Stanisław Skalski, (27 November 1915 – 12 November 2004) was a Polish aviator and

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 ...

who served with 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 ...

and British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during the

Second World War 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 ...

. Skalski was the top Polish fighter ace of the war and chronologically the first Allied fighter ace of the war, credited, according to the Bajan's list, with 18 ¹¹/₁₂ victories and two probable. Some sources, including Skalski himself, give a number of 22 ¹¹/₁₂ victories. He returned to Poland after the war but was imprisoned by the communist authorities under the pretext that he was a spy for Great Britain. While in arrest he was tortured and then, in a show trial, sentenced to death on April 7, 1950. Skalski refused to ask for clemency but after his mother's intervention with the president of communist Poland, Boleslaw Bierut his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He remained in prison until 1956 when a court overturned the previous verdict. After the "

Polish October Polish October (), also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the politics of Poland in the second half of 1956. Some social scientists term it the Polish October Revolution, which was less dramatic than the ...

" and subsequent liberalization and end of Stalinist terror, he was rehabilitated and rejoined the Polish armed forces. In 1972 he was moved to inactive service and in 1988, on the cusp of fall of communism in Poland he was promoted to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Early life and career

Stanisław Skalski was born on 27 November 1915 in

Kodyma Kódyma ( uk, Ко́дима, ; ro, Codâma) is a city in Odesa Oblast (region) of central Ukraine, located in the historic region of Podolia, south-eastern Podilia. Population: Description Kodyma is named after a river Kodyma, on which it i ...

Podolia Governorate The Podolia Governorate or Podillia Governorate (), set up after the Second Partition of Poland, was a governorate (''gubernia'', ''province'', or ''government'') of the Russian Empire from 1793 to 1917, of the Ukrainian People's Republic from 1 ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(now in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). After completing Pilot Training School in 1938, Skalski was ordered to the 142nd Fighter Squadron in Toruń (142 eskadra "Toruńska"). On 1 September 1939 he attacked a German

Henschel Hs 126 The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two-seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a protected cockpit under the parasol wing and the gunner in an open rear cockp ...

reconnaissance aircraft, which was eventually shot down by

Marian Pisarek Marian Pisarek (3 January 1912 – 29 April 1942), was a Polish fighter pilot, a flying ace of World War II, with 11 planes confirmed shot down and an additional three probable. Biography In 1939, he was a member of the Polish 141st Fighter Squ ...

. Skalski then landed next to it, helped to bandage wounded crew members and arranged for them to be taken to a military hospital. The following day, nine PZL P-11s of the 142 Squadron, led by Major Lesnievski, intercepted two formations of Dornier Do 217 on River Vistula.Jackson 1979, p. 27. Attacking head on, the Polish pilots managed to shoot down seven twin-engined bombers, two of them credited to Skalski.Jackson 1979, pp. 28-29. By 16 September Skalski reached

flying 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 ...

status, claiming a total of six German aircraft and making him the first Allied air ace of the Second World War. Skalski's claims consisted of one

Junkers Ju 86 The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed in the early 1930s, and employed by various air forces on both sides during World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry ten passengers. Two were delivered to S ...

, 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 ...

, one

Junkers 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 Con ...

, two Hs 126s and one Hs 126 shared (official list credits him with four aircraft: two Do 17s, one Hs 126, one Ju 87 and one Hs 126 shared). Soon after he fled the country with other Polish pilots to

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 ...

, and from there 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 ...

to France and after went on to fight with the

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 ...

RAF service

In August 1940,

Pilot Officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

Skalski joined

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 ...

. From 30 August to 2 September 1940 he shot down a He 111 bomber and three

Messerschmitt 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 ...

s. On 5 September Skalski himself was shot down. Skalski bailed out with severe burns, and was hospitalized for six weeks. He returned to his unit in late October 1940. During the

, he was credited with four planes shot down and one shared. In March 1941 Skalski was assigned to No. 306 (Polish) Squadron RAF,Note: 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński"; the unit insignia was derived from that of Skalski's original unit, 142 eskadry flying in ''

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

'' sorties over France. On 15 August 1941 he crashed while landing Spitfire W3170 after returning from a mission. On 1 March 1942, he became a flight commander in No. 316 (Polish) Squadron RAF. On 29 April 1942

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

Skalski was made Commanding Officer of the No. 317 (Polish) Squadron RAF for five months. From November 1942 he was an instructor with No. 58 Operation Training Unit. In October 1942 Skalski was given command of the

Polish Fighting Team The Polish Fighting Team (PFT) ( pl, Polski Zespół Myśliwski), also known as "Skalski's Circus" ( pl, Cyrk Skalskiego), was a Polish unit which fought alongside the Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth Desert Air Force in the North ...

