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Operation: Lorient, (German U-Boat base) France.
Date: 14/15th January 1943
Unit: No. 300 Squadron (Polish)
Type: Wellington IV
Serial: Z1387
Coded: BH-Q
Location: English Channel off French coast
Pilot: Sgt. Stanislaw Gosiewski 792204 PAF Age 20. Missing
Nav: P/O. Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński P-1982 PAF Age 26. Killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr:: Sgt. Jerzy Burda 793667 PAF Age 24. Missing
Air/Bmr/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Henryk Imiołek 781370 PAF Age 27. Missing
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Jozef Jednaki 793701 PAF Age 23. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Part of a 122 aircraft raid on this French Port of Lorient - 63 Halifaxes, 33 Wellingtons, 20 Stirlings and 6 Lancasters. Z1387 took off at 22.34hrs from Ingham to attack the German U-Boat base - 2 aircraft were lost on this raid - both in the sea. No reports of attacks from the German night fighters so may well have been brought down by flak.
300 Squadron Wellington IV Z1387 BH-Q
Crew left - right: Sgt. Gosiewski, P/O. Žukotyński, Sgt. Burda, Sgt. Imiołek, Sgt. Jednaki.
Some of the crew shown here during their training with 18 OTU - L to R: Jerzy Burda, Henryk Imiołek, Stanislaw Gosiewski, Adam Kozakiewicz (Killed on Wellington Z1401 BH-Q on 6/7th December 1942) and Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński.
The bomb runs were considered "wild" with 120 buildings in the city destroyed - including 2 churches. 12 people on the ground were reported killed. This area was attacked a further 7 times during the war.
Burial Details:
Sgt. Stanislaw Gosiewski. Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial. From Ostrołęce, Poland.
Left: Polish Memorial, Northolt (taken by Aircrew Remembered 2012)
P/O. Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński. Cherbourg Old Communal Cemetery Grave No. 54. From Jarosławiu, Poland.
Sgt. Jerzy Burda. Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial. From Szewna, Poland
Sgt. Henryk Imiołek. Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial. From Sancygniów, Poland
Sgt. Jozef Jednaki. Cherbourg Old Communal Cemetery Grave No. 55. From Ostrawie, Poland
We would like to thank Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wojcik and Josef Zielinski for the use of some of these photographs. We highly recommend their publications regarding WW2 Polish Air Force and are happy to provide other researchers information where they can be purchased.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 22 March 2021, 12:15