|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 14, 2008 8:52:48 GMT -7
I am an Englishman who is trying to create a tribute to the Poles who fought for our (British) freedom. The Polish contribution was massive - too big for one man to cover - and so I have chosen 304 Squadron because one of their aircraft fell out of the sky near my home village, and so there is a local connection. I want to honour all of them, air crew and ground crew and this, in itself, is a mammoth task. Many of those who survived the war emigrated to the USA and Canada. I am appealing to their descendants to help e with information (and photographs, if possible) of individual members of the Squadron. If you can help, please contact me on this forum or by PM or e-mail
Many thanks for any information you are able to give. Help me make their memory last forever.
Thank you
Neville Bougourd
|
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Nov 14, 2008 15:50:21 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 14, 2008 20:45:48 GMT -7
Here is a story of one man who is typical of the brave Poles of 304 Squadron:
WAROCZEWSKI F/O Jan Stanislaw
It was early afternoon, around 1.30 pm, on 14th December 1940, a Wellington bomber which had reportedly got lost over the North Sea ploughed into trees on high ground near West Edmondsley Farm, five miles North West of Durham. Well, planes do come down in wartime, but not usually on this sleepy little hamlet. The impact point was in the woods close to the Wardle’s Bridge Inn.
Out of fuel, the plane was seen to make a hard right turn to avoid the farm, a Grade II listed building dating back to 1751, and the people in it. At the crash scene the Wellington’s back was broken and the nose area, presumably the Perspex front gun turret was broken open and in the stream. The pilot was still strapped in his seat.
There were four crew members aboard, unusual as a Wellington normally carries six, and all were injured, three of them quite badly but all were alive. The alarm was raised and the injured were taken to the farm dairy, using an old door as a stretcher. They were given morphine and first aid by Dr Mukerji, the local GP from Craghead. They were then taken to Chester-le-Street Hospital and later transferred to York Military Hospital.
The crew were Flying Officer M. Kostuch, Flying Officer Jan Stanislaw Waroczewski (the pilot), Sgt J Boczkowski and P/O Stanczuk. Flying Officer Waroczewski was later to become something of a hero, as will be explained later.
There were various reports of this accident and most were generally accurate but a few errors had to be sorted out before the real picture emerged. The aircraft was said to be a Mark III Wellington from 604 Squadron flying out of RAF Syerston. But 604 was a fighter squadron (flying de Havilland Mosquitoes, Bristol Beaufighters, Gloster Gladiators and Bristol Blenheims) and did not fly out of RAF Syerston and the Mark III did not come into service until six months after the crash, nor did 304 Squadron ever fly Mark IIIs. However, 304 Squadron had just moved to RAF Syerston and flew Mark Ic Wellingtons.
It was actually on a cross country training mission, not a bombing mission, as reported. 304 Squadron did not fly operational missions (i.e. bombing raids) until the following April. The circumstances were that the pilot had selected an emergency landing site but his wings iced up and his windows iced over at 3,500 feet and he lost sight of his chosen landing ground. It must be remembered that this was one of the worst winters of the 20th Century. The pilot saw the farm at the last minute and his evasive action caused him to hit the trees on slightly higher ground.
Mindful of security, the only crew member able to walk, collected up maps and documents before allowing himself to be treated for his injuries. Judging by the injuries sustained, this was likely to be Flying Officer Kostuch.
Once this was established, I tried to track down the crew. I still could not identify the two unnamed crew members and M Kostuch does not appear in any further records I have seen, except an entry in the Squadron’s Operational Record Book which says that he returned to the squadron on 17th March 1941. A fellow amateur researcher found more details and passed them on; the two missing crewmen were Sergeant Boczkowski and P/O Stanczuk, who was also killed later in the war in a road accident.
