Stefan Bastyr

Stefan Bastyr (17 August 1890 – 6 August 1920) was a Polish aviator and military pilot, one of the pioneers of the Polish aviation. He is credited with the first military flight in the history of the Polish Air Force on 5 November 1918, almost a week before Poland officially regained her independence, at the opening stages of the Polish-Ukrainian War. Initially he was a military pilot in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

during

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 ...

. From February 1916 he served as an observer in Flik 10 reconnaissance squadron on the eastern front, from December 1917 in Flik 12D on Austro-Italian front. In 1918 he himself trained as a pilot and was assigned to Flik 37P from June 1918. He undertook about 100 sorties during the war and scored at least 1 air victory on 4 June 1916. In the Polish Air Force, he took part in the

Battle of Lwów (1918) The Battle of Lemberg (Lviv, Lwów) (in Polish historiography called ', the Defense of Lwów) took place from November 1918 to May 1919 and was a six-month long conflict in the region of Galicia following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian ...

. He performed the first military flight of Polish aircraft, on 5 November 1918 against Ukrainian troops at Persenkowka station, along with observer Janusz de Beaurain (he flew Oeffag C.II, or according to other publications, Hansa-Brandenburg C.IKopański, Tomasz (2001) (in Polish). ''Lotnictwo w obronie Lwowa w listopadzie 1918 roku'', "Militaria i Fakty" Nr. 6/2001, p. 40-45). He died in an aircrash of

Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...

in Lviv (probably due to a hear failure) during the

Battle of Lwów (1920) During the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 the city of Lwów (modern Lviv, Ukraine) was attacked by the forces of Alexander Ilyich Yegorov. Since mid-June 1920 the 1st Cavalry Army of Semyon Budyonny was trying to reach the city from the north and ...

and is buried at the Łyczaków cemetery in Lwów (modern Lviv). 1890 births 1920 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Polish Air Force officers Polish aviators Lviv Polytechnic alumni Austro-Hungarian World War I pilots Polish people of the Polish–Ukrainian War Polish people of the Polish–Soviet War Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1920 {{PolishAirForce-stub