Wacław Król

Wacław Król
Born(1915-12-25)25 December 1915
Sandomierz, Poland
Died15 June 1991(1991-06-15) (aged 75)
Warsaw, Poland
Allegiance Poland
 France
 United Kingdom
Service / branch Polish Air Force
 France Armée de l'Air
 Royal Air Force
Years of service1935–1947
RankColonel
Service numberP1299
UnitNo. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron
Polish Fighting Team
3rd Polish Fighter Wing
No. 131 Wing RAF
Battles / warsPolish Defensive War, World War II
AwardsVirtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)

Wacław Król (25 December 1915 – 15 June 1991) was a Polish military pilot and an air colonel of the Polish Air Force. A veteran of the Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain during World War II, he served with distinction alongside the Royal Air Force and rose to the rank of wing commander. He also became one of the Polish fighter aces of the war (ranked 15th on Bajan's list). After the war he became a successful historian and author of numerous books.[1]

Life

Polish pilots in North Africa during World War 2. Wacław Król is the first one on the left in the upper row.

Wacław Król graduated from the Polish Air Force Academy of Dęblin in 1935 and joined the Polish Air Forces. A deputy commander of the Polish 121st Fighter Escadrille, he scored his first aerial victory on the very first day of World War II (a Henschel Hs 126, shared with Corporal Paweł Kowala). During the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland, he downed one additional Heinkel He 111 bomber. After September 17 he escaped with his unit to Romania. Interned there, he managed to escape and reach France, where he re-joined the Polish Air Forces. Temporarily attached to the French Groupe de Chasse II/7, he took part in the Battle of France. During the German invasion of that country he shot down two enemy bombers (Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17) and a probable kill of another Do 17.

Evacuated to North Africa and then to Great Britain, he joined the Polish units stationed there and took part in the Battle of Britain as member of the No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron. During the battle, he shot down one Messerschmitt Bf 109 over London and one Junkers Ju 88 (shared with two other pilots). For the remainder of the war he served with various other Polish units. First with No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron (one Bf 109 and one Focke-Wulf Fw 190), then with No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron and eventually with the Polish Fighting Team, better known as "Skalski's Circus" in North Africa. While there he downed two German Messerschmitts Bf 109 and one Italian Macchi C.202.

Upon his return to Europe in October 1943 he rejoined the 302 Polish Fighter Sqn as its commanding officer, eventually rising to the rank of CO of the entire 3rd Polish Fighter Wing (10 March 1945) and the No. 1 Polish Wing (July 1945). Altogether during the war Wacław Król flew 286 missions, is credited with 8.5 or 9 confirmed shootdowns of enemy planes with 3 additional probable kills.

After the war he returned to communist-controlled Poland and took a series of menial jobs. After the end of Stalinism he was allowed to join the Polish Army and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel. Retired, he became a successful author of over 30 books documenting the history of Polish World War II air units.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Wacław Król". Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Wacław Król". Retrieved 6 April 2020.

Bibliography

  • 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, p. 313. ISBN 9788361421597
  • Jerzy Pawlak: Absolwenci Szkoły Orląt: 1925-1939. Warsaw: Retro-Art, 2009, p. 168. ISBN 8387992224
  • Piotr Sikora: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warsaw: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. 2014, pp. 242–249. ISBN 9788370205607
  • Gretzyngier, Robert; Matusiak, Wojtek; Zieliński, Józef (2012). Asy lotnictwa polskiego (in Polish). Warsaw: Dom Wydawniczy "Bellona". ISBN 978-83-11-12394-6. OCLC 828978115.
  • Józef Zieliński: Lotnicy polscy w Bitwie o Wielką Brytanię. Warsaw: Oficyna Wydawnicza MH, 2005, pp. 101–102. ISBN 8390662043

Read other articles:

TNP-ATP

TNP-ATP is a fluorescent molecule that is able to determine whether a protein binds to ATP, and the constants associated with that binding. It is primarily used in fluorescence spectroscopy, but is also very useful as an acceptor molecule in FRET, and as a fluorescent probe in fluorescence microscopy and X-ray crystallography.[1] TNP BINDING Constituent parts TNP refers to the chemical compound 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, also known as Picric acid.[2] It is a primary constituent of ...

