Michał Mirosław Karol Maciejowski DFM Lt. pilot. F / L. P-191229.10.1913 according to J. Cynk Polskie Siły Powietrzne w wojnie was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in

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 opposing ...

Early life

Maciejowski (Michael Manson) was born on October 29, 1913, in

Gródek Jagielloński __NOTOC__ Horodok ( uk, Городо́к, pl, Gródek) is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Horodok urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . History Horodok was first men ...

. In

Rzeszów Rzeszów ( , ; la, Resovia; yi, ריישא ''Raisha'')) is the largest city in southeastern Poland. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River in the heartland of the Sandomierz Basin. Rzeszów has been the capital of the Subcarpathian ...

, he completed the 6-year Jan Sobieski gymnasium. He completed a 2-year Trade School course in

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...

Military service

He was appointed to perform military service in the 40th Infantry Regiment. In 1935, he volunteered to become a pilot to the 6th Pułk Lotniczy in Lviv. From 1936-39 he served in the 6th Aviation Regiment, where he trained as a corpsman. On September 9, together with the staff of the Regiment, he moved to

Łuck Lutsk ( uk, Луцьк, translit=Lutsk}, ; pl, Łuck ; yi, לוצק, Lutzk) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding L ...

and Kleań, and on September 12 to

Kuty Kuty ( ua, Кути translit. ''Kuty'', german: Kutten, pl, Kuty, yi, קיטעוו translit. ''Kitev'', ro, Cuturi) is an urban-type settlement in Ukraine, on the Cheremosh river, in the Kosiv Raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. It is one of the ...

. On September 17, he crossed the border of Romania. He was interned there, but escaped and boarded a ship bound for Syria. At the beginning of 1940, he swam to Marseilles. He arrived in Great Britain in February. He trained at RAF Blackpool Center, assigned to the British 111 Fighter Squadron. On September 4, 1940, he shot down his first plane. During 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 ...

he shot down three German planes, and probably damaged one. He fought in the British 249 Fighter Squadron. After training in the 52nd OTU, he was assigned to the 317 Fighter Squadron. He also fought in the 316 Fighter Squadron. On August 9, 1943, around 6.30 p.m. during the Ramrod 191 mission he piloted the Spitfire IX designated SZ-E No. BS302. While flying over occupied France, he collided with Lieutenant Lech Kondracki (Spitfire IX marked SZ-R no. BS457). Kondracki died while Maciejowski saved himself by parachuting to the ground. He was captured and Imprisoned in Stalag Luft III. He was liberated and restored to service on June 1, 1945. After a refresher course at 16 FTS Newton, on August 21, he was assigned to Squadron 309 in Coltishall. He remained in the squadron until its dissolution in January 1947. He was demobilized from the army with the rank of aviation lieutenant. He changed his name to Michael Manson. He returned to the RAF in June 1951, initially as a test pilot and from 1963 he performed administrative work, before becoming a catering officer. In 1970, he ran the RAF Transit Hotel in Malta. He retired in 1972 as an aviation lieutenant. He lived in England until the death of his wife Christine. In 1987, he moved to Winnipeg, Canada, to live with his only daughter, Karen Schmidt. He died on April 26, 2001, in Winnipeg at age 87.

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 St ...

, Silver Cross * POL Krzyż Walecznych (1940) 3r 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 ...

, three 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 countrie ...

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 ...

References

External links

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Maciejowski.htm

Early life

Military service

Awards

References

External links

Further reading