The Times pisze o Skalskim

[Rumburak]

Dzisiejszy Super Ekspres donosi, że The Times napisał o zmarłym generale Skalskim

1. Oto link do artykułu: http://www.se.com.pl/se/index.jsp?place=subLead&news_cat_id=1585&news_id=31010&scroll_article_id=31010&scroll_gallery_aid=31010&layout=1&page=text&list_position=1

2. A oto jego treść, gdyby link nie dział:

Ostatni rycerz przestworzy
Anglicy oddają cześć asowi polskiego lotnictwa
Genialny lotnik z nadzwyczajnym wzrokiem i błyskawicznym refleksem. Doskonale radził sobie w obliczu niebezpieczeństwa i w wirze walki - tak Anglicy chwalą generała Skalskiego. Polski bohater zmarł 12 listopada w wieku 89 lat. Jego pamięć uczcił brytyjski dziennik The Times".

Możemy być z niego dumni! Asa polskiego lotnictwa z okresu II wojny światowej gen. Stanisława Skalskiego komplementuje prestiżowy dziennik. Anglicy podkreślają jego odwagę i śmiałość w walkach w Polsce, w Bitwie o Anglię oraz w Afryce Północnej.

Wrogom podawał rękę
Swego pierwszego zestrzelenia Skalski dokonał wczesnym rankiem 1 września 1939 r. Pełen tradycyjnych rycerskich zasad wylądował obok zestrzelonego niemieckiego samolotu i wyciągnął dwóch rannych członków załogi. I zanim przekazał wrogów policji, opatrzył ich - pisze The Times". Jednak później widząc to, co robili Niemcy w jego kraju, wkrótce zmienił się w śmiertelnie niebezpiecznego zabójcę.

Dziennik zaznacza, że Skalski był fenomenalnym dowódcą, uwielbianym przez podwładnych. Zestrzelony w czasie Bitwy o Anglię, został ranny w nogę i poparzony. Jednak natychmiast uciekł ze szpitala, aby przyłączyć się do swojej eskadry.

Zmarł zapomniany
The Times" pisze, że chociaż Skalskiemu oferowano świetną posadę na Zachodzie, on wolał pracować dla ojczyzny! Jednak gdy po wojnie wrócił do Polski, został aresztowany pod zarzutem szpiegostwa. Był prześladowany przez komunistyczną władzę i spędził sześć lat w więzieniu.

Ostatnie lata życia spędził samotny i zapomniany. Dzielny lotnik zmarł w Warszawie w wojskowym szpitalu.

[Mirass]

Niestety takich ludzi coraz mniej.
Zastępują ich panowie K.... i inni podobni.
Polska to dziwna kraina.

Mirass

[PL]

Oto link do artykulu w The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1358717,00.html

a takze tresc samego artykulu:

General Stanislaw Skalski
Top Polish ace of the Second World War who fought daringly in Poland, over London and in North Africa


The leading Polish fighter ace of the Second World War, Stanislaw Skalski, wasted no time and made his first kill in the early morning of September 1, 1939. Full of the chivalric instincts of another age, he landed in a field beside the German bomber he had shot down, pulled the two wounded crew clear of the wreckage and bandaged them up before handing them over to the police.
But what he saw the Germans doing to his country soon turned him into a deadly killer. A brilliant flier, with extraordinary eyesight and lightning reactions, he thrived on danger and was entirely in his element in the thick of battle. He often brought something of its danger and exhilaration into everyday life. He liked his drink strong and his women beautiful but difficult. Being headstrong and even quarrelsome, he could be an awkward subordinate, but he was a brilliant unit commander, adored by his men.



He was also an exceptionally brave man. Shot down during the Battle of Britain, he injured a leg and was so badly burnt that he flinched whenever anyone lit a cigarette near him. But he absconded from the infirmary to rejoin his squadron, and since he could not walk properly, let alone run, he would sit in his cockpit awaiting the scramble.

Stanislaw Skalski was born on November 27, 1915, in southern Russia, where his father was an estate manager. Two years later the family moved back to south-eastern Poland. He went to school locally in Dubno, and in 1933 enrolled at the Warsaw School of Political Science. He took up gliding and in 1936 left university to enter the Air Force Officers’ Training School at Deblin. He passed out on August 15, 1938, and was posted to the 4th Air Regiment stationed at Torun.