 

Alfa Romeo P3

Alfa Romeo Tipo B (P3) Descrizione generale Costruttore  Alfa Romeo Categoria Formula Grand Prix Classe Formula Libera, Formula 750 Kg Produzione Dal 1932 al 1935 Squadra Alfa Romeo, Scuderia Ferrari Progettata da Vittorio Jano Sostituisce Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MonzaAlfa Romeo Tipo A Sostituita da Alfa Romeo Monoposto 8C 35Alfa Romeo 16C Bimotore Descrizione tecnica Meccanica Telaio Longheroni e traverse in lamiera stampata di acciaio con sezione a C Motore 8 cilindri in linea bialbero bib...

 

Burung-burung Sorga

Ladang Lili - Tiffany Studios, s. 1910 Burung-burung Sorga (juga disebut sebagai Bunga-bunga Ladang atau Lili-lili Ladang) adalah sebuah firman yang disampaikan Yesus seperti yang tercatat dalam Injil Matius dan Injil Lukas dalam Perjanjian Baru. Firman tersebut membuat beberapa rujukan kepada dunia alam: gagak (dalam Lukas), bunga dan ngengat semuanya disebutkan. Dari Matius 6:25–33: 6:25 Karena itu Aku berkata kepadamu: Janganlah kuatir akan hidupmu, akan apa yang hendak kamu makan atau m...

العلاقات البالاوية السلوفاكية

العلاقات البالاوية السلوفاكية بالاو سلوفاكيا   بالاو   سلوفاكيا تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات البالاوية السلوفاكية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين بالاو وسلوفاكيا.[1][2][3][4][5] مقارنة بين البلدين هذه مقارنة عامة ومرجعية للدولتين: وجه الم...

 

Kepulauan Caroline

Untuk pulau di Kiribati (Kepulauan Garis Selatan), lihat Pulau Caroline. Koordinat: 06°03′N 147°05′E / 6.050°N 147.083°E / 6.050; 147.083 Peta Kepulauan Caroline Letak Kepulauan Caroline Navigator Mau Piailug (1932–2010) dari pulau Satawal, Mikronesia Matahari tenggelam di Colonia di Yap Kepulauan Caroline (Islas Carolinas dalam bahasa Spanyol, Karolinen dalam bahasa Jerman) adalah sebuah kepulauan yang terletak di barat Samudera Pasifik, sampai utara Nugini....

 

Tahun cahaya

Tahun cahayaPeta menunjukkan bintang-bintang yang terletak dalam 12,5 tahun cahaya dari Matahari[1]Informasi umumSistem satuanunit astronomiBesaranpanjangSimbolly[2]Konversi 1 ly[2] dalam ...... sama dengan ...    Satuan metrik (SI)   9,4607×1015 m   9,4607 Pm   Satuan imperial & AS   5,8786×1012 mi   Unit astronomi   63.241 au   ...

All-America Football Conference playoffs

The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was an American football league which challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. From 1946 to 1948, the AAFC determined its champion in a title game between the winners of its two divisions. In 1948, a special playoff game was needed to break a first-place tie in one of the divisions. In 1949, the league contracted to a single division, so it determined its champion by a four-team single-elimination tournament. The C...

 

Volatile (astrogeology)

Elements and compounds that are readily vaporized For other uses, see Volatile (disambiguation). This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.Find sources: Volatile astrogeology – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2011) Volatiles are the group of chemical elements and chemical compound...

 

Ignazio di Loyola

Sant'Ignazio di LoyolaSant'Ignazio di Loyola in un dipinto di Pieter Paul Rubens Fondatore della Compagnia di Gesù  NascitaLoyola, 23 ottobre 1491 circa MorteRoma, 31 luglio 1556 Venerato daChiesa cattolica Beatificazione27 luglio 1609 da papa Paolo V Canonizzazione12 marzo 1622 da papa Gregorio XV Santuario principaleChiesa del Gesù, Roma Ricorrenza31 luglio AttributiCuore trapassato da spine, IHS (Cristogramma) Patrono diGesuiti, militariPatrono universale della gioventù[1&...

Eucratides II

Greco-Bactrian king Eucratides II as a young man. Eucratides II Eukratides II, imitation, possibly Sogdian. Eucratides II (Greek: Εὐκρατίδης) was a Greco-Bactrian king of the 2nd century BC who was a successor, and probably a son, of Eucratides I. It seems likely that Eucratides II ruled for a relatively short time after the murder of his namesake, until he was dethroned in the dynastic civil war caused by the same murder, since Justin reports: As Eucratides returned from India, he...

