Stefan Witorzeńć (2 January 190830 December 1994) 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 ...

in World War II with 5 confirmed kills and one shared.

Biography

Stefan Witorzeńć was born in 1908 to a noble family. In 1930 he completed the Reserve Officers School of Infantry. In 1932 he was graduated from 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 ...

. He served in the 3rd Aviation Regiment in Poznań, then he was an instructor in the Higher Pilot School in Grudziądz. In the September Campaign he defended the region of Dęblin. He was evacuated to the UK via Romania and France. On 6 August 1940 he was ordered to the

No. 501 Squadron RAF ("Fear nothing") , colors = , colors_label = , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = France & Low Countries, 1940 Battle of Britain, 1940 Home Defen ...

where flew with Stanisław Skalski. During the Battle of Britain Witorzeńć scored 4 victories and one shared. On 18 August he shot down the German ace Horst Tietzen. On 17 November 1940 he was transferred to the

No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 306 "Toruń" Polish Fighter Squadron ( pl, 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński") 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 Polish Governmen ...

and 5 days after he took command of the A flight. In March 1941 he was promoted captain. On 14 May 1941 he was posted to the

No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 302 (City of Poznan) Polish Fighter Squadron RAF ( pl, 302 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Poznański") 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 194 ...

, on 27 May he became commander of his squadron. On 24 November 1941 he was given command of the

No. 133 Wing RAF No. 133 (Polish) (Fighter) Wing RAF is a former Royal Air Force wing that was operational during the Second World War, mainly staffed by Polish personnel as part of the Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain. The unit was previously No. 1 ...

. On 1 June 1942 he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. From 25 September 1942 to 24 April 1944 he was the liaison officer, then he became the training director of the No.61 OTU. From August 1944 he served in command of the No. 133 Wing RAF at the same time he realized combat missions. On 7 January 1945 Witorzeńć became commander of the No. 25 (Polish) Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS). He came back to Poland in 1948 but it was only in 1957, after the end of

Stalinism Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...

, he was allowed to join the Polish People's Army Air Force. He served in the Air Force Command then he was given command of the Air Training Centre in Modlin. In 1968 he went into the reserve. In 1991 he became president of the Polish Air Force Association. Stefan Witorzeńć died on 30 December 1994. He is buried at the Powązki Cemetery

Aerial victory credits

* Bf 110 - 12 August 1940 (damaged) * 2 x Ju 87 – 15 August 1940 *

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 ...

– 18 August 1940 * Ju 88 - 24 August 1940 (damaged) * Do 215 – 2 September 1940 * Do 215 – 11 September 1940 * Bf 109 – 4 September 1941

Awards

Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross
POL Krzyż Walecznych (1940) BAR

Cross of Valour (Poland)
DistinguishedFlyingCrossUKRibbon

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski ZG BAR

Commander's Cross with Star of

Polonia Restituta , image=Polonia Restituta - Commander's Cross pre-1939 w rib.jpg , image_size=200px , caption=Commander's Cross of Polonia Restituta , presenter = the President of Poland , country = , type=Five classes , eligibility=All , awa ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witorzenc, Stefan The Few Polish World War II flying aces Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta 1994 deaths 1908 births Burials at Powązki Cemetery

Biography

Aerial victory credits

Awards

References

Further reading

External links