The Squadron Operational Record Book is blank for the day of the crash but it was recorded in the Operational Record Book of RAF Syerston and the injuries were given as follows: “The captain of the aircraft F/O WAROCZEWSKI sustained a fractured wrist and laceration of the face and the injuries to the remaining members of the crew were F/O KOSTUCK (sic) damaged wrist and laceration of face, F/O STANCZUK fractured leg and laceration of face and chest, and Sgt BOCZKOWSKI injury to chest and laceration of face.”
Jan Stanislaw Waroczewski was born on 25th December 1911 at Suchiednow in the Province of Kielci, Poland. In spite of his injuries, he returned to the squadron and was, sadly, killed in another Wellington (R1392) on 28th May 1941. His aircraft was severely hit by flak, knocking out one engine, whilst he was on a bombing raid over Boulogne. He ordered his crew to bale out and one of his crew did so, over the target zone or over the sea, but was killed and his body was never found, or was buried as unidentified. The pilot (Waroczewski) struggled valiantly and regained control of the aircraft and managed to get it back to England on the other engine but fire in that engine sealed the fate of the aircraft. Because of his heroic actions another two crew members baled out and survived with only minor injuries, but the plane crashed at Darwell Hole, near Brightling, Sussex. Flying Officer Waroczewski and the two remaining crewmen were killed. Their bodies were taken back to RAF Syerston (Nottinghamshire) and they were buried in Newark Cemetery – he was twenty nine years old. He is also remembered on Panel 75 of the War Memorial at RAF Northolt.
The last flight of R1392 started out as a perfectly normal mission for the Polish crew. Their target was the French port of Boulogne where the Germans had assembled a fleet to invade the United Kingdom. The crew knew that the anti-aircraft and night fighter defences were particularly strong but were not deterred from doing their duty. They made the usual pre-mission short flight to test their equipment and then returned for the aircraft to be fuelled and armed before they set off. They went through the routine briefing where they were given details of their target, route, defences etc. It was a clear night with no cloud cover – beneficial to both bombers and defences – and they were due over the target less than half an hour after midnight.
The mission went well and they dropped their bomb load without problems but then they were hit, by flak, in one engine, and made a very significant drop in altitude before the pilot wrestled the aircraft back under control. One crew member had already baled out and was lost forever, with no known grave. Once back over England, the second engine caught fire and the aircraft was doomed but two more crew members baled out and survived with only minor injuries. Sgt Jozefiak crawled half way out and then pulled his ripcord, which dragged him out to safety. A wild gamble which could have seen him severely injured or killed had he been hit by the tail fin or the propellers. Sadly, the aircraft failed to make it to an airfield and crashed, killing the three remaining members of the crew including the pilot..
I hope you can see why I want to honour this squadron and why I am asking for help
Neville
|
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Nov 15, 2008 8:09:28 GMT -7
I found here more information about 304 squadron with information about who was there and when they died. If you need any specific translation please let me know. It is interesting to know that these soldiers were from Silesia where my family comes from also: www.polishairforce.pl/dyw304straty.html |
|
|
|
Post by Jaga on Nov 15, 2008 8:11:45 GMT -7
|
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 15, 2008 8:14:26 GMT -7
Here is another poignant memory:
Come on all you Poles, why do I get best results from English, Irish and French sources? Have you no pride in the guts shown by your forebears. If you can't give me information, that's OK but at least give me comments on their heroism. Here is the poignant memory. HF208 crashed and burned in December 1943, 6 Poles died. They were not killed by fire but by exploding ammunition from their own plane. Anyone got a comment? I'm a Brit with no Polish ancestry and I want to honour them. "Czesc ich pamieci" Now tell me you care. I know that a lot of you have read this - so just say what you think - but say something. And tell me why the best reactions come from the Brits and the Irish. Do you people of Polish extraction just not care? Have you no pride in the courage of your ancestors? Sorry to be so hard nosed but if the Poles don't care, why should anyone else. But we do. We went to war over Poland and they paid us back big style. In Ireland there is a big chunk of engineered aluminium lying on a remote hillside; that's all that's left of HF208; it's still there after 65 years. Some of us treat it with reverence - a poignant memorial. So to all the Poles who read this, please help me remember these men. Remember that they fought in Poland where they were outgunned by superior forces - Germans whose alleged advisory status had battle hardened them, and Russians attacking from the back door; not battle hardened but just barbaric fanatics. The Poles ran to France; they fought hard but the French collapsed like butter in a furnace, then the Poles ran to England. They weren't gutless - in fact they didn't know how to give in. They fought on and won this time - Then America, Russia and Great Britain repaid them by handing them over to Communist rule. Ours is the shame; theirs is the glory. OK, I was born after the war ended, but I believe that we owe them a debt of honour. So please, all you Poles reading this, help me honour their memory.
