Henryk Pietrzak | |
---|---|
Born | Ruda Pabianicka | 6 March 1914
Died | 28 January 1990 | (aged 75)
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Service number | P-1915 |
Unit | No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron |
Battles/wars | Polish Defensive War, World War II |
Awards | Virtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/ce/Henryk_Pietrzak.jpg/250px-Henryk_Pietrzak.jpg)
Henryk Pietrzak (b. 6 March 1914 – 28 January 1990) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II.
Biography
Pietrzak joined the Polish Air Force in 1933, as a member of the 4th Air Regiment where he was flying as a pilot of the Polish 114th Fighter Escadrille Polish 114th Fighter Escadrille and during the Invasion of Poland, he was an instructor in the Central Flying School Centrum Wyszkolenia Lotnictwa nr 1 later flew fighters with the Free French Air Force's GC III/9 squadron.
He joined No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron as a Sergeant Pilot in August 1941, flying Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires, and was commissioned the following year, eventually becoming a squadron leader. On 31 December 1942 while flying a Spitfire Mk IX (Serial No. EN128) he scored the 500th victory for the UK-based Polish Air Force in the war and was later decorated by Polish President Władysław Raczkiewicz. After starting a second tour with 306 Sqn he joined 315 Polish Fighter Squadron from July 1944 until October 1944, flying P-51 Mustang IIIs. He was awarded the DFC in August 1944.
His score was 7 ( and 2 shared) claimed destroyed and 2 damaged.[1] All his victims were German fighter planes: 3 Messerschmitt Bf 109s and 4.5 Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. He is also credited with destroying four V-1 flying bombs.
He settled in England after the war, commanding 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron from July 1945 to January 1947,[2] subsequently leaving the Airforce to become a farmer in Suffolk.
Awards
Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross - 10 February 1943
Cross of Valour, four times
Air Medal for the War of 1939–45
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) - 9 February 1945
References
Further reading
- Tadeusz Jerzy Krzystek, Anna Krzystek: Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAAF). Sandomierz: Stratus, 2012, s. 451. ISBN 9788361421597
- Piotr Sikora: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. 2014, s. 272-276. ISBN 9788370205607
- Józef Zieliński: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warszawa: Agencja lotnicza ALTAIR, 1994, s. 42. ISBN 83862172.