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Henryk Pietrzak

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Henryk Pietrzak
Born(1914-03-06)6 March 1914
Ruda Pabianicka
Died28 January 1990(1990-01-28) (aged 75)
Allegiance Poland
 France
 United Kingdom
Service / branch Polish Air Force
 France Armée de l'Air
 Royal Air Force
Service numberP-1915
UnitNo. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron
Battles / warsPolish Defensive War, World War II
AwardsVirtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)
Henryk Pietrzak after the 500th victory

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. 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, 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

  1. Aces High; Shores & Williams 1993, page 496
  2. Gretzyngier, Robert (1998). Polish Aces of World War 2. Osprey Publishing. p. 93. ISBN 1855327260.

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.
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