He commanded a section (six planes) of it against the Germans in September 1939. They were equipped with outdated fighters that possessed less than half the speed and one-eighth of the Messerschmitt’s firepower. Yet Skalski managed to shoot down six German planes before, halfway through September, his own machine gave out.

Along with the bulk of the Polish Air Force, he crossed the border into neutral Romania on September 17, 1939, whence they were evacuated via Syria to France, and from there to Britain. In July 1940 he was posted to RAF 501 Squadron at Gravesend, in which he fought throughout the Battle of Britain. He was twice shot down, but himself destroyed six German planes between August 30 and October 8, 1940, and it was only then that he agreed to go to hospital to have his wounds properly seen to.

It was not until March 1941 that he was well again, and he was then posted to 306 Polish Squadron, forming up at Church Fenton from the remnants of the Torun Air Regiment. In June 1942 he was given command of 317 City of Wilno Squadron at Northolt, just in time for the Dieppe raid. On their first foray across the Channel, Skalski and his colleague of 303 Polish Squadron got bored, since the German fighters avoided combat and concentrated on strafing the landing troops. On the next sortie, Skalski’s squadron flew in front, weaving and veering like a bunch of untrained novices, while 303 kept an eye on them from far above and behind. A large formation of Focke-Wulf 190s saw the unsteady progress of 317 and could not resist an easy prize. It dived down on to Skalski’s Spitfires, but was immediately set upon from behind by 303. Within 10 minutes, 15 German planes had been shot down, with no own losses.

In January 1943 he put together the Polish Fighting Team, better known as Skalski’s Circus, a unit of 15 Polish fighter-pilots who fought alongside 145 Squadron in North Africa in the final push against Rommel. In recognition of his exceptional performance, Skalski was given command of 601 County of London Squadron in Malta — becoming the first Pole to lead a British squadron.

The next year he was back in the Polish Air Force, leading 133 Polish wing over the landing beaches on D-Day and during the fighting in Normandy. On June 24 he scored his 22nd and last kill, a Messerschmitt 109.

In October 1944 he was sent on a staff course to the US, and on his return in February 1945 he was posted to the staff of 11 Fighter Group and later to RAF Command in occupied Germany. By the end of the war he had attained the rank of Group Captain and apart from the highest Polish decorations he had won the DSO, the DFC three times and the American DFC.

He was offered exciting jobs in the RAF and the USAAF, but he believed it his duty to devote his talents and experience to the cause of his own country. On June 8, 1947, he returned to Poland and joined its new air force, founded under Soviet aegis, with the rank of major. But on June 4, 1948, he was arrested for espionage along with other Battle of Britain veterans. He was questioned and tortured, and finally condemned to death.

While some of his colleagues were shot, his sentence was commuted to 25 years. He was amnestied in 1956, after the thaw consequent on Stalin’s death, and was entirely rehabilitated. In 1957 he rejoined the Polish Air Force, from which he retired in 1968. He continued to take an active interest in flying, as vice-president of the Polish Aeroclub, and published a book about his wartime experiences. In later years he lived quietly and humbly in a small flat in Warsaw.

It was characteristic of this awkward and unpredictable man that in 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Nazi invasion, when everyone else in Poland was commemorating their own dead and their country’s sufferings, Skalski dug out of his papers the names of the two Germans he had shot down on the first day of the war and started a search for them through the German press. Incredibly, he traced one of them and the widow of the other, and he commemorated the war staying with them in the Bavarian Alps.



Stanislaw Skalski, DSO, DFC and two Bars, fighter ace, was born on October 27, 1915. He died on November 12, 2004, aged 89.

[PL]

Oto link do artykulu w The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-1358717,00.html

a takze tresc samego artykulu:

General Stanislaw Skalski
Top Polish ace of the Second World War who fought daringly in Poland, over London and in North Africa


The leading Polish fighter ace of the Second World War, Stanislaw Skalski, wasted no time and made his first kill in the early morning of September 1, 1939. Full of the chivalric instincts of another age, he landed in a field beside the German bomber he had shot down, pulled the two wounded crew clear of the wreckage and bandaged them up before handing them over to the police.
But what he saw the Germans doing to his country soon turned him into a deadly killer. A brilliant flier, with extraordinary eyesight and lightning reactions, he thrived on danger and was entirely in his element in the thick of battle. He often brought something of its danger and exhilaration into everyday life. He liked his drink strong and his women beautiful but difficult. Being headstrong and even quarrelsome, he could be an awkward subordinate, but he was a brilliant unit commander, adored by his men.



