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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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Polish Air Force Cap Badge
09.08.1945 25 EFTS Tiger Moth II DE956 Flt Lt. Ryszard S. Ronowicz

Operation: Training

Date: 9th August 1945 (Sunday)

Unit: 25 EFTS (Polish - Elementary Flying Training School)

Type: Tiger Moth II

Serial: DE956

Base: RAF Hucknall

Location: 2 miles North East Airfield

Pilot: Flt Lt. Ryszard Sylwester Ronowicz P-1082 PAF Age 29. Killed

Pilot U/T: AC2. Ryszard Szoplik 707169 PAF Age 19. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Doing a night flying training exercise the pilots view of the airfield was suddenly obscured by a blanket of fog which developed without any warning. In an effort to fly below the cloud base, which was at 150 ft, and to obtain a visual on the airfield the instructor pilot turned quickly when it would appear that he saw the landing lights. During this manoeuvre the aircraft side slipped and dropped to the ground, crashed and caught fire killing both crew.

58 OTU. Grangemouth, Scotland. Course 18-1:

Front row: Plt Off. Dewar, F/g Off. Barnett, Flt Lt. Timney, Fg Off. Lenton, Fg Off. Lovell, Fg Off. Webb. Centre row: Sgt. Shaw, Fg Off. Wiejski, Fg Off. Martini, Fg Off. Ronowicz, Plt Off. Mozolowski. Rear row: Sgt. Pratt, Sgt. Brown, Sgt. Hanzelka, Sgt. Czachla, Sgt. Richardson, Sgt. Baklarz.
(NOTES: Jan Wiejski - Killed 02.02.1943. Florian Martini - Died 16.02.2001. Ryszard Sylwester Ronowicz - Killed 09.08.1945. Jan Józef Zygmunt Mozolowski - Died 22.11.1979. Piotr Tadeusz Hanzelka - Killed 05.06.1943. Stefan Czachla - (aka Curtis), 782696 PAF. Went on to join 316 Squadron, died in Luton on the 30th November age 76. Mieczysław Baklarz - Died
18.01.1984.)

Burial details:

Flt Lt. Ryszard Sylwester Ronowicz. Bexley Cemetery, London. Section N. Grave 460. Born 13th April 1916 in Hamburg, Germany. Next of kin details not available - are you able to assist?

AC2. Ryszard Szoplik. Hucknall Cemetery. Section D. Grave 9A. Born 31st January 1926 in Wielkoryta Poland now Belarus. Next of kin details not available - are you able to assist?

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of the crew with thanks to Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945' . With thanks to Forscher of Find A Grave for photo and details of WO. Stefan Czachla - November 2017. Thanks to Nicholas Dowling for the correction to spelling of Bexley Cemetery (Nov 2021). Other sources quoted below:

RS 09.11.2021 - Correction to the spelling of Bexley cemetery

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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 MWO 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', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, 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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