Neville
|
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 15, 2008 8:21:16 GMT -7
To Jaga,
Thank you for the information on Newark cemetery. To everyone else, the German advisory status was in the Spanish Civil War - sorry I forgot to mention that
|
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 15, 2008 8:23:35 GMT -7
To Jaga,
I also forgot to mention that I have been trying to get that information for a long time. Thanks again.
Neville
|
|
|
|
Post by karl on Nov 15, 2008 8:48:16 GMT -7
Here is another poignant memory: Come on all you Poles, why do I get best results from English, Irish and French sources? Have you no pride in the guts shown by your forebears. If you can't give me information, that's OK but at least give me comments on their heroism. Here is the poignant memory. HF208 crashed and burned in December 1943, 6 Poles died. They were not killed by fire but by exploding ammunition from their own plane. Anyone got a comment? I'm a Brit with no Polish ancestry and I want to honour them. "Czesc ich pamieci" Now tell me you care. I know that a lot of you have read this - so just say what you think - but say something. And tell me why the best reactions come from the Brits and the Irish. Do you people of Polish extraction just not care? Have you no pride in the courage of your ancestors? Sorry to be so hard nosed but if the Poles don't care, why should anyone else. But we do. We went to war over Poland and they paid us back big style. In Ireland there is a big chunk of engineered aluminium lying on a remote hillside; that's all that's left of HF208; it's still there after 65 years. Some of us treat it with reverence - a poignant memorial. So to all the Poles who read this, please help me remember these men. Remember that they fought in Poland where they were outgunned by superior forces - Germans whose alleged advisory status had battle hardened them, and Russians attacking from the back door; not battle hardened but just barbaric fanatics. The Poles ran to France; they fought hard but the French collapsed like butter in a furnace, then the Poles ran to England. They weren't gutless - in fact they didn't know how to give in. They fought on and won this time - Then America, Russia and Great Britain repaid them by handing them over to Communist rule. Ours is the shame; theirs is the glory. OK, I was born after the war ended, but I believe that we owe them a debt of honour. So please, all you Poles reading this, help me honour their memory. Neville Neville Please excuse of my intrusion upon your very fine presentations, for I mean not of distraction. You are as you say, not Polish, and so be. I am not Polish, but German and so it be. For why are you so intent upon to push for controversy? The war was fought and won by you people and your allies, this was 63 years past, the currant year is 2008, this is the here and now and most important. Incidentally, my home {Cuxhaven} was the primary source of the vengeance weapons that were frequent visitors over your home land. Karl |
|
Pawian
European
Have you seen my frog?
