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TADEUZ SAWIC-OLDEST POLISH BATTLE OF BRITAN PILOT DIES AGED 97 IN CANADA.

Discussion in 'Western Europe 1939 - 1942' started by Duns Scotus, Nov 3, 2011.

  1. Duns Scotus

    Duns Scotus Member

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    Tadeuz Sawic at 97 the oldest surving Polish Battle of Britain pilot has died in his adopted home of Toronto, Canada.
    Sawic was born in 1914 in Warsaw-then part of Tsarist Russian Poland. He showed his class as a pilot dring te short air campaign over Poland between September/October 1939 by shotting down two German DO-17 bombers -despite the fact that Sawic was flying an open cockpit, obsolete Polish fighter plane.
    After the Nazi triumph Sawic fled to Romania with his Polish air force buddies then n to Britain where he flew with the highest scoring Polish fighter squadron during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
    In 1944 he flew for a spell with the U.S.A.A.F 61ST fFighter Squadron fliyng P-47 Republic Thunderbolt fighters but his main role between 1941-45 was being deeply involved in the flight and aerial combat training of Polish fighter pilots at Grangemouth, Scotland, at the head of the Firth of Forth.
    Initially British Fighter Command chief Hugh Dowding was totally aganst Polish fighter pilots in Fighter Command saying famously-''Iam aganst the infiltration of Foreign piolts into Fighter Command''-Dowding's recent biographer Vincent Orange says this was really a thumbs dwn to East Euro;pean pilots. But by he end of the Battle of Britain Dowdibng said of the 145 Poles who had fought under RAF Fighter command -pilots like Tadeuz Sawic-''They were magnificen fighters.''
     
  2. urqh

    urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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    Another one of the few making the ranks even fewer. RIP. Per Ardua Ad Astra.

    On Dowding though...give him a little slack. History has not given him too much. The RAF on the other hand always has. The fighter command setup is what enabled the RAF to beat the Luftwaffe. There had been many brave pilots fighting for their own nations before the Battle of Britian. They fought bravely against the Luftwafe. The RAF ground control setup left little room for miscommunication if it was to work the way it was envisaged. With out the ground control setup in the Battle, no matter how brave our allied pilots it would not have had the same outcome. The language mattered. It didnt matter as much at the end of the day, but the RAF had spent its pre war years the immediate years, perfecting a system that allowed for no miscocmmunication or gung ho if thats not too emotional...personal actions. I can well understand Dowdings fears on harming the system that was at that time keeping the RAF alive and in the air. He was wrong...He admitted he was. But his whole being his whole life was geared up to this moment as much as Chruchills was to May 1940. Dowdings own words:

    I must confess that I had been a little doubtful of the effect which their experience in their own countries and in France might have had upon the Polish and Czech pilots, but my doubts were soon laid to rest, because all three squadrons swung in the fight with a dash and enthusiasm which is beyond praise. They were inspired by a burning hatred for the Germans which made them very deadly opponents. The first Polish Squadron. (No. 303) in No. 11 Group, during the course of a month, shot down more Germans than any British unit in the same period. Other Poles and Czechs were used in small numbers in British squadrons, and fought very gallantly, but the language was a difficulty, and they were probably most efficiently employed in their own National units. Other foreign pilots were employed in British squadrons, but not in appreciable numbers. The American “Eagle” Squadron was in process of formation during the Battle.
     
  3. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

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    May he rest in peace :poppy:
     
  4. Duns Scotus

    Duns Scotus Member

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    Good posts Skipper-Sawic was aso friendly with and flew with Polish-American U.S. Air Force ace Gabby Gabrewski who was a P-47 Thuderbolt ace flying in the same squadron as Robert S. Johnson, another American ace.
    Sawic's pal Gabriewski also fought in Korea between 1950-53.
     

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