Date: 14/15th January 1943
Unit: No. 300 Squadron (Polish)
Type: Wellington IV
Serial: Z1387
Coded: BH-Q
Location: Sea off French coast
Pilot: Sgt. Stanislaw Gosiewski 792204 P.A.F. Age; 20, Missing (Ostrołęce, Poland.)
Nav: P/O. Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński P-1982 P.A.F. Age; 26, Killed (Jarosławiu, Poland.)
W/Op: Sgt. Jerzy Burda 793667 P.A.F. Age; 24, Missing (Szewna, Poland.)
Air/Bmr/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Henryk Imiołek 781370 P.A.F. Age; 27, Missing (Sancygniów, Poland.)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Jozef Jednaki 793701 P.A.F. Age; 23, Killed (Ostrawie, Poland.)
REASON FOR LOSS:
Part of a 122 aircraft raid on this French Port of Lorient - 63 Halifax's, 33 Wellington's, 20 Stirling's and 6 Lancaster's. Z1387 took off at 22.34hrs from Ingham to attack the German U-Boat base - 2 aircraft were lost on this raid - both in the sea. No reports of attacks from the German night fighters so may well have been brought down by flak. The other aircraft lost being a Wellington from 426 Squadron. The bodies of P/O Žukotyński and Sgt. Jednaki were washed ashore in late March and are buried in the Cherbourg Old Communal Cemetery and the remainder of the crew are remembered on the Northolt Memorial.
The bomb runs were considered "wild" with 120 buildings in the city destroyed - including 2 churches. 12 people on the ground were reported killed. This area was attacked a further 7 times during the war.
Some of the crew shown here during their training with 18 O.T.U. L to R: Jerzy Burda, Henryk Imiołek, Stanislaw Gosiewski, Adam Kozakiewicz (Killed on Wellington Z1401 BH-Q on 6/7th December 1942) and Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński.
Full crew shown here in the order as the crew description above.
Rare colour photograph of Wellington IV Z1387 BH-Q
Burial Details:
Stanislaw Gosiewski Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial
Stefan Jerzy Žukotyński Cherbourg Old Communal Cemetery Grave No. 54.
Jerzy Burda Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial
Henryk Imiołek Commemorated on the Northolt Memorial
Jozef Jednaki Cherbourg Old Communal Cemetery Grave No. 55.
The Aircrew Remembrance Society would like to thank Robert Gretzyngier, Woitek Matusiak, Wadldemar Wojcik and Josef Zielinski for the use of some of these photographs. We highly recommend their publications regarding WW2 Polish Air Force and are happy to provide other researchers information where they can be purchased. See "here"
