Eugeniusz Szaposznikow (17 July 19178 July 1991) was a Polish

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

of the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mil ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

with 8 confirmed kills and one shared.

Biography

Szaposznikow took part in the September campaign in the 111th Fighter Escadrille. On 1 September he damaged a

He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...

. After the campaign he crossed the border with Romania, then he came to France where he was posted to the Cebrzyński section of the Groupe de Chasse II/5. After the French capitulation he arrived in the United Kingdom. From 2 August 1940 he was assigned to

No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons in the Royal Air ...

. He took part in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

. From 31 August to 7 October he shot down eight German aircraft. In May 1941 he became instructor in 8 OTU. On 14 December 1943 he was sent to

No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron ( pl, 316 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Warszawski") was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It ...

, on 21 December 1943 he returned to No. 303 squadron. After the war ended he stayed in the UK and changed his name to Sharman. Eugeniusz Szaposznikow died on 8 July 1991 in Nottingham.

Aerial victory credits

* He 111 - 1 September 1939 (damaged) * 1/3 Hs 126 -

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

* Bf 109 - 31 August 1940 * Do 215 - 7 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 7 September 1940 * 2 x Bf 110 - 11 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 23 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 27 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 7 October 1940 and one damaged

Awards

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King Stan ...

, Silver Cross
POL Krzyż Walecznych (1940) 4r BAR

Cross of Valour (Poland), four times
POL Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi BAR

Cross of Merit (Poland) The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was awa ...

R. King p. 398
Distinguished Flying Medal ribbon

Distinguished Flying Medal The Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other British Armed Forces, and formerly to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "exceptional va ...

Military promotions

* podporucznik - November 1941 *

porucznik Porucznik (Por.) is a rank of the Polish Army, roughly equivalent to the military rank of the First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank o ...

- 1 November 1942 * kapitan - 1 November 1944

References

External links