Henryk Szczęsny (27 March 1909 – 25 July 1996) was a Polish
fighter ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
of the
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, 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 26,000 military personnel an ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
with 9 confirmed kills and one shared.
Biography
Szczęsny was born in Ruszkowo near
Ciechanów
Ciechanów is a city in north-central Poland, seat of the Ciechanów County in the Masovian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, it has a population of 43,495.
A city with almost a thousand years of history, recorded in 1065, Ciechanów is one of ...
in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. He was the son of Stanisław and Marianna. In January 1931 he entered to
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 ...
in
Dęblin
Dęblin is a town at the Confluence (geography), confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which together have over 100,000 inhabitan ...
. He was promoted
first lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
(
podporucznik
''Podporuchik'' ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, потпоручник, potporučnik, , , , , ) is the most junior officer in some Slavic armed forces, and is placed below the rank of lieutenant, typically corresponding to rank of second lieutenant in English ...
) on 15 August 1933. During the
Invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
he flew old
PZL P.7
The PZLP.7 was a Polish gull wing monoplane fighter aircraft designed in the early 1930s at the PZL factory in Warsaw. It was the main fighter of the Polish Air Force between 1933 and 1935. The PZLP.7 was replaced in Polish service by its follow- ...
. On 3 September 1939 he was credited with a "probable" victory over a
Ju 87. On 14 September, flying a
PZL P.11
The PZL P.11 is a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and produced in the early 1930s by Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze. Possessing an all-metal structure, metal-covering, and high-mounted gull wing, the type held the distinction of being widely cons ...
he shot down a
He 111. He injured his leg in the next day.
On 17 September, he crossed the border with
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
he healed his wound. On 12 November 1939 he arrived in
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. He came to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in February 1940. On 6 August he was assigned to a fighter squadron. One week later he shot down a
Do 17. On 19 December he was posted to
No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron. Between 20 August 1941 and 28 February 1942 he was made Commanding Officer of his squadron.
On 4 April 1943 his plane was damaged in combat with two enemy planes, he had to parachute and was captured by the Germans. He was sent to
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel.
The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...
. After his release from internment in 1945 he returned to England. He served in the RAF until 1965.
Henryk Szczęsny died on 25 July 1996 in London. He was buried at the
Gunnersbury Cemetery.
His son, Bradley Curtis (born Zdzisław Szczêsny; July 9, 1938 – August 19, 1980), was the flight engineer of
Saudia Flight 163
Saudia Flight 163 was a scheduled Saudia passenger flight departing from Quaid-e-Azam Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, bound for Kandara Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Riyadh International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which caught fir ...
that claimed the lives of 301 people including Curtis.
Aerial victory credits
* Ju 87 – 3 September 1939 probably destroyed and 1 damaged
* He 111 – 14 September 1939
* He 111 – 15 September 1939
* Do 17 – 13 August 1940
* Bf 110 – 11 September 1940
*
1/3 x Do 215 – 5 October 1940
* Bf 109 – 1 December 1940
* Bf 109 - 2 December 1940 damaged
* Bf 109 – 5 December 1940
*
1/2 x Bf 109 – 10 July 1941
*
1/2 x Ju 88 – 14 July 1941
* 2 x Fw 190 – 4 April 1943
Awards
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
, Silver Cross
Cross of Valour (Poland)
The Cross of Valour () is a Polish military decoration. It was 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 field of battle." It may be aw ...
, four times
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 val ...
References
Further reading
* 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, p. 553.
* Jerzy Pawlak: ''Absolwenci Szkoły Orląt: 1925-1939''. Warszawa: Retro-Art, 2009, p. 130.
* Piotr Sikora: ''Asy polskiego lotnictwa''. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. 2014, p. 207–212.
* Józef Zieliński: ''Asy polskiego lotnictwa''. Warszawa: Agencja lotnicza ALTAIR, 1994, p. 24. ISBN 83862172.
* Józef Zieliński: ''Lotnicy polscy w Bitwie o Wielką Brytanię''. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza MH, 2005, p. 199–200.
* ASC par. Gołymin nr aktu ur. 31/1909 Ruszkowo, E. Lewandowski, Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Zygmunta Krasińskiego w Ciechanowie, Ciechanów 2005
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szczesny, Henryk
The Few
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Medal
Polish World War II flying aces
Royal Air Force officers
Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
1996 deaths
1909 births
People from Ciechanów County
Polish prisoners of war in World War II