Stanislaw Skarzynski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Jakub Skarżyński (b. 1 May 1899 - 26 June 1942) was a Lt. Colonel in the Polish Air Force
and aviator famous for his transatlantic solo flight in 1933.
. In 1916-17 he was a member of the Polish Military Organisation
(POW). In November 1918 he volunteered for the newly created Polish Army, and commanded units disarming German soldiers in Warta. He then fought in the Polish-Soviet War
with the infantry, being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in 1919. He was wounded but returned to the front. During the battle of Radzymin
he was severely wounded in one leg on 16 August 1920. The infected wound needed long rehabilitation, and Skarżyński always limped thereafter. Unable to continue serving in the infantry, he managed to tranfer to the military aviation arm.
He completed pilot training in Bydgoszcz in 1925, and served in the 1st Aviation Regiment in Warsaw. In 1927 he became a Flying Captain (kapitan pilot). Between February 1 and 5 May 1931 together with Lt. Andrzej Markiewicz, he flew around Africa
in the Polish-designed aircraft PZL Ł-2 (registration SP-AFA), a total distance of 25,770 km.
bis (SP-AJU) across the southern Atlantic
, from Saint-Louis, Senegal
to Maceio
in Brazil
. The flight took 20 hours 30 minutes (17 hours 15 minutes above the ocean). He crossed 3,582 km, establishing a distance World Record in a FAI
tourist plane 2nd class (weight below 450 kg / 1000 lb). The plane had no radio nor safety equipment, due to weight restrictions. The RWD-5bis remains the smallest plane to ever to have flown across the Atlantic. Plans of his flight were kept secret. It became a part of Warsaw - Rio de Janeiro
flight, between 27 April and 10 May 17,885 km long. He then flew on to Buenos Aires
and returned to Europe by ship.
, with a rank of Lt.Col. (podpułkownik pilot). In April 1939 he became President of the Polish Aero Club
. In August 1939 he was sent to Romania
as the deputy Air Attaché
.
After the outbreak of the World War II
he helped in transferring Polish pilots, fleeing from Poland, through Romania to France
where the Polish Air Force was recreated. In 1940 Skarżyński himself fled to France and to Britain where he became Commanding Officer of the Polish Flying School at Newton.
He requested a combat posting, and was assigned as C.O. of RAF Lindholme
and No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
. On 26 June 1942 returning from a mission over Bremen, his Wellington
had to ditch in the North Sea
due to engine damage. Skarżyński ditched the heavy damaged aircraft in the stormy sea and all the crew were saved. Skarżyński, leaving the Wellington last, was washed out to sea and was the only crew member lost. He was later buried on the Dutch island of Terschelling
.
5th class (for the Polish-Soviet war), Cross of Independence
, Order of Polonia Restituta 4th class, Krzyż Walecznych
(three times), Golden and Silver Cross of Merit, the French Legion d'Honneur
and the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross
. The FAI awarded him the Louis Blériot medal (1936) of which he was one of the first recipients.
He was made a full Colonel posthumously(pułkownik pilot) and the President of Poland awarded him the Order of Polonia Restituta 2nd class posthumously . There are numerous streets and schools named after him. He is the Patron of the Aeroclub of Włocławek and of the 13th Transport Squadron in Kraków. On 10 August 2009 the Minister of National Defense signed the Decree to appoint him to be Patron of 8 Air Base in Kraków - Balice
It should be noted that there was another Polish pilot named Stanisław Skarżyński. He was shot down and killed during the Polish-Soviet war on 15 July 1920.
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
and aviator famous for his transatlantic solo flight in 1933.
Early military career
He was born in WartaWarta, Poland
Warta is a town in Sieradz County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,392 inhabitants . It is situated on the Warta River. The town had a number of Jewish inhabitants who were sent to the Ghettos and eventually to the concentration camps during World War II....
. In 1916-17 he was a member of the Polish Military Organisation
Polish Military Organisation
Polish Military Organisation, PMO was a secret military organization created by Józef Piłsudski in August 1914, and officially named in November 1914, during World War I. Its tasks were to gather intelligence and sabotage the enemies of the Polish people...
(POW). In November 1918 he volunteered for the newly created Polish Army, and commanded units disarming German soldiers in Warta. He then fought in the Polish-Soviet War
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
with the infantry, being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in 1919. He was wounded but returned to the front. During the battle of Radzymin
Battle of Radzymin (1920)
The Battle of Radzymin took place during the Polish-Soviet War. The battle occurred in the area around the town of Radzymin, some north-east of Warsaw, between August 13 and 16, 1920. Along with the Battle of Ossów and the Polish counter-offensive from the Wieprz River area, the battle was one of...
he was severely wounded in one leg on 16 August 1920. The infected wound needed long rehabilitation, and Skarżyński always limped thereafter. Unable to continue serving in the infantry, he managed to tranfer to the military aviation arm.
