Monument at Nowe Skalmierzyce, Poland, dedicated to the crew of Halifax JD154.
photo: Krzysztof Szałankiewicz


R.A.F. Polish




photo: Adam S. Kaczmarek


Rank
Service	
Born
Unit
Regiment
Date of death
Today buried
Grave
MISIAK Ludwik Henryk
sierż. pil.
793614
19.11.1913 Bydgoszcz
R.A.F. Polish
138 Sqn.
15.9.1943
Old Garrison Cemetery, Poznań, Poland
Grave Ref. Plot IX, Row A, Coll Grave

[About this Cemetery]

[His name is mentioned on the Polish Air Force memorial at Northolt, U.K.]

[Click for more details ]

HALIFAX JD 154
Halifax JD took off on 14.9.1943 from Tempsford. Target: special flight for the Polish Home 
Army (AK) to drop ammunition and other equipment at Ołobok, Poland.

Because they could not find drop zone the pilot circled in that area.
Cause of his mistake airplane hit one building on street "Kaliska" at Nowe Skalmierzyce.

Three residents Stanisław and Genowefa Janczak and their son Leon died.
All crew members died.

Initially they were buried at Nowe Skalmierzyce.
After the war the graves were exhumed and transferred to Poznań.

CREW
Fojer Henryk
Gębik Karol Piotr
Jabłoński Wiktor
Jakusz-Gostomski Franciszek Józef
Kuczkowski Zdzisław
Misiak Ludwik Henryk
Pacut Kazimierz 

About three Polish officers buried in the Old Garrison Cemetery at Poznań.

ppor. lac. rez. Lewko Kazimierz or "Palec" 
 
ppor. lac. rez. Siakiewicz Wadysław or "Mruk" 
  
ppor. lac. rez. Skowronski Ryszard Kazimierz or "Lechita" 
 
According to publication "Kuczci Poległych Lotnikow 1939-1945" they has been 
secret agents of the "Cichociemni" being the Polish SOE.
 
Some sources says that the mentioned secret agents belonged to Halifax JD 154. 
But this is wrong. 
They died in cause of crash Halifax JD 269 near Esbjerg, Denmark.
The reason why they have graves at Poznań is not known.
Maybe in the past there was a supposition that they died in cause of crash Halifax JD 154 
at Nowe Skalmierzyce, Poland. 
See below:
 
Halifax II J1D269 crashed north of Esbjerg 14/9-1943 
 
The aircraft belonged to RAF 138 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded NF-Q. 
 
Took off on 18:04 hours from Tempsford, U.K. 
Operation: SOE to Neon 9 in Poland. Dropzone Pierzyna 206 near Minsk. 
 
Outbound while over Esbjerg the aircraft was hit by German flak from and crashed at 21 :40 
hours near the railroad line Esbjerg-Varde 6 kilometers north of Esbjerg killing all onboard. 
 
The German Hauptmann Rose from Abwehrstelle Aarhus inspected the wreckage and found 
180.000 US $ as well as sub machine guns, machine guns and a mortar with ammunition. 
Furthermore he declared that there had been found eight crew members and two civilians 
in the wreckage.  
 
The crew consisted of Pilot F/Lt Angus J.M. Milne, Navigator F/O Ian MacLean DFC, 
W/Op-Air Gnr. P/O Philip E. Rollins, Air Gnr. P/O Jack R. Scarles, Flt. Engr. F/Sgt Frank Shuttleworth, 
Air Gnr. Sgt. Edward J. Smyth and Air Bomber P/O Thomas R. Wilson. 
 
There were three Polish secret agents on-board as well. 
All were laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery on 21.9.1943. 
One of the agents rests still as an unknown Pilot Officer W/Op - Air Gnr. but his two comrades were 
laid to rest as unknown English saboteurs in the civilian part of the cemetery. 
The two civilian graves were demolished in 1963 because this graves were not registered as graves 
in care of the Commonwealth War Graves Comission. 
 
Sources: 
Mr. Kajatan Bieniecki, Canada 
Mrs. Betty Clements, U.K.
Mr. Henk Welting, the Netherlands
Mr. Adrian Pohl, Poland

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