Tadeusz Góra
Encyclopedia
Tadeusz Góra was a Polish
glider and military pilot. Born in Kraków
, Austria-Hungary
he was the first winner of the Lilienthal Gliding Medal
in the world for his record-breaking 577.8-kilometer flight on May 18, 1938, glider PWS
-101 from Bezmiechowa
to Soleczniki
(near Vilnius
).
For this he was the first recipient of the Lilienthal Medal awarded by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
.
In late August 1940 Góra served with the RAF's No 2 AACU before undertaking advanced training with 61 OTU at Heston
.
As a Sgt. Pilot, Góra was posted to No. 316 (Polish) Squadron, flying the pitfire], flying his first operation on 18 November 1941, a convoy patrol.
On 10 April 1942 he claimed a Focke-Wulf Fw 190
damaged, and on 3 June 1942 he claimed a FW-190 shot down over Le Havre
.
In early 1943 Góra studied at the Infantry Cadet and Cavalry Academy in Scotland, and was promoted to Pilot Officer
.
On 13 May 1943 Góra destroyed a Bf-109G and on 27 August 1943 he shot down another of this type. On 4 September 1943, while escorting a USAAF formation of B-17s near Lille, he claimed a FW-190 damaged. After the war, following research on Luftwaffe
loss data, the aircraft was identified as an Bf-109 and classified as “destroyed.”
P/O Góra was posted to No. 316 Squadron in April 1944 flying the P-51 Mustang
. From June to October 1944, he destroyed two locomotives near Bremen
, and damaged a German submarine.
Góra also flew 28 flights anti- V-1 “flying bombs”
operations; one such bomb he destroyed on 31 July 1944. He performed his final operational flight of his tour on 22 October 1944 over Heligoland
.
During the war he flew with the RAF, serving on three Mustang-equipped Polish fighter squadrons 306
, 315
, 316
.
After the end of the war he was discharged as a Flight Lieutenant
and had been awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari
Order, the Cross of Valour three times.
Tadeusz Góra returned to Poland in 1948, as a senior instructor at the Żar Glider School near Żywiec
.
He died in Świdnik
on January 4, 2010.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
glider and military pilot. Born in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
he was the first winner of the Lilienthal Gliding Medal
Lilienthal Gliding Medal
Lilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938 in honor of Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of human aviation. It aims "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of...
in the world for his record-breaking 577.8-kilometer flight on May 18, 1938, glider PWS
Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów
Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów - Podlasie Aircraft Works - was the Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska.-History:...
-101 from Bezmiechowa
Bezmiechowa Górna
Bezmiechowa Górna is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lesko, within Lesko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland...
to Soleczniki
Šalcininkai
Šalčininkai is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, situated south-east of Vilnius, near the border with Belarus.Šalčininkai received its city rights in 1956 and is now a capital of the Šalčininkai district municipality. Šalčininkai features a multi-ethnic population of Poles , Lithuanians ,...
(near Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
).
For this he was the first recipient of the Lilienthal Medal awarded by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
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...
.
In late August 1940 Góra served with the RAF's No 2 AACU before undertaking advanced training with 61 OTU at Heston
Heston
Heston is a place in the London Borough of Hounslow, west London. It is a suburban development area, based on a former farming village west south-west of Charing Cross.-History:...
.
As a Sgt. Pilot, Góra was posted to No. 316 (Polish) Squadron, flying the pitfire], flying his first operation on 18 November 1941, a convoy patrol.
On 10 April 1942 he claimed a Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
damaged, and on 3 June 1942 he claimed a FW-190 shot down over Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
.
In early 1943 Góra studied at the Infantry Cadet and Cavalry Academy in Scotland, and was promoted to Pilot Officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
.
On 13 May 1943 Góra destroyed a Bf-109G and on 27 August 1943 he shot down another of this type. On 4 September 1943, while escorting a USAAF formation of B-17s near Lille, he claimed a FW-190 damaged. After the war, following research on Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
loss data, the aircraft was identified as an Bf-109 and classified as “destroyed.”
P/O Góra was posted to No. 316 Squadron in April 1944 flying the P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
. From June to October 1944, he destroyed two locomotives near Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, and damaged a German submarine.
Góra also flew 28 flights anti- V-1 “flying bombs”
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
operations; one such bomb he destroyed on 31 July 1944. He performed his final operational flight of his tour on 22 October 1944 over Heligoland
Heligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
.
During the war he flew with the RAF, serving on three Mustang-equipped Polish fighter squadrons 306
No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940...
, 315
No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
No 315 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during the World War II...
, 316
No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1941...
.
After the end of the war he was discharged as a Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
and had been awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari
Virtuti Militari
The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...
Order, the Cross of Valour three times.
Tadeusz Góra returned to Poland in 1948, as a senior instructor at the Żar Glider School near Żywiec
Zywiec
Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....
.
He died in Świdnik
Swidnik
Świdnik is a town in eastern Poland with 42,797 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, very near the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County.-History:The village of Świdnik is first mentioned in historical records from 1392...
on January 4, 2010.
External links
- http://www.fai.org/awards/recipient.asp?id=749 FAIFédération Aéronautique InternationaleThe 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...
announcement - http://www.fai.org/awards/award.asp?id=10 list of all FAIFédération Aéronautique InternationaleThe 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...
The Lilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding MedalLilienthal Gliding Medal – the highest soaring award in the world, established by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1938 in honor of Otto Lilienthal, a German pioneer of human aviation. It aims "to reward a particularly remarkable performance in gliding, or eminent services to the sport of...
winners - deaths notice