He completed pilot training in Bydgoszcz in 1925, and served in the 1st Aviation Regiment in Warsaw. In 1927 he became a Flying Captain (kapitan pilot). Between February 1 and 5 May 1931 together with Lt. Andrzej Markiewicz, he flew around Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
in the Polish-designed aircraft PZL Ł-2 (registration SP-AFA), a total distance of 25,770 km.
Transatlantic flight
On May 7/May 8, 1933 Skarzynski flew solo in a small single-seater Polish tourist airplane RWD-5RWD-5
|-See also:-References:* , retrieved on 2008-07-06.* Glass, Andrzej: "Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939" , WKiŁ, Warsaw 1977...
bis (SP-AJU) across the southern Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, from Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, Senegal
Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...
to Maceio
Maceió
Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. The flight took 20 hours 30 minutes (17 hours 15 minutes above the ocean). He crossed 3,582 km, establishing a distance World Record in a FAI
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
tourist plane 2nd class (weight below 450 kg / 1000 lb). The plane had no radio nor safety equipment, due to weight restrictions. The RWD-5bis remains the smallest plane to ever to have flown across the Atlantic. Plans of his flight were kept secret. It became a part of Warsaw - Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
flight, between 27 April and 10 May 17,885 km long. He then flew on to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and returned to Europe by ship.
Later service and World War II
In 1934 he was promoted to Major and commanded a bomber squadron, and from 1938 he was deputy C/O of the 4th Aviation Regiment in ToruńTorun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, with a rank of Lt.Col. (podpułkownik pilot). In April 1939 he became President of the Polish Aero Club
Polish Aero Club
Aeroklub Polski is the Polish central association of persons practising air sports or recreational flying. It was founded in 1921 and is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. It has a headquarters in Warsaw....
. In August 1939 he was sent to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
as the deputy Air Attaché
Air attaché
An air attaché is an Air Force officer who is part of a diplomatic mission; this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer.An air attaché typically represents the chief of his home air force in the foreign country where he serves. The day-to-day responsibilities include maintaining contacts...
.
After the outbreak of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he helped in transferring Polish pilots, fleeing from Poland, through Romania to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
where the Polish Air Force was recreated. In 1940 Skarżyński himself fled to France and to Britain where he became Commanding Officer of the Polish Flying School at Newton.
He requested a combat posting, and was assigned as C.O. of RAF Lindholme
RAF Lindholme
RAF Lindholme is a former Royal Air Force base near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England and was initially called RAF Hatfield Woodhouse.-Early years:...
and No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron
No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron "Ziemia Wielpolska" was a Polish World War II bomber unit.-History:The last of the Polish bomber squadrons, 305 Squadron was formed at RAF Bramcote, Warwickshire on 29 August 1940...
. On 26 June 1942 returning from a mission over Bremen, his Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
had to ditch in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
due to engine damage. Skarżyński ditched the heavy damaged aircraft in the stormy sea and all the crew were saved. Skarżyński, leaving the Wellington last, was washed out to sea and was the only crew member lost. He was later buried on the Dutch island of Terschelling
Terschelling
Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands.Waddenislanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore. With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts...
.
Honours
He was awarded the Virtuti MilitariVirtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
5th class (for the Polish-Soviet war), Cross of Independence
Cross of Independence
Cross of Independence was one of the highest Polish military decorations between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had "fought heroically for the independence of Poland," and was released in three versions.- History :...
, Order of Polonia Restituta 4th class, Krzyż Walecznych
Krzyz Walecznych
The Cross of Valor is a Polish military decoration. It was first introduced by the Council for Defense of the State on 11 August 1920. It is awarded to an individual who "has demonstrated deeds of valor and courage on the field of battle." It may be awarded to the same person up to four times...
(three times), Golden and Silver Cross of Merit, the French Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross
Order of the Southern Cross
The National Order of the Southern Cross is a Brazilian order of chivalry founded by Emperor Pedro I on 1 December 1822. This order was intended to commemorate the independence of Brazil and the coronation of Pedro I...
. The FAI awarded him the Louis Blériot medal (1936) of which he was one of the first recipients.
He was made a full Colonel posthumously(pułkownik pilot) and the President of Poland awarded him the Order of Polonia Restituta 2nd class posthumously . There are numerous streets and schools named after him. He is the Patron of the Aeroclub of Włocławek and of the 13th Transport Squadron in Kraków. On 10 August 2009 the Minister of National Defense signed the Decree to appoint him to be Patron of 8 Air Base in Kraków - Balice
It should be noted that there was another Polish pilot named Stanisław Skarżyński. He was shot down and killed during the Polish-Soviet war on 15 July 1920.