Adolf Pietrasiak

Adolf Pietrasiak (17 November 1916 – 29 November 1943) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 8 confirmed kills and one shared.

Adolf Pietrasiak
Born(1916-11-17)17 November 1916
Kośmin
Died29 November 1943(1943-11-29) (aged 27)
English Channel
Allegiance Poland
 France
 United Kingdom
Service/branch Polish Air Force
 France Armée de l'Air
 Royal Air Force
Years of service1932-1943
Rankpodporucznik
UnitPolish 122nd Fighter Escadrille
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron
Battles/warsPolish Defensive War, World War II
AwardsVirtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Medal

Biography

Adolf Pietrasiak was born in Kośmin near Puławy. In 1932 he entered the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer's School for minors in Bydgoszcz. Four years later he was assigned to Polish 122nd Fighter Escadrille in Cracow.

During the Invasion of Poland, on 6 September 1939 Pietrasiak's PZL P.11 was damaged by his own side's anti-aircraft guns. In the morning of 18 September he crossed the border with Romania, then he came to France. He served in the Kosiński section in Bourges. On 5 June 1940, flying a Curtiss P-36 Hawk, Pietrasiak claimed three victories shared.

On 27 June 1940 he arrived in the UK and was posted to No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron then to No. 92 Squadron RAF. In July 1941 he downed 7 Bf 109. On 23 July he was transferred to No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron. On 19 August he was shot down over France, landing with a parachute he injured his leg. He came back to England via Spain and Gibraltar in November. From 24 August 1942 he flew in No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron.

On 29 November 1943 Pietrasiak started with a Spitfire and never came back. Probably his plane crashed in the English Channel.[1] His body was never found.

Awards

Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross
Cross of Valour (Poland)
Distinguished Flying Medal

gollark: Probably counts for part of it, at least.
gollark: That's probably the excuse calculator manufacturers have for their higher-end stuff costing as much or more as an infinitely more capable RPi.
gollark: Given the current state of software security I want computers far from my brain.
gollark: I would hope so. Powering on a watch to check the time would be annoying.
gollark: PineChronometer!

References
  1. According to web.me.com his Spitfire IX MA584 collided with another plane during Ramrod 339 over Dunkirk.

Further reading
  • Wojciech Zmyślony. "Adolf Pietrasiak". www.polishairforce.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  • "Adolf Pietrasiak". web.me.com. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  • "Adolf Pietrasiak". www.mysliwcy.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.