Franciszek Jarecki
Franciszek Jarecki (born September 7, 1931 – died October 24, 2010[1]) was a pilot in the Polish Air Force, who became famous in early 1953 when he escaped Soviet-controlled Poland in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet, one of the best Soviet planes at that time.
Early life
Jarecki was born in 1931 in
Defection
On the morning of March 5, 1953 (coincidentally, the day of
Jarecki remained in the West. From Denmark, he moved to London, where General Władysław Anders awarded him the Cross of Merit, and then to the United States, where he provided crucial information about modern Soviet aircraft and air tactics. Among those who shook his hand was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Jarecki received a $50,000 prize for the person who was first to present a MiG-15 to the Americans and became a U.S. citizen.[3]
A few months later, another Polish pilot, Zdzisław Jażwinski, escaped with a MiG-15 to Bornholm. Three years later, four students of Dęblin's school escaped in two Yakovlev Yak-18 planes, crossing Czechoslovakia to land near Vienna in neutral Austria. The leaflets used in Operation Moolah during the Korean War carried a photo of Jarecki.[4]
Later life
After some time in London, England, Jarecki moved to the United States, living in
See also
- List of Cold War pilot defections
- List of Eastern Bloc defectors
References
- ^ "Obituary for Jarecki". legacy.com. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ "Uciekinier". onet.pl. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ISBN 9781477132975. Retrieved 20 February 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ United States Air Force operations in the Korean conflict, 1 July 1952-27 July 1953. Maxwell Air Force Base: USAF Historical Division. 1956. pp. 62–63.
- ^ FlyPast magazine September 2020, pp42-47
- ^ Commodore Downs Bought By Jarecki, Titusville Herald, January 18, 1980
- ^ Escape to the West - The Frank Jarecki Story
External links
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