Stefan Sznuk, OC (1896 – May 6, 1986) was a pioneering

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

aviator, as well as an Air Force major-general and was among the first to join the new Polish Air Force in 1919. Born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, he was educated 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 ...

. He fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

for Imperial Russia and later, after the Russian revolution, with the counterrevolutionary White Russians. During the Polish Defensive War of 1939, he was staff officer and commander of the Polish Air Forces in the

Army Kraków An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, then in the

Army Lublin Lublin Army ( pl, Armia Lublin) was an improvised Polish Army created on September 4, 1939 from the Warsaw Armoured Motorized Brigade and various smaller units concentrated around the cities of Lublin, Sandomierz and upper Vistula river. It was com ...

. He escaped to

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

, later to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. In

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

he became the Chief Inspector of the Staff of the

Polish Air Forces in Great Britain The Polish Air Forces ( pl, Polskie Siły Powietrzne) was the name of the Polish Air Forces formed in France and the United Kingdom during World War II. The core of the Polish air units fighting alongside the Allies were experienced veterans of ...

. Addressing the language problems of each nation controlling its own trainees during the 1942 Ottawa Air Training Conference ( British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) of 14 United Nations countries that was designed to coordinate future air power; Poland's Group Captain Stefan Sznuk explained: ''Only in one instance does a Polish airman speak this language distinctly and with the proper accent—it is when he speaks to the enemy using the eloquent language of the twelve English-made machine guns of his fighter plane.'' Sznuk was the last

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

attaché in Canada before the Soviet-control of the nation. After the demobilization of the Polish Army he settled down in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He helped over 4,500 Polish veterans emigrate to Canada after

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 ...

and was active in the Polish community as Vice-President of the

Canadian Polish Congress The Canadian-Polish Congress ( pl, Kongres Polonii Kanadyjskiej, KPK, CPC) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization federally integrated on the 7th of February 1933 in Winnipeg, Manitoba which was previously known as the Federation of Polish Soci ...

. In 1970, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. He died on 1986-05-06 in Ottawa, and was buried in the

Notre-Dame Cemetery (Ottawa) Notre Dame Cemetery, is a Catholic cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1872, it is the most prominent Catholic cemetery in Ottawa. The cemetery's western edge is located in Vanier, just south of Beechwood Cemetery. Its eastern limi ...

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 Medal *

Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...

, Commander * Cross of Valour (''Krzyż Walecznych''), twice * Gold Cross of Merit with Swords (''Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami'') *

, Officer

References

;Inline ;General
Archival Sources for the Study of Polish Canadians, Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2002
retrieved on 2008-05-31. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sznuk, Stefan 1896 births 1986 deaths Military personnel from Warsaw Warsaw University of Technology alumni Polish emigrants to Canada Polish generals Polish aviators Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Recipients of the Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland) Officers of the Order of Canada Polish military attachés

Awards

See also

Archives

References