Serving in the German army, Alojzy Blażyński, on hearing of the outbreak of the Wielkopolska Uprising, hijacked a fighter plane from the German airfield in Bydgoszcz and flew it to the Polish insurgent troops. The Germans found his act to be extraordinarily daring.

He was born on 31 August 1898 in Dąbrowa in Gdańsk Pomerania. His father was a draughtsman by profession, who encouraged Alojzy’s love of technology. He studied at the Gdansk University of Technology, but in November 1915 his studies were interrupted by being called up into the German army. After a short training course at the aviation centre in Grudziądz, Błażyński was sent to the front as an assistant aircraft mechanic. 

During the First World War, he fought on the Western Front in the 222nd Air Squadron, before being sent to the 22nd Fighter Squadron. In 1917, he served in Bydgoszcz, also as a mechanic. 

When the Uprising broke out in Wielkopolska in December 1918, Blazynski carried out his intention to desert from the German army to join the Polish insurgent units. However, the Poles, despite being successful on the Notec front, were unable to capture Bydgoszcz or get close to it. Blazynski then decided to hijack a German plane.

The opportunity came in March 1919, when he was repairing the “Branderburg” reconnaissance plane. Finishing his work, he started wheeling to the hangar. Then he suddenly cranked and gave the engine full speed, after which the plane took to the air. Being under a great deal of stress, Blazynski soon realised that he was flying in the opposite direction. He also soon saw that a ‘Fokker’ had caught up with him, and the pilot in it was giving him signs to return to the airfield. Blazynski lowered his flight, but soon heard gunshots, so he started to take to the air again, flying in the right direction this time, and his escape began. He luckily landed at Ławica near Poznań on the insurgent side. He was met by a Polish patrol, suspecting him to be a spy. Initially no one wanted to believe his story and he was released only after a two-day examination. Błażyński’s escape was all the more remarkable because it was made by a person who was not a pilot.

In the Second Polish Republic, Blażyński made a career in the Polish Army. He was appointed captain-pilot. He also proved to be a gifted constructor – he designed a glider, presenting it at a non-motorised flying competition in Białka near Zakopane.

He died by suicide in 1934.