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Michal Mazurkiewicz: Unfulfilled Hopes
Abstract
The article is a biography of Michał Mazurkiewicz, a native of Zamość and a pilot of the 304th Prince Józef Poniatowski Silesian Bomber Squadron, who died tragically in July 1942. The author based her research, among other things, on the materials collected by the historian and expert on the Zamość region Krzysztof Czubara, all of which were handed over to the State Archive in Zamość after his death. More specifically, the article refers to the file “Zamość Citizens in the Battle of Britain.” This source provides the information that in the summer of 1926 Michał Mazurkiewicz watched the annual Aviation Week shows in Zamość, participated in glider holiday camps in Ustianowa and Bezmiechowa, volunteered for the army in 1937 and was drafted into the 3rd Infantry Division in Zamość, and completed other courses and trainings in Radom, Dęblin and Świdnik. On 31 July 1939, he was called up for military manoeuvres in the 1st Airborne Regiment in Warsaw. At the time, he started to keep a diary, which is quoted in the article. In his diary, Mazurkiewicz described the events of the September Campaign, which ended with his regiment being sent to Romania and then Beirut. From there, Mazurkiewcz made his way to Lyon, France, where he reported to the Polish Air Force Training Centre. After the fall of France, he found himself in the UK, where he eventually joined the 304th Bomber Squadron at RAF Lindholme station. The author provides a list of the squadron’s commanders at that time as well as an extract from the pilot’s notebook and record sheet. Mazurkiewicz died tragically during a training flight. He was buried in Newark-on-Trent and his symbolic grave is located in Zamość.
Keywords:
Pilot Michał Mazurkiewicz, 304th Prince Józef Poniatowski Silesian Bomber Squadron, September Campaign, Polish Air Training Centre in Lyon, aviation schools and coursesMost read articles by the same author(s)
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