(PFT), or so called "Cyrk Skalskiego" (Skalski's Circus) – a special flight consisting of fifteen experienced Polish fighter pilot volunteers. The Poles arrived at Bu Grara airfield, west of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

in March 1943 and attached to No. 145 Squadron RAF. The PFT took part in actions in

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

and in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. On 6 May 1943 the "Skalski Circus" fought its last battle. The unit was disbanded after the conclusion of the North African campaign. During its two months on operations, the Polish pilots had claimed a total of 26 German and Italian aircraft shot down. Skalski scored four aircraft, and Pilot Officer Eugeniusz Horbaczewski claimed five confirmed victories. Skalski

Skalski then became commander of

No. 601 (County of London) Squadron Number 601 (County of London) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF Reserves, based in London. The squadron took part in the Battle of Britain, during which the first Americans to fly in World War II were members of the squadron. Reactivated in 2017 ...

, the first Pole to command an RAF squadron. He then took part in the

invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It bega ...

and invasion of Italy. From December 1943 to April 1944

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Skalski commanded No. 131 Polish Fighter Wing. On 4 April 1944 he was appointed commander of No. 133 Polish Fighter Wing, flying the Mustang Mk III. On 24 June 1944 Skalski scored two air victories over

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. Skalski left for a tour of duty in the US in September 1944, returning in February 1945 to a staff position at No. 11 Group.

Return to Poland and arrest

After the war Skalski returned to Poland in 1947 and joined the

Air Force of the Polish Army The Air Force of the Polish Army ( pl, Lotnictwo Wojska Polskiego), unofficially known as the People's Polish Air Force was the name of the Soviet-controlled Polish Air Force in the USSR between 1943 and 1947 created alongside the Polish People ...

. In 1948 however he was arrested under the false charge of espionage. Sentenced to death, he spent three years awaiting the execution, after which his sentence was changed to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

in Wronki Prison. 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 ...

in Poland, in 1956 he was released, rehabilitated, and allowed to join the military. He served at various posts in the Headquarters of the Polish Air Force. He wrote memoires of the 1939 campaign ''Czarne krzyże nad Polską'' ("Black crosses over Poland", 1957). On 20 May 1968 he was nominated the secretary general of the

Aeroklub Polski Aeroklub Polski (AP; ''Polish Aero Club'') is the Polish central association of persons practising air sports or recreational flying. It was founded in 1921 and is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It has a headquarters in ...

and on 10 April 1972 he retired. On 15 September 1988 he was promoted to the rank of

. In 1990 he met with the German pilot he had rescued on the first day of the war. Stanisław Skalski died in Warsaw on 12 November 2004.

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 ...

, Golden Cross
POL Virtuti Militari Srebrny BAR

, 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
POL Polonia Restituta Kawalerski BAR

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

, Knight's Cross
POL Order Krzyża Grunwaldu 3 Klasy BAR

Order of the Cross of Grunwald The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polish Workers Party. On 20 February 1944 it w ...

, 3rd class
Dso-ribbon

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

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 ...

and two bars
39-45 Star w BoB clasp BAR

1939-1945 Star with

clasp

Italy Star The Italy Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who served in the Italian Campaign from 1943 to 1945, during the Second World War. The Second World War Stars On ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Cynk, Jerzy Bogdam. ''Polskie lotnictwo myśliwskie w boju wrześniowym'' (in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 2000. * Cynk, Jerzy Bogdam. ''Polskie Siły Powietrzne w wojnie tom 1: 1939–43 (Polish Air Force in War pt. 1: 1939–43)'' (in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 2001.
(Updated and revised edition of ''The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, Vol.2 1939–1943''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Books, 1998. .) * Cynk, Jerzy Bogdam. ''Polskie Siły Powietrzne w wojnie tom 2: 1943–45 (Polish Air Force in War pt. 2: 1943–45)'' (In Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: AJ-Press, 2002.
(Updated and revised edition of ''The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, Vol.2 1943–1945''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Books, 1998. .) * Grabowski, Franciszek. ''Gen. bryg. pil. Stanisław Skalski''. in: "Militaria i Fakty" 2/2005 (Polish) * Grabowski, Franciszek. ''Stanisław Skalski''. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2007. . * Gretzyngier, Robert. ''Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Pilot Operations – July 1940 – June 1941''. London: Grub Street, 2005. . * Jackson, Robert. ''Fighter! The Story of Air Combat 1936-1945''. London, Artur Barker Limited. 1979. . * Ochabska, Katarzyna. ''Stanisław Skalski''. Gliwice, 2007. * Skalski, Stanisław. ''Czarne krzyże nad Polską'' (in Polish). Warszawa, Poland, 1957 (New edition: De Facto, 2006).

External links

* Krajewski, Wojciech
"Generał brygady pilot Stanisław Skalski as polskiego lotnictwa"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skalski, Stanislaw 1915 births 2004 deaths People from Odesa Oblast People from Baltsky Uyezd Polish People's Army generals Polish World War II flying aces Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force pilots of World War II Polish Royal Air Force pilots of World War II The Few Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland) Companions of the Distinguished Service Order