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on 17 September, the Polish government decided to evacuate the country and ordered the remaining airforce to evacuate as well. Travelling via
Romania, Yugoslavia and Italy, Sawicz eventually reached France where he was assigned to the
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368:
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506:. Soon after taking the command, he was injured in a crash. On 16 July 1945, he returned to duty as the commander of the Polish 3rd Wing. Later he commanded the
326:
in
September 1939 he served (from 5 September) as the deputy commander of the 114th Escadrille, which together with several other air units was a part of the
282:
After the war, he emigrated to Canada. At his death, he was believed to have been the last surviving Polish pilot to have fought in the Battle of
Britain.
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228:, he served in the Polish and allied units in France and United Kingdom. He was the commander of several air units, including the
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From June 1942, he served as a flight instructor with No. 58 OTU. On 25 September 1942, he became commander of
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bombers, damaging two more. On 14 September, he was assigned a courier mission, delivering messages to
General
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bomber, which was reported as the new squadron's first confirmed kill. In July he was awarded the first
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and promoted. From 9 November 1941 he served as commander of the
Escadrille A of the No. 316 Squadron.
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307:, as an officer and in 1934, began training in the air force. In August 1936, he received the rank of
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220:(13 February 1914 – 19 October 2011) was a Polish World War II fighter pilot. He served in the
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and via
Gibraltar to Great Britain, arriving on 17 July. After four months training at No.5 OTU at
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During the war he had claimed 3 confirmed victories and 3 and a half "damaged". He is ranked (on
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where he formed a Polish section. For his time with the 56th Group, he was awarded the US
8:
838:"Brytyjski hołd dla Tadeusza Sawicza, ostatniego polskiego asa bitwy o Anglię – Polska"
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and was ranked as the 82nd highest scoring Polish fighter pilot of the war.
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on 4 April. On 16 April 1943, he became the deputy commander of the
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In addition to receiving Poland's highest military decoration, the
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449:, and was awarded the Poland's highest military decoration, the
387:, like many other Polish pilots he did not surrender and took a
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517:) as the 82nd highest scoring Polish fighter pilot of the war.
462:
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87:
465:. On 3 April 1944, he was attached to the headquarters of the
953:
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367:). After training in Lyon, on 1 June 1940 he was assigned to
958:
461:. From 18 October 1943, he served in a training capacity at
533:
government was hostile towards those who had served in the
338:. Over the next week he was reported to have shot down two
537:. In 1957 he emigrated to Canada, where he worked in the
720:
Those Other Eagles; Shores (Grub Street 2004), page 522
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Recipients of the Silver Cross of the
Virtuti Militari
624:
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Military Action Cross
409:
newly recreated Polish Air Force in the Great Britain
525:
He was demobilized in January 1947 with the rank of
783:
Air Force Obituaries: Wing Commander Tadeusz Sawicz
498:. On 14 June 1944, he was given the command of the
529:. He chose not to return to Poland, where the new
502:, and on 10 October 1944, became commander of the
414:In Great Britain he was assigned on 20 October to
441:. During his time with 315 Squadron he damaged a
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330:. He claimed a half-share in damaging a German
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334:on the first day of the war, while flying a
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948:Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
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275:. In 2006 Sawicz was appointed honorary
295:Sawicz was born on 13 February 1914 in
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988:Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
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552:In 2006 Sawicz was appointed honorary
350:, flying into the encircled pocket at
315:. In 1937, he was transferred to the
612:Air Force Medal (for War 1939–1945)
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265:American Distinguished Flying Cross
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261:British Distinguished Flying Cross
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978:United States Air Force officers
968:Recipients of the Airman's Cross
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535:Polish Armed Forces in the West
439:No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
424:No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron
416:No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
230:No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron
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267:and the Dutch equivalent, the
1:
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476:He was then assigned to the
426:. On 9 April he shot down a
391:across the Mediterranean to
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7:
963:Recipients of the Air Medal
504:131st (Polish) Fighter Wing
453:. From June 1943, he was a
242:131st (Polish) Fighter Wing
10:
1009:
993:Polish emigrants to Canada
938:Polish World War II pilots
652:Distinguished Flying Cross
637:Distinguished Flying Cross
496:Distinguished Flying Cross
556:by then-Polish president
356:Soviet invasion of Poland
324:Polish September Campaign
299:. In 1934, he joined the
279:in the Polish Air Force.
