Polish pilots during World War II were known for their extreme ferocity and effectiveness in the fight against the German air force. One of such people was Tadeusz Kotz, who combined risk-taking with extraordinary skills.
Tadeusz Kotz, after his initial education in Poland, linked his further studies with the career of a military pilot. When on September 1, 1939, the Third Reich invaded Poland and started World War II, he stayed in Lwów (today’s Lviv) as a pilot of the 161st Polish aviation fighter squadron.
From Poland to France and Great Britain
He fought with Germany until September 17, when the troops of the Soviet Union joined the allied Nazi army and attacked Poland from the east. Klotz decided to emigrate to Romania, then Yugoslavia and Greece. He left Greece by ship to France, where he wanted to continue fighting the Germans. Unfortunately, the French fell under the pressure of the German war machine and Kotz went to the last resort – Great Britain.
He reached England in June 1940 and decided to join the Polish military aviation squads operating within the British Royal Air Force. He joined the 317th Fighter Squadron “City of Wilno”. As part of this unit, he flew over France and shot down many German planes. This earned him a promotion to the commander of one of the squadrons of 308 Squadron.
Under the nose of the Germans
It seemed that the good streak ended in February 1943. It was then that Tadeusz Kotz’s fellow pilots realized that he had not returned from the flight, but neither of them saw him being shot down.
It turned out that he had been hit. His plane caught fire, and Kotz himself had to parachute out of it. He landed near the German-controlled Saint-Omer airport. However, he received the help of the French resistance movement and managed to cross France, the Pyrenees, and Spain to finally get to British territory, Gibraltar. From there, his path led back to the British Isles.
Commander of the famous squadron
After his return, Kotz joined the famous Polish 303 Squadron, which caused many problems for German pilots, e.g. in the Battle of Britain. In 1940, he soon took command the Squadron. Under his command, English machines with Polish pilots in the cockpit took part in the Allied landing in Normandy in 1944.
In September 1944, the Polish pilot finished his air service with impressive results. 190 times he appeared over enemy skies. He flew 105 times for operational purposes, e.g. to cover a navy or to search for survivors. The total combat flight time is 531 hours.
Tadeusz Kotz died at the age of 94 on June 3, 2008, in Collingwood, Canada.