours', as I found out later on - fourth place out of a thousand!  Eventually the time arrived for the final results. However, the examining board realised that they didn't have my medical papers and so
they sent me back to see the chief doctor.                              

It was late in the afternoon and the final results were to be announced shortly.  In order to speed
things up, they decided to give me an escort and told me to follow the Sergeant Major, all six feet two inches of him!

The problem was that he was on a bicycle, whereas I was on foot, and the medical centre was on the other side of the aerodrome, half a mile away.  By the time we got there I was a bit out of breath. When the chief medical officer looked at me and noticed I was rather 'overheated', he asked me why.  I told him about my 'quick journey' across the airfield.  He laughed and asked if I had seen the School Commandant.  I said "Yes" and fortunately he didn't ask whether I had actually spoken to him!  Anyway I passed my medicals and, in August 1935, I became a pupil at this school in Bydgoszcz, which took three long and sometimes painful, years to complete."

He was then posted to the 1^st Air Regiment at Warsaw, moving to Terespol aerodrome near Lublin in Eastern Poland where he fought against the invading Russians.  He was taken prisoner but escaped and made his way to Lwow where joined the Armia Krajowa.  Whilst on the run from the Germans, and Russians he used the name Stenderowski to protect his family from being rounded up and shot or sent to the Russian Gulags or German Internment Camps.

In Jozef’s case, this was considerably more difficult because, before the re-establishment of the Polish state, his father had been awarded an Iron Cross for his bravery in fighting the Russians during the first World War – when fighting in the (German) Prussian Army!  At this time nationalities changed with border changes and Jozef was fluent in both Polish and German.

In June 1940 he was injured in a gun battle with Soviet border guards whilst trying to cross into Hungary.  He was sentenced to 15 years hard labour and sent to Siberia.  He subsequently escaped and  rejoined the Polish forces.  He then made his way to England by way of Persia (now Iran), Iraq, India and South Africa.  This included being torpedoed on the Empress of Canada on the way from Durban to England; he arrived in Liverpool in April 1943 and was sent to the Polish Depot at Blackpool.

After several months of wireless and gunnery training and operational training with 6 OTU, he was posted to 304 Squadron on 12^th January 1945 at RAF Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides where he was engaged in anti-submarine warfare.  In September 1945 he moved to 16 Ferry Unit where he delivered Avro Ansons and Vickers Warwicks to Egypt and remained in service until 1948.  During his service he was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit with Swords and the Air Medal twice.

After his demobilisation he settled in England and worked in an engineering factory: he died in Ipswich, Suffolk on 19^th October 1999.

With my very special thanks to Jozef’s family for giving me access to their personal papers, artefacts and photographs.  There is much more to come, as soon as some documents have been translated and integrated into the text. 

Except where information is already in the public domain, all detailed text and photographs are ©K E J Bailey 2012 as sole heir of Jozef Stendera.

JEWISH AIRMEN

This is a completely secular tribute to the Polish airmen in exile - a hero is a hero regardless of his religion.  However, I cannot help but note the lack of information that is forthcoming on the many Jewish airmen who were a part of the PAF in exile.  I would like to include these men in this tribute but the only information available is gleaned from official sources and gives no flavour of the person or his personality.  The one exception came from the family of a Catholic friend of a Jewish airman.

I would really like to honour these men who, by virtue of their religion, took even greater risks escaping through territory controlled by Nazis or their sympathisers.  Those who were captured faced a greater risk of maltreatment, torture and murder.  Even Jerzy Tomasz Mondschein, one of the 50 executed escapees in the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III at Sagan (now Zagan), has very little written about him.  Does anyone know his life story?

Can I appeal to the Jewish community for information on these brave men who also deserve to be remembered for their courage, their patriotism and their contribution to the war effort.  

JERZY TUSIEWICZ

He was born on 24th February 1922 in Pultusk in Warsaw Province. In 1939 he was in the 2 Cadet Corps in Rawicz. In September 1939 he was transferred to 2 Baloon Battalion in Legionowo. During the September Campaign, on 15th September 1939, he was captured by the Germans and became a Prisoner of War until 23 March 1942. It is highly unlikely that he was released so presumably he escaped.

In 1943 he found himself in England and was directed to the Polish Depot in Blackpool. In July 1943 he was posted to the Flying School at RAF Hucknall in Nottinghamshire (probably 15 Polish Elementary Flying Training School) and then to 16 SFTS (16 Polish Service Flying Training School) in Newton as pilot-cadet with Polish rank of plutonowy (the equivalent British rank is L/Ac). In December 1944 he was posted to Navigation School at RAF Blackpool as a pilot and navigator-cadet. In February 1945 he qualified and was posted to 304 Squadron as a pilot.

In May 1945 he was promoted to the polish rank of sierżant-podchorąży (the equivalent British rank is Sergeant). In May 1946 he finished his flying service as a pilot in 16 SFTS in RAF Newton.

In 1947 he emigrated to Canada and settled in Port Severn, Ontario. He became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and later, Senior Administrator of the University of Toronto. He died on 18th May 2011.

JAN LUSZCZEK - THE POLISH HOUDINI

He was born on 21st December 1918 at Ratulow near Nowy Targ and before the war he did parachute and glider training. He was captured by the Russians at Chelma but escaped and was captured by the Ukrainian Militia but escaped again. He was the captured by the Germans but released after two days.

In December 1939 he fled to France via Slovakia and Hungary where he was interned but escaped again finally getting to Marseilles via Jugoslavia. He then went to Cherbourg via Paris and took ship to Southampton. He worked as a mechanic aon Hurricanes and Spitfires then retrained as a navigator but specializing in radar. He trained at RAF Blackpool and at RAF Silloth before being posted to Coastal Command at RAF Benbecula on 6th October 1944. He and his crew flew 14 missions before the war ended; the first was on Christmas Eve 1944 when one of their engines caught fire and was extinguished by a steep dive. On another occasion they were out of fuel and landed with a full load of bombs, much to the consternation of the ground crews! He survived the war and returned to Poland. He won the Silver Cross of Merit with Swords. He was still alive in August 2004.