 

Lung

Primary organ of the respiratory system For other uses, see Lung (disambiguation). This article uses anatomical terminology. LungDiagram of the human lungs with the respiratory tract visible, and different colours for each lobeThe human lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity.DetailsSystemRespiratory systemIdentifiersLatinpulmoGreekπνεύμων (pneumon)MeSHD008168TA98A06.5.01.001TA23265Anatomical terminology[edit on Wikidata] The lungs are the central organs of the ...

 

KBP Instrument Design Bureau

Russian defense companyYou can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (September 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Russian article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated t...

A4123 road

A4123Route informationLength12 mi (19 km)HistoryConstruction completed 1927Major junctionsNorthwest endWolverhampton Ring Road52°34′46″N 2°07′32″W / 52.579389°N 2.125453°W / 52.579389; -2.125453 (A4123 road (north end))Major intersections A4150 A4039 A463 A457 A461 A4034 M5 Jnc. 2 A456 A4040Southeast endHarborne, Birmingham52°27′32″N 1°57′48″W / 52.458971°N 1.963203°W / 52.458971; -1.9632...

 

Новотитаровское сельское поселение

Сельское поселение России (МО 2-го уровня)Новотитаровское сельское поселение Флаг[d] Герб 45°14′09″ с. ш. 38°58′16″ в. д.HGЯO Страна  Россия Субъект РФ Краснодарский край Район Динской Включает 4 населённых пункта Адм. центр Новотитаровская Глава сельского пос...

 

John Castriciones

Filipino lawyer and government official In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Rualo and the surname or paternal family name is Castriciones. John CastricionesCastriciones in 201814th Secretary of Agrarian ReformIn officeDecember 1, 2017 – October 8, 2021PresidentRodrigo DutertePreceded byRosalina Bistoyong (OIC)Succeeded byBernie Cruz (acting)[1]Undersecretary for Operations of the Department of the Interior and Local GovernmentIn offi...

Cult of personality

Idolization of a leader For a list of cults of personality, see List of cults of personality. Cult of Personality redirects here. Not to be confused with Cult of Personality (song). A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,[1] is the result of an effort which is made to create an idealized and heroic image of a glorious leader, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Historically, it has developed through techniques of mass media, propaganda, spectacle, the arts, patrio...

 

Lennard Pearce

English actor (1915–1984) For the electrical engineer, see Leonard Pearce. Lennard PearcePearce as Grandad in Only Fools and HorsesBorn(1915-02-09)9 February 1915Paddington, London, EnglandDied15 December 1984(1984-12-15) (aged 69)Archway, London, EnglandAlma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic ArtOccupationActorYears active1930s–1984TelevisionOnly Fools and Horses (1981–1984) Leonard Pearce (9 February 1915 – 15 December 1984) was an English actor who worked in theatre and ...

 

Fumiko Ito

Japanese long jumper Fumiko ItoFumiko Ito at the 1960 OlympicsPersonal informationBorn (1940-03-05) March 5, 1940 (age 84)Ibaraki Prefecture, JapanHeight159 cm (5 ft 3 in)Weight49 kg (108 lb)SportSportAthleticsEventLong jumpAchievements and titlesPersonal best6.11 m (1961) Medal record Representing  Japan Asian Games 1962 Jakarta Long jump Fumiko Ito (伊藤 文子, Itō Fumiko, born March 5, 1940) is a retired Japanese long jumper. She placed 12th at the 19...

Russian cruiser Oleg

For other ships with the same name, see Oleg (ship). This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Oleg in April 1918 History Russia NameOleg (Russian: Олег) BuilderAdmiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg Laid down6 July 1902 Launched14 August 1903 Commissioned24 June 1904 FateTorpedoed and sunk, 1...

 

العلاقات التوفالية الميكرونيسية

العلاقات التوفالية الميكرونيسية توفالو ولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة   توفالو   ولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة تعديل مصدري - تعديل   العلاقات التوفالية الميكرونيسية هي العلاقات الثنائية التي تجمع بين توفالو وولايات ميكرونيسيا المتحدة.[1][2][3][4][5] ...