Photos: SKRZYDLATA POLSKA, Michał Cwynar "Trzy wspomnienia wojenne".

Michał Cwynar - in Battle over Norway fiords.

Written by Wilhelm Ratuszynski and Dariusz Tyminski .

Polish pilots from 315 Squadron and "Mustang III" in spring 1944. Sitting on the wing, second from left, is Michał Cwynar. Please note a visible Polish Air Force insignia: white-red chessboard on the forward fuselage of P-51.

Michal Cwynar was Born on 14th November, 1915, in the East Carpathien village of Orzechowka, palatine Lwow, Poland. In 1933 he joined the Polish Air Force school for juniors – SPLDM - on a three years course to train as a pilot, motor, and airframe mechanic. In 1934 he undertook an elementary (eliminating) gliding course at Ustjanowa in the Carpathian mount, achieving category 0, two hours of soaring.

After graduating in 1936 he was he was ordered to report as a ground crew corporal to 1st Air Regimment (Pułk Lotniczy) in Warsaw. Once there, he started his pilot training. After finishing of High Pilotage School (Szkoła Wyzszego Pilotażu) in Grudziadz, Cwynar joined up 113 EM (Eskadra Myśliwska - Fighter Escadrille), stationed in Warsaw. On 29 August 1939, together with the whole IV/1 DM (Dywizjon Myśliwski - Fighter Squadron), his unit was relocated from Okecie airbase to Poniatow (near Jabłonna) airfield.

On 1 September 1939 at 6:00, the P-11c's of 113 EM took off against German raiders. In the air combat that took place north of Modlin, Corporal Cwynar claimed 1 enemy plane destroyed. It was probably a He 111, which fell down in flames. On 6 September, during the afternoon air battle, Cwynar downed one Ju 87 near Łowicz. During the next few days, the air activity of 113 EM was very limited, due to heavy losses and very limited fuel supply. After evacuation via Rumania, Cwynar, like many other Polish pilots, arrived in France.

In early June 1940, after receiving a short training on French fighters, Cwynar joined the Polish section in Groupe de Chasse III/6. This group was moved to "Italian Front". Thus, he didn't taste the combat over France.

After its fall, Cwynar went to Britain, the "last hope island." Over there, after a long training process and fulfillment of the tour of duty as a board gunner in Training Unit in Scotland, Cwynar finally was posted to an operational Polish Fighter Squadron. Thus, on 25 April 1941, he joined the 315 Squadron.

He had to wait for his first kill in RAF till 14 August 1941. During offensive fighter sweep over St. Omer Cwynar flying Spitfire MkII P7613, PK-Z, downed one Bf 109 at 17:50. This was a lucky day for 315 Squadron: seven confirmed kills, one probable and one damaged. One month later, Cwynar scored again. On 16 September, at 18:30, Cwynar flying Spitfire Mk Vb, (AB914, PK-Z) trounced another Bf-109.

On 1 June 1942, Cwynar was commissioned. In October 1942, Squadron 315 was reequipped with Spitfires Mk IX. Cwynar was flying one of IXs (EN123, PK-T) during the mission on 3 February 1943 where at 15:25, he downed an enemy fighter. This time it was a Fw 190.

Cwynar was rested, flying as an instructor in 58 OUT (Balado Bridge) in May 1943 and in 61 OUT (Rednal) in October 1943. One month later, he rejoined 315 Squadron.

In June 1944, F/Lt Cwynar took command of Flight B. On the fifth later that month, he was awarded the Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari (no 09033). A few months later, on September 8, he received a DFC.

In effect of V-1 attacks, the 315 Squadron was moved from 2 TAF to ADGB (Air Defence of Great Britain), with an order to "sweep the flying bombs from the sky". On 10 July 1944, the squadron was relocated to Brenzett airfield.

Cwynar got his first V-1 (shared with another pilot) on July 19, while piloting a Mustang III PK-Z. The next day, he downed another 'half' of V-1 (Mustang III PK-U), and on July 22, he scored 2 'halves' (on PK-N). Finally, on July 24 Cwynar got his 'full' V-1 kill (on PK-Z). In 'anti-flying bomb' duty, the 315 Squadron scored 53 kills.

