Marian Bełc
Marian Bełc DSO DFC** | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 January 1914 Paplin[1] Russian Empire (present-day Poland) |
| Died | 27 August 1942 (aged 28) RAF Babdown Farm, England |
| Allegiance |  Poland France United Kingdom |
| Service |  Polish Air Force France Armée de l'Air Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1934-1942 |
| Rank | podporucznik |
| Service number | P-1901 |
| Unit | Polish 143rd Fighter Escadrille Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Polish Defensive War, World War II |
| Awards | Virtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Cross (UK) |
Marian Bełc DFC (27 January 1914 – 27 August 1942) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 7 confirmed kills and one shared.
Biography
[edit]Marian Bełc graduated from pilot training at Lublinek air base near Łódź. On 2 November 1934 he was assigned to the 143rd Fighter Escadrille in Toruń.[2] In autumn 1937 he was transferred to the Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille in Wilno. During the Invasion of Poland Bełc shot down his first plane, on 3 September a Bf 109.[3] After the Soviet invasion of Poland he was evacuated to France via Romania. He served in the Krasnodębski section of the Groupe de Chasse et de Défense I/55 under the command of Zdzisław Krasnodębski.[4] In the same unit served two other Polish aces: Jan Zumbach and Stanisław Karubin. After the capitulation of France he came to the UK. All pilots of the Krasnodębski section were posted 2 August 1940 to the No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.[5] In the Battle of Britain Bełc downed 6 German planes.[6]
On 15 April 1941 married Audrey Stephenson, their son Marian Edward was born on 27 October 1941.[7]
In 1942 Bełc became an instructor in 58 OTU. On 27 August 1942, in a training flight with a British pilot their plane crash-landed. Both pilots were killed.[8] Bełc is laid to rest at Northwood Cemetery in Grave 267, Section H.
Aerial victory credits
[edit]- Bf 109 - 3 September 1939
- 1/8 Do 215 - 18 September 1940
- Bf 109 - 26 September 1940
- Bf 110 - 5 October 1940
- Bf 109 - 7 October 1940
- Bf 109 - 24 June 1941
- Bf 109 - 28 June 1941
- Bf 109 - 24 October 1941
Awards
[edit]
Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross
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Cross of Valour (Poland), three times
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
References
[edit]- ^ Andrzej R. Jańczak "Ostatni lot", Warsaw 1979, p. 138
- ^ Sikora 2014, p. 286.
- ^ Krzystek 2012, p. 88.
- ^ *Grzegorz Śliżewski. "Polskie "kominy" we Francji w 1940 roku" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
- ^ Zieliński 1994, p. 47.
- ^ Sikora 2014, p. 290.
- ^ picture of Bełc's wife and son
- ^ Zieliński 2005, p. 17.
Further reading
[edit]- Charytoniuk, Zbigniew; Zmyślony, Wojciech (2012). Wydawnictwo Gretza (ed.). Ppor. pil. Marian Bełc - As myśliwski Dywizjonu 303 (1914-1942). Warsaw. ISBN 978-83-932973-3-7.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Cumft, Olgierd; Kujawa, Hubert Kazimierz (1989). Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej (ed.). Księga lotników polskich poległych, zmarłych i zaginionych 1939-1946. Warsaw. ISBN 83-11-07329-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - King, Richard (2012). Wydawnictwo RM (ed.). Dywizjon 303 walka i codzienność. Warsaw. p. 384. ISBN 978-83-7243-979-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "The Battle of Britain London Monument - The Airmen's Stories - Sgt Marian Belc". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- Zbigniew Charytoniuk, Wojciech Zmyślony. "Marian Bełc - życiorys" (in Polish). Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- "Marian Bełc - awards". Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- Tadeusz Jerzy Krzystek, Anna Krzystek: Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAAF). Sandomierz: Stratus, 2012, p. 88. ISBN 9788361421597
- Józef Zieliński: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warszawa: Agencja lotnicza ALTAIR, 1994, p. 47. ISBN 83862172.
- Józef Zieliński: Lotnicy polscy w Bitwie o Wielką Brytanię. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza MH, 2005, pp. 16–17. ISBN 8390662043
Marian Bełc.png
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
- The Few
- Polish World War II flying aces
- Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
- Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
- 1942 deaths
- 1914 births
- Polish Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
- Polish military personnel killed in World War II
- Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II