Flight Lieutenant Antoni Lipkowski No 316 Polish Fighter Squadron

[delimata]

Dear Fellows,

I recently purchased a photographic album of Flt Lt. Antoni Lipowski which may be of interest to fellows interested in the history of the PAF.

Antoni Lipkowski was the son of a wealthy family of landlords. He was a very tall, slim, handsome man with straight blond hair. He was a career officer in a cavalry regiment. After the collapse of Poland he found himself in England in the Polish Army in exile. The only possibility then to fight Germans was to join the Royal Air Force. There were Polish fighter squadrons within RAF. He desperately tried to become a fighter pilot, but was several times rejected on the account of his big stature, too big according to the air command, to sit in the confined cockpit of a fighter plane. Eventually he succeeded in being transferred from the Polish Army to Polish Air Force in 1942. He then completed a course of pilotage and an operational training. Antoni had to acquire some technical knowledge about aviation, air combat tactics, meteorology etc. and become a high class pilot capable of air acrobatics and effective shooting at air and ground targets. It is difficult to find exact information, but it seems that he joined the 316 Fighter Squadron early in 1944, then 302 on April 1st, 1944 and finally 308 Fighter Squadron on October 6th,1944. Antoni joined F.S. 302 as F/O (Flying Officer) and F.S. 308 as F/lt (Flying Lieutenant). F/O corresponds to Polish "porucznik pilot"(lieutenant) and F/lt to "kapitan pilot"(captain). On March 24th,1945 he has been transferred to 84 GSU (Group Support Unit) in Aston Down (England) for rest. On August 8th,1945 he was incorporated into 317 F.S., part of newly created British Air Force of Occupation, stationing in Ahlborn, Germany. In June of 1946 Antoni has been released from the Air Force.

[andrzejku98]

Hello Delimata,

Many thanks for your post on Antoni Lipkowski,

Service Number : P0532

Rank by the end of the War : Flight Lieutenant (Polish : Kapitan)

Date of Birth : 17th January 1914

Date of Death : 27th June 1966

Place of Death : Geelong East, Victoria, Australia

Awards during the War :

Polish :

1) Krzyż Walecznych x 4

2) Medal Lotniczy.

British :

3) 1939-1945 Star

4) Air Crew Europe Star (with Bar France and Germany

5) 1939-1945 Defence Medal

plus any French awards he was awarded.



Photograph of Antoni Lipkowski.

Best wishes

Andrzej

[andrzejku98]

Hello Delimata,

Many thanks for your post, there is one photograph in particular, which I thought you might like to know about



Visit of the Commander in Chief General Broni Kazimierz Sosnkowski to 302 Squadron, I have numbered the Personnel that I have been able to identify for you.

1) Group Captain Mieczysław Mümler.

2) Air Vice Marshall Mateusz Janusz Izycki.

3) Squadron Leader Wacław Król

4) General Broni Kazimierz Sosnkowski (Commander in Chief)

5) Por. Tadeusz Szumowski

6) Por. Eugeniusz Ebenrytter

Hope that the above Helps you.

Best wishes

Andrzej