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Aleksander Chudek

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Aleksander Chudek
Born(1914-08-17)17 August 1914
Stoczek, Poland
Died23 June 1944(1944-06-23) (aged 29)
near Le Plessis-Grimoult, France
Allegiance Poland
 United Kingdom
Service / branch Polish Air Force
 Royal Air Force
Years of serviceuntil 1944
Rankchorąży
Service number783023
UnitPolish 114th Fighter Escadrille
No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
Battles / warsPolish Defensive War, World War II
AwardsVirtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Medal (UK)

Aleksander Chudek (17 August 1914 – 23 June 1944) was a Polish fighter ace of the Royal Air Force in World War II with 9 confirmed kills.

Biography

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Before World War II Chudek served in Polish 114th Fighter Escadrille.[1] After the Soviet invasion of Poland he crossed the border with Romania, then he came to France and finally, on 27 June 1940, arrived in the United Kingdom. After a brief exchange rate, he has been assigned to an auxiliary unit of the RAF as a pilot distributing new or refurbished aircraft at airports across the UK.[2] In June 1941 he was transferred to No. 55 Operational Training Unit and began training on Hurricane. In July he was assigned to No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron where he flew Spitfires. On 14 August 1941 he shot down his first plane. In July 1943 he was posted for three months in No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.[3] On 23 June 1944 he flew over Normandy and never came back.[4] Initially it was thought that his plane fell into the sea, but in 2009 it was found that the plane crashed between the towns of Le Plessis-Grimoult and Roucamps.[5]

On 23 June 2009, 65 years after the crash, a monument dedicated to Aleksander Chudek was erected in Le Plessis-Grimoult.[6]

Aerial victory credits

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  • Bf 109 – 14 August 1941 and 1 damaged
  • Bf 109 (two) – 29 August 1941
  • Bf 109 – 16 September 1941
  • Fw 190 – 27 September 1941 (probably destroyed)
  • Fw 190 – 21 October 1941
  • Fw 190 (two) – 17 August 1943
  • Fw 190 – 6 September 1943
  • Fw 190 – 23 September 1943

Chudek is credited with destroying nine enemy aircraft, with one probably destroyed and another damaged.[7]

Awards

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Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross
Cross of Valour (Poland), four times
Distinguished Flying Medal[8]

References

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  1. ^ Krzystek 2012, p. 131.
  2. ^ Sikora 2014, p. 219.
  3. ^ Sikora 2014, p. 220.
  4. ^ Zieliński 1994, p. 25.
  5. ^ "Biografia Aleksandra Chudka" (in Polish). Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  6. ^ Ambasada RP w Paryżu. "Uroczystość odsłonięcia pomnika poświęconego chorążemu Aleksandrowi Chudkowi" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  7. ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 177.
  8. ^ "reportaż Historia Bez Patyny". Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2015.

Bibliography

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  • Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London, United Kingdom: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-00-0.
  • Sikora, Piotr: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press, 2014, s. 218-222. ISBN 9788370205607
  • Tadeusz Jerzy Krzystek, Anna Krzystek: Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAAF). Sandomierz: Stratus, 2012, s. 131. ISBN 9788361421597
  • Zieliński, Józef (1994). Asy polskiego lotnictwa (in Polish). Warsaw: Agencja Lotnicza ALTAIR. p. 25. ISBN 83-86217-2. LCCN 95149065. OCLC 34751125. OL 865104M.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)

Further reading

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  • Cumft O., Kujawa H. K. Księga lotników polskich 1939-1946, Wydawnictwo MON, Warszawa 1989
  • Wojciech Zmyślony. "Biografia na polishairforce.p" (in Polish). p. 1. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
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