Posts: 3,266
|
Post by Pawian on Nov 15, 2008 14:36:48 GMT -7
You are as you say, not Polish, and so be. I am not Polish, but German and so it be. For why are you so intent upon to push for controversy? The war was fought and won by you people and your allies, this was 63 years past, the currant year is 2008, this is the here and now and most important. Hmm, yes, why should anybody be interested in WW2? People can take up tennis or jogging or just watch TV instead of digging in some dusty archives.... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Do you mean Wunderwaffe or Vergeltungswaffe?  Very interesting... Is there a monument to the rocket in Cuxhaven? |
|
|
|
Post by karl on Nov 16, 2008 7:04:55 GMT -7
Pawian I think perhaps the following url will/should answer of your questions. Being similar of launch sites for both the A-4 {V-2} and of the Fi-103 Fieseler {V-2}. The A-4 was worlds 1st ballistic intercontinental rocket. The intrinsic design created function in both atmospheric and vacuum environment with full automatic control in both. This was accomplished with control surface on both the exterior and exhaust alike. As of power being supplied by the rocket motor, both the fuel and oxidizer are self carried excluding the need of out side oxygen. The Fi-103 was worlds 1st operational cruise missile. It was crude, but functional. I think perhaps the following url will provide the answers you have asked. Perhaps in future time as travel and time allows, it would be of interest to your self and your students for travel and visit of these locations. For only as historic education of the real thing instead of that of dry books. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_experiments_in_the_area_of_Cuxhavengreyfalcon.us/Peenem%C3%BCnde.htmI do trust my post reply to Mr. Archivist was not offensive to him. I was with hope he would reply with his own observations as to his country and Mr. Winston Churchill of his leadership during the crisis of the war. It is such shame that these inventions both, were designed for war and not for exploration to expand of our knowledge. Or with further development, the designs perhaps be compatible for use as robot vehicles for use in hostile conditions not suitable for human passengers. Thank you for your interest Karl |
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 16, 2008 16:50:58 GMT -7
Karl,
I am an historian, not a politician. I don't hate Germans and I don't seek controversy. All I'm trying to do is ensure that one group of fighting men are not forgotten. Yes we won the war, but at one hell of a cost and the war is over so now that we are allies let's forget the hostilities but not the men who died - on either side.
Incidentally, your comments did not offend me and I hope mine don't offend you.
And finally, I am not Mr Archivist! That's just a name of convenience for the internet. If I have not mentioned it elsewhere, my name is Neville Bougourd.
Kind Regards
Neville
|
|
|
|
Post by archivist on Nov 16, 2008 17:06:03 GMT -7
To everyone who may read this.
I started this thread as a request for information. I do not wish to restart World War 2 or revive old hatred. I would rather be completely ignored than ignite international hostility. If you can help me, that@s great. If you can't, that's not an earth shattering problem. But let's try to live by the motto of the 1960's (when I grew up) MAKE LOVE NOT WAR
Neville
|
|
|
|
Post by karl on Nov 17, 2008 9:02:51 GMT -7
Karl, I am an historian, not a politician. I don't hate Germans and I don't seek controversy. All I'm trying to do is ensure that one group of fighting men are not forgotten. Yes we won the war, but at one hell of a cost and the war is over so now that we are allies let's forget the hostilities but not the men who died - on either side. Incidentally, your comments did not offend me and I hope mine don't offend you. And finally, I am not Mr Archivist! That's just a name of convenience for the internet. If I have not mentioned it elsewhere, my name is Neville Bougourd. Kind Regards Neville Neville You are within the reasons of your complaint against my self. In-as-much as I have been such a bore, please do accept my Apology!  I would only suppose my of my dissatisfaction with mention of the war, is I do hate it so very much, even though I had nothing to do with it. But, this is my problem. As a historian, I will surmise you have arrived at the most opportune forum for your research and information search, for it is a Polish forum. Fret not though if perhaps a light response of your presentation at certain occasions. For I will assure you, yours are not with out notice, even if perhaps a noticeable lack of response, they are well read. Many here are very knowledgeable of this history, and I do believe given some time, it will prove very satisfactory endeavor for you. Karl |
|
|
|
Post by tuftabis on Nov 17, 2008 12:04:42 GMT -7
Hi Neville, thanks God, you don't want to restart the WWII! We have one member of the forum who is still conducting his private war with Poland and Poles. That's quite enough for one spot in the cyberspace. I too grew up in the sixties, in Poland. I have heard a lot about Polish pilots in RAF during WWII, but not much about the 304 squadron particularly I'm afraid. I assume you've read the book 'Question of honour' by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. If not- here's a link www.lynneolson.com/questionofhonor/All the best in your work |
|
