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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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71 squadron crest
17.05.1941 No. 71 Squadron Hurricane II Z3186 F/O. Kolendorski

Operation: Interception

Date: 17th May 1941 (Saturday)

Unit: 71 Squadron RAF (Eagle Sqdn.)

Type: Hurricane IIb

Serial: Z3186

Coded: XR-?

Location: English Channel off Clacton.

Pilot: F/O. Stanley Michel Kolendorski 84875 RAFVR Age 26. Killed.

REASON FOR LOSS: 

After being scrambled early in the morning to intercept Ju88’s and He111’s coming cross the channel. 

At 20.000 ft they came across the escorting Me109’s over the Thames Estuary. Mike Kolendorski turned his aircraft sharply to intercept, but a second pair opened fire on him. Warnings were given on the R/T but they were too late. It would seem that he was killed in the cockpit as no attempt seemed to have been made to bale out. The others saw his aircraft crash at 18:10 hrs.

P/O. Kolendorski's body was washed ashore in the Netherlands on the 13th August 1941.

F/O. Stanley Michel Kolendorski. Rockanje (Zeeweg) General Cemetery, Holland. Plot 2. Joint grave 33. Son of Adam and Katy Kolendorski from Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. (Katy was from Warsaw, Poland) He had been living in California with his wife Charlotte May prior to enlisting in Canada to join the RAF. His wife then filed for divorce because of this. Born February 24th 1915.

Note: (Grave shared with Fl/Sgt. Gerald Thomas Reyburn R/126898 RCAF)

With thanks to Joe Punderson from the RAF Commands Forum for much of this information.

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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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