Jerzy Bajan

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Jerzy Bajan
Died27 June 1967(1967-06-27) (aged 66)
London, England
Buried
Northwood Cemetery, London, England
Allegiance Poland
 United Kingdom
Service/branch
Years of service1918-1945
RankColonel Pilot
Unit
Battles/wars

Jerzy Bajan (4 May 1901 – 27 June 1967) was a prominent Polish sports and military aviator, winner of the

Challenge 1934
contest.

Bajan (left) with Marshal Józef Piłsudski (centre) and Gustaw Pokrzywka (right) after Challenge in 1934

Early military career

He was born in

Polish-Soviet war
of 1920. In 1922, he applied for the Polish Air Force.

Despite experiencing health problems, he completed the Officer Flying School in Grudziądz and a higher pilotage course in Bydgoszcz and became a fighter pilot. In 1927, he served in 114th Fighter Escadre in Lida, from 1928 moved to Kraków and renamed the 122nd Fighter Escadre of the 2nd Fighter Regiment. In the beginning of the 1930s he was promoted to Captain.

Sport activities

During service in a fighter unit, his passion became

PWS-A
fighters, the wings of which were tied together by ropes.

Bajan also took part in aviation contests. In July–August 1930 he took part in International Touring Aircraft Contest, the

Zurich (or "Alpen rally"), flying a prototype fighter PZL P.11
, and he came second (the first place of the Yugoslavian pilot was debated, because of using additions for fuel).

In 12–28 August 1932 Bajan took part in another

Leningrad
-Lwów-Vienna route and winning the 1st place in a rally. During the contest itself, their PZL.19 was thrown by a wind to the trees while taking off from Baltant near Treibach, and then burnt; Bajan and Pokrzywka bailed out successfully.

In the last International Touring Aircraft Contest, the

RWD-9
with Gustaw Pokrzywka as a crewman. Therefore, he became one of the most popular aviators in Poland.

Later military career

In the second part of the 1930s, Bajan was promoted to Major. After a practice in Great Britain, he became a Chief of Training in a Higher Flying School in Grudziądz. In 1936-1938 he studied at Higher War School in Warsaw, which he graduated. On 15 June 1939, in a rank of Colonel, he became a chief of Flying Cadet School in Flying Officer Training Centre in Dęblin.

World War II and post-war

After outbreak of World War II, Bajan was injured in the left hand during a Luftwaffe bombing raid on Dęblin on 2 September 1939, and his hand became disabled. Along with other Polish pilots, he escaped to France in 1940, then to Great Britain. He occupied staff positions in the Polish Air Force in exile, but he also occasionally flew aircraft, having attached a hook to his hand. He served initially in a Polish Air Force Inspectorate. From 7 April to 17 October 1941 he was the first Polish liaison officer in Royal Air Force Training Command (a chief of the Polish training aviation in Great Britain). In 1942, he took part in several combat flights in No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron. From 1 June 1943, after the death of Stefan Pawlikowski, he became a Polish liaison officer in RAF Fighter Command - a chief of the Polish fighter aviation. Promoted to Colonel, he occupied this position until post-war, when it was liquidated.

After the war he stayed in London instead of returning to a communist-ruled country. Bajan actively worked in the Polish Aviators Association in Great Britain, serving as its president for a time. He led the historical commission, that researched a list of Polish air victories during World War II, known as the "Bajan's list". He also was a co-founder of the Polish Gliding Club at Lasham. He received disability benefits. Bajan died on 27 June 1967 in London.

References

  • Jerzy R. Konieczny, Tadeusz Malinowski: Mała encyklopedia lotników polskich, WKiŁ, Warsaw 1983, (in Polish)