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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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317 squadron badge
26.07.1943 No 317 Squadron Spitfire Vc EP328 Fl/Sgt. Piotr Bartyś

Operation: Ramrod 159

Date: 26th July 1943 (Monday)

Unit: No. 317 Squadron (Polish)

Type: Spitfire Vc

Serial: EP328

Base: RAF Perranpoth, Cornwall

Location: Between Tournai and Lille

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Piotr Bartyś 793779 PAF Age 27 PoW

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Martlesham acting as close escort to Bostons who were en route to bomb the Courtrai airfields. Met  up with them at 11.000 ft over Clacton and then flew towards the coast, crossing land 2 miles south of Dunkirk. 

Above: 58 OTU Grangemouth. Course 26: Front row: P/O. Bialecki, P/O. Dubielecki, F/O. Kalinowski, P/O. Radziszewski, P/O.Bartyś, P/O. Meyer. Centre row: Sgt. Sczepankiewicz, Sgt. Tomczak, P/O. Panek, P/O. Sworniowski, P/O. Stankiewicz, P/O. Radwanski, Sgt. Stanski. Rear row: Sgt. Lewicki, Sgt. Sweryda, Sgt. Szajda, Sgt. Gierczycki, St. Jaszczar, Sgt Kepdzynski.                  

The airfield was bombed and shortly afterwards the squadron was attacked between Lille and Tournai with four Fw190's attacking W/Cmdr Zak and F/O. Felc and Fl/Sgt. Bartyś. 

Having seen off this attack they rejoined the bombers. again they were attacked and another air battle took place with two Fw190 claimed as damaged with another as destroyed.

W/Cdr Zak managed to return to Martelsham Heath despite damage to his aircraft, his Spitfire, AB860 was repaired, F/o. Felc was shot down in AD137 and taken PoW. The same fate for Fl/Sgt. Bartyś.

Note: Spitfire Vc EP328 was built at Castle Bromwich fitted with the Merlin 46 engine.

Burial Details:

None: Fl/Sgt. Bartyś with F/O. Felc were made PoW surviving the war. Piotr Bartyś passed away on the 30th May 1975 and buried at Newark-on-Trent, England. Tadeusz Bartłomiej Felc passed away in 1964 and buried in Carlisle, England.

Researched for relatives of the pilot. With thanks to the following for further information supplied by the 1333 (Grangemouth Spitfire) Squadron and the Grangemouth Spitfire Memorial Trust who provided me with so much information and assistance during the webmasters visit.

KTY 16.10.2015 - map added

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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