Ludwik Paszkiewicz DFC (21 October 1907 – 27 September 1940) 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 6 confirmed kills.

Biography

Ludwik Paszkiewicz was born in 1907, the son of Ludwik and Janina. He studied at the

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology ( pl, Politechnika Warszawska, lit=Varsovian Polytechnic) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professor ...

then at the

Lviv Polytechnic Lviv Polytechnic National University ( ua, Націона́льний університе́т «Льві́вська політе́хніка») is the largest scientific university in Lviv, Ukraine. Since its foundation in 1816, it has bee ...

. In 1931 after his graduation he began military service. After completing Cadet Reserve course in Mołodeczno, Paszkiewicz entered the

Polish Air Force Academy The Polish Air Force Academy (Polish: ''Wyższa Szkoła Oficerska Sił Powietrznych'' (1994-2018); ''Lotnicza Akademia Wojskowa'' (since 2018)) is located in Dęblin, eastern Poland. Established in 1927 during the interwar period, the Polish Air ...

. On 4 August 1934 he was promoted to

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

(''podporucznik''). Then he was assigned to the

Polish 112th Fighter Escadrille The 112th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force (Polish: ''112. Eskadra Myśliwska'') was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army. History The Escadrille was created in 1919 by a merger of the earlier 18th Reconnaissance Escadrille and ...

. In 1937, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (''porucznik''). The same year, he married Maria Piwnicka, and one year later their daughter was born. In 1939, he became commander of his unit. In August, he went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

with a military mission in order to buy aircraft, where the outbreak of the

found him. On 18 May 1940, Paszkiewicz became commander of the new formed section of the Groupe de Chasse II/8. 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 ...

, the section made 33 flights, but never met the enemy. On 21 June 1940, Paskiewicz arrived in the UK. On 2 August, he was posted 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 ...

. On 30 August, during a training flight, he disobeyed orders and shot down a

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

fighter. He was officially reprimanded and unofficially congratulated by his superior officer. After S/L Kellet's personal recommendation, the squadron was declared operational next day by

No. 11 Group RAF No. 11 Group is a group in the Royal Air Force first formed in 1918. It had been formed and disbanded for various periods during the 20th century before disbanding in 1996 and reforming again in 2018. Its most famous service was in 1940 in the Ba ...

. His victory was portrayed in the movie ''

''. On 6 September, he became the commander of Flight B, when Wacław Łapkowski, the previous commander was wounded. The next day, Paszkiewicz downed two

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing a ...

light bombers. On 11 September, he shot down another Bf 110 and on 15 September he became an ace shooting down a

Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

fighter. On 26 September, during the visit of King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

, No. 303 Squadron was scrambled towards a large enemy raid over Hampshire, Paszkiewicz claimed a

Heinkel 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 ...

bomber. On 27 September, Paszkiewicz was hit by a Bf 109 and died in a crash-landing in

Borough Green Borough Green is situated in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The central area is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks, with the M26 motorway running through the centre dividing Wrotham and Borough Green. ...

. His only daughter died of diphtheria in 1941. His widow took part in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising ( pl, powstanie warszawskie; german: Warschauer Aufstand) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. It occ ...

. In 1960, she entered the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Szymanów, where she was named Augustyna. She died in 1995.

Aerial victory credits

Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

– 30 August 1940 (during a training flight; Bf 110 flown by Oberfw. Georg Anthony, gunner Uffz. Heinrich Nordmeyer jumped with a parachutePaszkiewicz, aircrewremembrancesociety.com
/ref>) * 2

Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing air ...

– 7 September 1940 * Bf 110 - 11 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 15 September 1940 *

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 ...

– 26 September 1940

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) 2r BAR

Cross of Valour (Poland) The Cross of Valour ( pl, Krzyż Walecznych) is a Polish military decoration. It was first introduced by the Council of National Defense on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valour and courage on the fi ...

, two times
DistinguishedFlyingCrossUKRibbon

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers, and since 1993 to other ranks, of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countri ...

Biography

Aerial victory credits

Awards

References

Further reading