He was also an exceptionally brave man. Shot down during the Battle of Britain, he injured a leg and was so badly burnt that he flinched whenever anyone lit a cigarette near him. But he absconded from the infirmary to rejoin his squadron, and since he could not walk properly, let alone run, he would sit in his cockpit awaiting the scramble.

Stanislaw Skalski was born on November 27, 1915, in southern Russia, where his father was an estate manager. Two years later the family moved back to south-eastern Poland. He went to school locally in Dubno, and in 1933 enrolled at the Warsaw School of Political Science. He took up gliding and in 1936 left university to enter the Air Force Officers’ Training School at Deblin. He passed out on August 15, 1938, and was posted to the 4th Air Regiment stationed at Torun.

He commanded a section (six planes) of it against the Germans in September 1939. They were equipped with outdated fighters that possessed less than half the speed and one-eighth of the Messerschmitt’s firepower. Yet Skalski managed to shoot down six German planes before, halfway through September, his own machine gave out.

Along with the bulk of the Polish Air Force, he crossed the border into neutral Romania on September 17, 1939, whence they were evacuated via Syria to France, and from there to Britain. In July 1940 he was posted to RAF 501 Squadron at Gravesend, in which he fought throughout the Battle of Britain. He was twice shot down, but himself destroyed six German planes between August 30 and October 8, 1940, and it was only then that he agreed to go to hospital to have his wounds properly seen to.

It was not until March 1941 that he was well again, and he was then posted to 306 Polish Squadron, forming up at Church Fenton from the remnants of the Torun Air Regiment. In June 1942 he was given command of 317 City of Wilno Squadron at Northolt, just in time for the Dieppe raid. On their first foray across the Channel, Skalski and his colleague of 303 Polish Squadron got bored, since the German fighters avoided combat and concentrated on strafing the landing troops. On the next sortie, Skalski’s squadron flew in front, weaving and veering like a bunch of untrained novices, while 303 kept an eye on them from far above and behind. A large formation of Focke-Wulf 190s saw the unsteady progress of 317 and could not resist an easy prize. It dived down on to Skalski’s Spitfires, but was immediately set upon from behind by 303. Within 10 minutes, 15 German planes had been shot down, with no own losses.

In January 1943 he put together the Polish Fighting Team, better known as Skalski’s Circus, a unit of 15 Polish fighter-pilots who fought alongside 145 Squadron in North Africa in the final push against Rommel. In recognition of his exceptional performance, Skalski was given command of 601 County of London Squadron in Malta — becoming the first Pole to lead a British squadron.

The next year he was back in the Polish Air Force, leading 133 Polish wing over the landing beaches on D-Day and during the fighting in Normandy. On June 24 he scored his 22nd and last kill, a Messerschmitt 109.

In October 1944 he was sent on a staff course to the US, and on his return in February 1945 he was posted to the staff of 11 Fighter Group and later to RAF Command in occupied Germany. By the end of the war he had attained the rank of Group Captain and apart from the highest Polish decorations he had won the DSO, the DFC three times and the American DFC.

He was offered exciting jobs in the RAF and the USAAF, but he believed it his duty to devote his talents and experience to the cause of his own country. On June 8, 1947, he returned to Poland and joined its new air force, founded under Soviet aegis, with the rank of major. But on June 4, 1948, he was arrested for espionage along with other Battle of Britain veterans. He was questioned and tortured, and finally condemned to death.

While some of his colleagues were shot, his sentence was commuted to 25 years. He was amnestied in 1956, after the thaw consequent on Stalin’s death, and was entirely rehabilitated. In 1957 he rejoined the Polish Air Force, from which he retired in 1968. He continued to take an active interest in flying, as vice-president of the Polish Aeroclub, and published a book about his wartime experiences. In later years he lived quietly and humbly in a small flat in Warsaw.

It was characteristic of this awkward and unpredictable man that in 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Nazi invasion, when everyone else in Poland was commemorating their own dead and their country’s sufferings, Skalski dug out of his papers the names of the two Germans he had shot down on the first day of the war and started a search for them through the German press. Incredibly, he traced one of them and the widow of the other, and he commemorated the war staying with them in the Bavarian Alps.



Stanislaw Skalski, DSO, DFC and two Bars, fighter ace, was born on October 27, 1915. He died on November 12, 2004, aged 89.