Date: 10/11th April 1942
Unit: No. 305 Squadron (Polish)
Type: Wellington II
Serial: W5519
Code: SM-U
Base: Lindholme.
Location: North Sea - Cromer, Norfolk
Pilot: F/O. Tadeusz Czolowski P-1079 P.A.F. Survived (1)
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Brunon Malejka 782328 P.A.F. Survived (2)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: F/O. Jan Jezycki P-1286 P.A.F Survived (3)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Marian Zajac P-2092 P.A.F. Survived (4)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Czeslaw Poniatowski 781581 P.A.F. Survived (5)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Kazimierz Wziatek 792662 P.A.F. Survived (6)
F/O. Czolowski (1) At a later date attacked by night fighters 29th August 1942 Wellington N1480 SM-N - landed safely at Manston - 3 crew baled out (2 X P.O.W.'s, 1 X Evd) and one died on route. Operation: Saarbrücken Survived the war?
Sgt. Malejka (2) Killed 0n 17/18th August 1944. Liberator VI EW275 GR-R. 1586 E.S.P Warsaw uprising drops. See "Here"
F/O. Jezycki (3) Awarded D.F.C. Survived the war?
Sgt. Zajac (4) Killed on 16th April 1945 Mosquito B.25 KA968 45 (T) Group On a ferry flight from Dorval Canada to Prestwick, Scotland. Lost in Atlantic.
Sgt. Poniatowski (5) Killed on 28/29th August 1942 Wellington IV Z1281 SM-K 305 Squadron. Operation: Saarbrücken
Sgt. Wziatek (6) Parachuted out from a Lancaster III PB252 BH-M 25/26th July 1944. 300 Squadron - evaded capture and returned to England. Operation: Stuttgart
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 22.23 hrs from Lindholme to attack Essen as part of a 254 aircraft bombing raid (167 Wellington's, 43 Hampden's, 18 Stirlings, 10 Manchester's and 8 Halifax's). The raid was hampered by cloud over Essen and the bombing force became scattered. They suffered heavily from the Ruhr flak defences with 14 aircraft lost. A total of 60 aircrew were killed and a further 19 being made POW's. The raid was a failure with very light damage to the target area. 12 houses were destroyed and 7 people on the ground killed and 30 injured.
Wellington W5519 SM-U was seriously damaged by German night fighters over the Dutch coast. (No night fighter claims could be found for this loss) But the crew managed to return to England and eventually ditched at 03.10 hrs in the North Sea some 4 mies off Cromer, Norfolk. They were all rescued by trawler from their dingy and then picked up by the Cromer lifeboat the H.F. Bailey after being launched at 03.58 hrs. and returned. Some required hospital treatment but all survived this crash. It has not been established if they remained inside the aircraft during ditching or they jumped. Research ongoing.
Above and below crew standing in front of Wellington W5519 SM-U (Courtesy Chris Mackey)
Left to right: Sgt. Malejka, ?, Sgt. Zajac, F/O. Czolowski, Sgt. Poniatowski, F/O. Jezycki, Sgt. Wziatek (Courtesy Chris Mackey)
Crew in front of Wellington W5519 SM-U (Courtesy Chris Mackey)
Left to right: F/O. Czolowski, Sgt. Malejka, Sgt. Wziatek, Sgt. Zajac (Courtesy Chris Mackey)
Cromer lifeboat - H.F. Bailey (Restored 2009)
The 305 Squadron mascot "Ciapek (Courtesy Chris Mackey)
Researched by: Kelvin T. Youngs (A.R. Society) With photographs supplied by Chris Mackey the son of Sgt. Brunon Malejka.
With thanks to Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - Bomber Command War Diaries and Bill Chorley - Bomber Command Losses Vol 3
