Operation: Defence of Poland

Date: 3rd September 1939 (Sunday)

Unit: No. 21(1) Eskadra Bombowa Lekka (Light Bomber Flight - Polish)

Type: PZL P.23 Karas

Base: Wsola, Poland.

Location: Kozy, Poland.

Pilot: Kpr.pil Stanislaw Obiorek PAF Age 25. Survived (1)

Obs: Ppr.obs. Tadeusz Krol PAF Age 26. Killed

Air/Gnr: Kpr.strzel. Ignacy Mularczyk PAF Age 29. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

After successful attack on German tanks in the region of Gorzkowice this aircraft was attacked by 3 Bf 109s. This Polish aircraft was shot down and crashed in Kozy near Dabrowa Wielka, Poland.

Initially they were buried at the crash site, in 1952 exhumed and buried anonymously in Sieradz. Erroneously memorial plagues are still kept at Plawno cemetery, where different crew was buried.

The claim for this loss was made by Lt. Karlfried Norman OF 2nd Staffel 1/JG.77 flying a Bf 109e.

(1) Pilot kpr. Stanislaw Obiorek bailed out and survived - he was sadly killed on the 10/11th January 1942 whilst flying with 304 Squadron. The Wellington, IC Z1082 went missing on an operation to Wilhelmshaven and all the crew are commemorated on the Polish memorial in Warsaw and at Runnymede.

Burial Details:

Ppr.obs. Tadeusz Krol, Buried in Sieradz. Born 29.8.1913 in Sandomierz, Poland

Kpr.strzel. Ignacy Mularczyk, Buried in Sieradz. Born 16.8.1916 in Nowa Wies, Poland

Researched by Peter Sikora for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew. Acknowledgments: Crew photos courtesy of Robert Kielek.