Last surviving WWII polish pilot dies
OTTAWA -Tadeusz Sawicz, a decorated Second World War air-man who was believed to be the last surviving Polish pilot to fight in the Battle of Britain, has passed away at the age of 97 in Toronto. Born in Warsaw on Feb. 13, 1914, Sawicz began his military career in 1934 as a wing commander in the Royal Air Force. According to an obituary in London's Daily Telegraph, Mr. Sawicz was serving in Poland with the 114 Fighter Flight of No 1 Air Wing when the Nazis invaded his homeland on Sept. 1, 1939. "Despite flying an antiquated biplane fighter, he damaged a Messerschmitt Bf 109 [on the invasion's opening day]. He received the Polish Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) four times, a British DFC, American DFC and the Dutch equivalent Vlieger Cruis for his heroism. In 2006, by order of then-Polish president Lech Kaczynski, Sawicz was appointed brigadier-general. He immigrated to Canada in 1957 and worked in Montreal for Wheeler and Nordair Airlines.
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