248:. He participated in the
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58:
39:
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973:Royal Air Force officers
395:, from where he went to
317:114th Fighter Escadrille
313:111th Fighter Escadrille
218:Tadeusz Władysław Sawicz
155:114th Fighter Escadrille
151:111th Fighter Escadrille
22:Tadeusz Władysław Sawicz
500:3rd Polish Fighter Wing
447:1st Polish Fighter Wing
369:Groupe de Chasse III/10
238:3rd Polish Fighter Wing
234:1st Polish Fighter Wing
158:Groupe de Chasse III/10
305:Second Polish Republic
365:Polish Army in France
123:Years of service
473:as liaison officer.
332:Messerschmitt Bf 109
291:In Poland and France
34:Sawicz in July, 1943
884:. Polishairforce.pl
862:. Polishairforce.pl
259:, he was awarded a
508:133rd Fighter Wing
478:56th Fighter Group
348:Edward Rydz-Śmigły
246:133rd Fighter Wing
198:Invasion of Poland
169:56th Fighter Group
117:US Army Air Forces
911:, 26 October 2011
788:, 26 October 2011
698:
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639:– United Kingdom
562:Battle of Britain
554:brigadier-general
443:Focke-Wulf Fw 190
420:Battle of Britain
277:brigadier-general
250:Battle of Britain
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140:Brigadier General
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860:"Tadeusz Sawicz"
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840:. Polskatimes.pl
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684:– United States
682:oak leaf cluster
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583:Virtuti Militari
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488:Francis Gabreski
459:No. 12 Group RAF
451:Virtuti Militari
407:, he joined the
379:In Great Britain
361:French Air Force
257:Virtuti Militari
224:, and after the
222:Polish Air Force
203:Battle of France
179:No. 315 Squadron
165:No. 316 Squadron
161:No. 303 Squadron
109:French Air Force
105:Polish Air Force
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598:Cross of Valour
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482:Polish-American
455:liaison officer
432:Cross of Valour
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328:Pursuit Brigade
311:and joined the
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692:Airman's Cross
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385:fall of France
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346:, and Marshal
344:Juliusz Rómmel
340:Dorniers Do 17
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226:fall of Poland
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467:9th Air Force
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886:. Retrieved
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864:. Retrieved
854:
842:. Retrieved
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551:
541:, living in
539:air industry
524:
515:Bajan's list
512:
475:
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389:Bloch MB.152
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309:podporucznik
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273:Vliegerkruis
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191:Battles/wars
186:No. 133 Wing
183:No. 131 Wing
64:(2011-10-19)
15:
933:2011 deaths
928:1914 births
568:Decorations
485:fighter ace
418:during the
322:During the
301:Polish Army
922:Categories
909:thenews.pl
844:29 October
701:References
405:Aston Down
397:Casablanca
383:After the
363:(see also
354:After the
76:Allegiance
46:1914-02-13
678:Air Medal
547:Etobicoke
531:communist
492:Air Medal
373:Deauville
336:PZL P.11c
286:Biography
126:1934–1947
543:Montreal
480:, under
175:Commands
99:Service/
71:, Canada
983:The Few
469:of the
401:Morocco
393:Algeria
352:Młynów.
303:in the
888:15 May
866:15 May
463:Rednal
297:Warsaw
101:branch
88:Poland
85:
680:with
527:major
471:USAAF
457:with
263:, an
142:(Hon)
890:2012
868:2012
846:2011
545:and
494:and
244:and
147:Unit
131:Rank
59:Died
40:Born
399:in
271:or
924::
898:^
793:^
725:^
709:^
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411:.
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319:.
240:,
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232:,
892:.
870:.
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137:,
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48:)
44:(
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