303 Sqn Spitfires & Mustangs - Marian Michalak
Michalak’s first flight in a Tiger Moth at Hucknall was on 21 August 1942, his instructor Sgt Swietlikowski. 48 flying hours later, on 23 Sep, he flew R4769 for the first time on an instrument flying, spinning and low flying exercise, again with Sgt Swietlikowski. From then until his final Tiger Moth flight on 14 Oct, Michalak flew R4769 a further 13 times, mostly solo, but with a number of dual trips with Sgt Krawczynski as his instructor. Michalak continued his training at No 16 (Polish) Service Flying Training School, flying the Miles Master, graduating on 20 April 1943 graded ‘Above the Average’.
Michalak flying R4769 from Hucknall
May 1943 saw Michalak flying Tiger Moths with No 7 Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit, based at Castle Bromwich, but it appears much of his flying was carried out from Farnborough as ‘Co-Operation Deepcut’ and ‘Co-Operation Arborfield’. June saw a similar pattern, but this time flying mainly the Airspeed Oxford twin.
Flying a Spitfire for the first time on 2 Oct 1943, Michalak joined 303 (Polish) Squadron at RAF Kenley, his first operational mission in a Spitfire Vb being ‘convoy’ on 6 February 1944. His operational flying during the Spring comprised ‘convoys’ and ‘scrambles’; from May 1944 onwards, Michalak flew many ‘Ramrods’, offensive missions over enemy-occupied territory, often mounted from Manston and landing in France as allied forces re-occupied that country. On 19 Sep 1944, he deployed to Manston once more, from where he flew in Operation MARKET (the ill-fated Arnhem campaign) on 19 & 20 September.
During August 1944, 303 Sqn moved to RAF Coltishall in Norfolk, alternating between there and RAF Andrewsfield for the remained of the War. The Spitfire Mk IX appears in Michalak’s logbook from November 1944, his logbook showing many ‘armed recce’ sorties, including bombs, during 1945. He flew the Mustang Mk IV for the first time on 9 Apr 1945, 303 Sqn being the only Polish squadron to equip with this machine, Michalak flying a ‘Ramrod’ mission, landing at Eindhoven on 25 April 1945.
Marian Michalak’s last flight with the RAF was in a Mustang on 29 November 1946. Subsequently, he was one of 30 Polish pilots who joined the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF), his logbook showing time as a Dakota co-pilot with 6 Sqn from January 1949 and Harvard and Tempest flights from the RPAF College during March 1949.
