"The first fighter ace of WW2 who defended the UK in the Battle of Britain was a Polish war hero who ended up in a Soviet Gulag. Stanislaw Skalski is believed to have downed 22 enemy aircraft and became only the second ever Polish Operating Commander of an RAF squadron. Skalski had the distinction of being the first Allied ace of the Second World War, with a confirmed four individual and one shared victory during the Polish Campaign of 1939. In 1940 he fought in the Battle of Britain for 501 Squadron, where he shot down four planes. He was also shot down himself and bailed out with severe burns, which hospitalised him for six weeks. Skalski's wartime achievements, as well as his post-war persecution, make him arguably the most distinguished of all Polish airmen and an icon of the country's Air Force. The details of his life and images, which offer an insight into his incredible feats, are included in a new book: Skalski: Against All Odds." First fighter ace of WWII was Polish war hero | Daily Mail Online
Another black page in Soviet history. Spending eight years in a Gulag is worth than death, reminds me of Erich Hartmann and the movie As far as my feet will carry me (2001).
Skalski was sentenced to death. He spent a year in death row before his sentence was commuted to life in prison. After the post-Stalin purge of Stalinists from the ranks of Polish Communist Party he was pardoned, and even given a substantial monetary compensation for the years spent in prison. But his father hearing of his death sentence suffered a stroke and died.
