Ludwik Paszkiewicz DFC (21 October 1907 – 27 September 1940) 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 ...

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 6 confirmed kills.

Biography

Ludwik Paszkiewicz was born in 1907, the son of Ludwik and Janina. He studied at the

Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology () 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 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...

then at the Lviv Polytechnic. In 1931 after his graduation he began military service. After completing Cadet Reserve course in

Mołodeczno Maladzyechna, or Molodechno, is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Maladzyechna District (and formerly of Molodechno Region from 1944 to 1960). Maladzyechna is located northwest of Minsk. In 2006, it had an ...

, Paszkiewicz entered the Polish Air Force Academy. On 4 August 1934 he was promoted to second lieutenant (''podporucznik''). Then he was assigned to the Polish 112th Fighter Escadrille. In 1937, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (''porucznik''). The same year, he married Maria Piwnicka, and one year later their daughter was born. In 1939, he became commander of his unit. In August, he went to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

with a military mission in order to buy aircraft, where the outbreak of the

found him. On 18 May 1940, Paszkiewicz became commander of the new formed section of the Groupe de Chasse II/8. In the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () 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 defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

, the section made 33 flights, but never met the enemy. On 21 June 1940, Paskiewicz arrived in the UK. On 2 August, he was posted to

No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons during the Second ...

. On 30 August, during a training flight, he disobeyed orders and shot down a

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engined (de ...

fighter. He was officially reprimanded and unofficially congratulated by his superior officer. After S/L Kellet's personal recommendation, the squadron was declared operational next day by No. 11 Group RAF. His victory was portrayed in the movie ''

''. On 6 September, he became the commander of Flight B, when Wacław Łapkowski, the previous commander was wounded. The next day, Paszkiewicz downed two

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Large numbers were operated by the ''Luftwaffe'' throughout the Second World War. The Do 17 was designed during ...

light bombers. On 11 September, he shot down another Bf 110 and on 15 September he became an ace shooting down a

Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the Bf 109 formed the backbone of the ...

fighter. On 26 September, during the visit of King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

, No. 303 Squadron was scrambled towards a large enemy raid over Hampshire, Paszkiewicz claimed a

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...

bomber. On 27 September, Paszkiewicz was hit by a Bf 109 and died in a crash-landing in

Borough Green Borough Green is a civil parish in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling in Kent, England. The central area is situated on the A25 road between Maidstone and Sevenoaks, with the M26 motorway running through the centre dividing Wrotham and Borough ...

, Kent. He was buried at Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex. His only daughter died of diphtheria in 1941. His widow took part in the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

. In 1960, she entered the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Szymanów, where she was named Augustyna. She died in 1995.

Memorials

A memorial stone dedicated to Paszkiewicz was unveiled in 2018, at Crowhurst Farm in Borough Green, by Shoreham Aircraft Museum, close to where he was shot down.

Aerial victory credits

* Bf 110 – 30 August 1940 (during a training flight; Bf 110 flown by Oberfw. Georg Anthony, gunner Uffz. Heinrich Nordmeyer jumped with a parachutePaszkiewicz, aircrewremembrancesociety.com
/ref>) * 2 Do 17 – 7 September 1940 * Bf 110 - 11 September 1940 * Bf 109 - 15 September 1940 * He 111 – 26 September 1940

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), two times

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 British Armed Forces, services, and formerly to officers of other ...

Biography

Memorials

Aerial victory credits

Awards

References

Further reading