Michał Cwynar DFC 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 5 confirmed kills and one shared.

Biography

Michał Cwynar, born in 1915 was the son of Jan and Maria. In 1933 he entered the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer's School for minors in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...

. After he completed his fighter pilot training in 1937 he was assigned to the

Polish 114th Fighter Escadrille The 114th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force (Polish: ''114. Eskadra Myśliwska'') was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of the WW2. Crew and equipment On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: 6 PZL P.1 ...

where he flew

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 ...

. On 6 December 1938 he was posted to the

Polish 113th Fighter Escadrille The 113th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force (Polish: ''113. Eskadra Myśliwska'') was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of World War II. Crew and equipment On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: fi ...

.Krzystek 2012, p. 137. On the first day of

Cwynar shot down a

Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...

.Pawlak 1991, p. 42. On 17 September 1939 he crossed the border with

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. On 29 October 1939 he arrived 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 ...

via

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. After a training on

Caudron C.714 The C.710 were a series of light fighter aircraft developed by Caudron-Renault for the French Air Force just prior to the start of World War II. One version, the C.714, saw limited production, and were assigned to Polish pilots flying in Franc ...

and

MS-406 MS4, or similar, may refer to: * , a possible dwarf planet * MS4 Modeling Environment, a software package * '' Metal Slug 4'', a video game * Mississippi Highway 4 * Mississippi's 4th congressional district * Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System ...

he took part in the

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 ...

where he flew MS-406 and later

Dewoitine D.520 The Dewoitine D.520 was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the beginning of the Second World War. The D.520 was designed in response to a 1936 requirement from the French Air Force for a fast, modern fi ...

.Belcarz 2012, p. 68. On 19 June 1940 he flew to

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

and finally via

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

and

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

he came in the UK on 17 July 1940. Initially Cwynar was sent to the 15 EFTS in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

then to the No 10 Bombing and Gunnery School in Dumries. On 15 April 1941 he was ordered to the

No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 315 (City of Dęblin) Polish Fighter Squadron ( pl, 315 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Dębliński") was one of several Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was formed as part of an agreement between the Pol ...

.Sikora 2014, p. 330. On 14 August 1941 he shot 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 ...

, on 16 September another one. On 1 June 1942 he was promoted second lieutenant (''podporucznik'').Zieliński 1994, p. 61. On 3 February 1943 he scored a

Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...

near

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

. From 5 May 1943 he was an instructor with No. 58 Operation Training Unit in Balado Bridge. He returned to his squadron on 20 November 1943. On 3 July 1945 he was given command

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 ...

.Pawlak 2009, p. 307. Michał Cwynar was demobilized in 1948, settled in Dumfries and founded his own company: "EMSEE Upholsterers & Coach Trimmers". He died on 26 May 2008.

Aerial victory credits

* Ju 87 – 1 September 1939 * Bf 110 – 3 September 1939 (probably) * Bf 109 – 14 August 1941 * Bf 109 – 16 September 1941 * Fw 190 – 3 February 1943 * Bf 109 – 30 July 1944 * 1/2 Bf 109 – 30 July 1944 (shared with second lieutenant Gwidon Świstuń)

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) 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 ...

, four 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 ...

Silver

Cross of Merit with Swords The Cross of Merit with Swords () is a Polish military award established October 19, 1942, by the Polish Government in Exile. Criteria The Cross of Merit with Swords is awarded for deeds of bravery and valor during time of war not connected wit ...

References

Bibliography

* Bartłomiej Belcarz: ''Grupa Myśliwska Montpellier 1940''. Sandomierz: Wydawnictwo Stratus, 2012 * 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. 137. * Jerzy Pawlak: ''Polskie eskadry w Wojnie Obronnej 1939''. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności, 1991 * Jerzy Pawlak: ''Absolwenci Szkoły Orląt: 1925-1939''. Warszawa: Retro-Art, 2009, s. 299. * Piotr Sikora: ''Asy polskiego lotnictwa''. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. 2014, s. 329-332. * Józef Zieliński: ''Asy polskiego lotnictwa''. Warszawa: Agencja lotnicza ALTAIR, 1994, s. 61. ISBN 83862172.

External links