Jerzy Bajan (4 May 1901 – 27 June 1967) was a prominent Polish sports and military aviator, winner of the
Challenge 1934 The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934, in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, w ...
contest.
Early military career
He was born in
Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
( pl, Lwów; now Lviv,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
). After Poland regained independence in 1918, at the age of 17 he volunteered for the Polish Army. He was one of young Lwów defenders ("
Lwów Eaglets
Lwów Eaglets ( pl, Orlęta lwowskie) is a term of affection that is applied to the Polish child soldiers who defended the city of Lwów ( uk, L'viv), in Eastern Galicia, during the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919).
Background
The city now k ...
"). Next he served in cavalry, and later in infantry, during the
Polish-Soviet war of 1920. In 1922, he applied for the Polish Air Force.
Despite experiencing health problems, he completed the Officer Flying School in
Grudziądz
Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...
and a higher pilotage course in Bydgoszcz and became a fighter pilot. In 1927, he served in 114th Fighter Escadre in
Lida
Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region.
Etymology
The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...
, from 1928 moved to
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
and renamed the 122nd Fighter Escadre of the 2nd Fighter Regiment. In the beginning of the 1930s he was promoted to Captain.
Sport activities
During service in a fighter unit, his passion became
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glid ...
. Along with
Karol Pniak
Karol Pniak (26 January 1910 – 10 November 1980) was a Polish World War II flying ace of the Battle of Britain. Originally a pilot for the Polish Air Force in the September Campaign of 1939, he later flew with No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air ...
and Corporal Macek he formed the first aerobatic team in Poland, so-called "Bajan's trio". They flew on air shows on
PWS-A fighters, the wings of which were tied together by ropes.
Bajan also took part in aviation contests. In July–August 1930 he took part in International Touring Aircraft Contest, the
Challenge 1930 The International Touring Competition in 1930 (french: Challenge International de Tourisme) was the second FAI international touring aircraft contest, that took place between July 18 and August 8, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. Four Challenges, from 1929 ...
, flying the
RWD-4
The RWD 4 was a Polish sports plane of 1930, constructed by the RWD team.
Development
The RWD 4 was constructed by the RWD team of Stanisław Rogalski, Stanisław Wigura and Jerzy Drzewiecki in Warsaw. It was based upon their earlier RWD 2 de ...
, with his escadre's chief mechanic Gustaw Pokrzywka as a crewman. He completed it on far 32nd place, but completing the contest was a success itself (for 60 starting crews). In 1931 Bajan won an aerobatic contest during an air meeting in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
. Between 22–31 July 1932 he took part in the 3rd International Air Meeting in
Zurich (or "Alpen rally"), flying a prototype fighter
PZL P.11
The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL. Possessing an all-metal structure, metal-covering, and high-mounted gull wing, the type held the distinction of ...
, and he came second (the first place of the Yugoslavian pilot was debated, because of using additions for fuel).
In 12–28 August 1932 Bajan took part in another
Challenge 1932 The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Competition (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviat ...
contest, flying the
PZL.19, again with Pokrzywka, and completed on 11th place (for 43 starting crews). In May 1933 they took part in a rally to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, for the 1st Alpen Flight Contest, covering in two stages 4063 km Warsaw-
Kharkov
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. -
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
-Lwów-Vienna route and winning the 1st place in a rally. During the contest itself, their PZL.19 was thrown by a wind to the trees while taking off from Baltant near Treibach, and then burnt; Bajan and Pokrzywka bailed out successfully.
In the last International Touring Aircraft Contest, the
Challenge 1934 The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934, in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, w ...
, set up between 28 August and 19 September 1934 in Warsaw, Bajan came as a winner, flying
RWD-9
The RWD 9 was a Polish sports plane of 1934, constructed by the RWD (aircraft manufacturer), RWD team.
Development
The aircraft was a further development of the RWD 6 - the winner of the ''IIIrd Challenge de Tourisme International'' Challenge 1932 ...
with Gustaw Pokrzywka as a crewman. Therefore, he became one of the most popular aviators in Poland.
Later military career
In the second part of the 1930s, Bajan was promoted to Major. After a practice in Great Britain, he became a Chief of Training in a Higher Flying School in
Grudziądz
Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...
. In 1936-1938 he studied at Higher War School in Warsaw, which he graduated. On 15 June 1939, in a rank of Colonel, he became a chief of Flying
Cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
School in Flying Officer Training Centre in
Dęblin
Dęblin is a town at the confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants. The population of ...
.
World War II and post-war
After outbreak of World War II, Bajan was injured in the left hand during a Luftwaffe bombing raid on Dęblin on 2 September 1939, and his hand became disabled. Along with other Polish pilots, he escaped to France in 1940, then to Great Britain. He occupied staff positions in the Polish Air Force in exile, but he also occasionally flew aircraft, having attached a hook to his hand. He served initially in a Polish Air Force Inspectorate. From 7 April to 17 October 1941 he was the first Polish liaison officer in
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Training Command (a chief of the Polish training aviation in Great Britain). In 1942, he took part in several combat flights in
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 ...
. From 1 June 1943, after the death of
Stefan Pawlikowski
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
, he became a Polish liaison officer in RAF Fighter Command - a chief of the Polish fighter aviation. Promoted to Colonel, he occupied this position until post-war, when it was liquidated.
After the war he stayed in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
instead of returning to a communist-ruled country. Bajan actively worked in the Polish Aviators Association in Great Britain, serving as its president for a time. He led the historical commission, that researched a list of Polish air victories during World War II, known as the "
Bajan's list". He also was a co-founder of the Polish Gliding Club at
Lasham
Lasham is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton and north of Bentworth, just off the A339 road. The parish covers an area of and has an average elevation of above sea level. ...
. He received disability benefits. Bajan died on 27 June 1967 in London.
References
* Jerzy R. Konieczny, Tadeusz Malinowski: ''Mała encyklopedia lotników polskich'', WKiŁ, Warsaw 1983,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bajan, Jerzy
1901 births
1967 deaths
Polish aviators
Polish Army officers