Let's hear about V-1 hunting, in Michał Cwynar's relation (after "Skrzydła"):

"When flying the Mustang P51-B with 315 Polish Squadron out of Brenzett Advance Landing Ground, our operational objective was twofold, long range bomber escorts and, from dawn to dusk, anti-diver patrols; in sections or two a/c or singly, intercepting V-1 Flying Bombs.

Our operational perimeter, shared with other fighter squadrons, covered to Dover-Folkestone-Rye coastal line, right up to London's balloon barrage.

V-1 Flying Bombs, nicknamed Doodlebugs or Buzz Bombs, were launched from the area south of Calais towards London during daytime. But to extend the terror, on the odd night at irregular times the Germans would send a few over. In the, which our CO, "Dziobek" Horbaczewski, and I shared, we often heard V-1s flying overhead. This made us decide to try out a night patrol. We chose a clear, moonless night, thinking it would be easier to detect the Doodlebug's orange-red colored exhaust flames. We asked our resourceful chief mechanic to prepare the runway's flight path. He had a simple, basic idea of placing a dozen oil-lit lamps in a straight line, along the left side of the Summerfield mesh runway.

In the darkness, without the a/c's positional lights, Horbaczewski got airborne for an approximate two hours long patrol. After his safe landing, I took off to continue the night patrol. We did not intercept any Flying Bombs that night.

Next day, the airfield commander was not pleased. Horbaczewski had not asked permission so that was the end of the night flights.

Our successes in shooting down V-1s were modest when it came to comparison with a Tempest squadron stationed nearby. They were not so maneuverable as Mustangs but faster at ground level speed.

To improve the Mustang's ground speed, the Merlin engines were given more supercharge, from a maximum 141 lbs to 241 lbs. The pilots did not like it. At full throttle we could hear an awful thumping, the connecting rods knocked the pistons without mercy. With knowledge that one day we might be chasing Buzz Bombs and the next escorting bombers to Norway, we were not keen on "hammering" our engines.

Our HQ engineers kept telling us not to worry about the engine... it could be replaced, as long as we continue shooting down Flying Bombs. That was true. But, we thought to ourselves, has it occurred to those well-briefed engineers that if the engine packs up when we are flying over a large stretch of water, replacement will hardly be necessary.

There was a more sensible way of obtaining that extra speed needed to catch Flying Bombs. Knowing at what heights Doodlebugs went jerking through the air, we patrolled about 1,000' above their flight paths. By diving down on them, we had that extra speed needed to catch up.

At dawn on the 24th of July we were airborne for an anti-diver patrol. Before we attained sufficient height, we noticed the mushroom shaped explosions of an AAA barrage over the Folkestone area. The guns were firing at the first series if the morning's Flying Bombs. Not having sufficient height I started to chase one. I was gaining on it but only slowly. I had to give the engine to a point 50 yards astern. When at a proper distance, short bursts of fire were sufficient to damage the V-1'' vital component --the gyroscope.

Once this part was shot up, the craft veered violently, usually to the left, and dived to the ground.

To give the engine a rest, I throttled back, did a leisurely left turn and observed the impact on the ground. It exploded in what looked like, in the morning mist, an orchard of young trees. I turned to a southeast direction and pushed the throttle to increase speed but there was no response! The propeller was idling, driven only by the air speed. At 2,000 feet I had to look for a suitable landing place, a field where, if the worst come to the worst, I could land with the undercarriage in the "up" position.

Luckily, through the morning mist, I spotted a hangar and that could only mean a permanent airfield. In fact there were three hangars to the northwest at "Wet Malling", a Battle of Britain Air Force base. With the hydraulics working, the undercarriage and flaps down, I landed, stopping in the middle of the airfield. Old memories came flooding back of the days when I was learning to fly and was pleased when I achieved a neat three point landing on lush, green grass.
I telephoned Brenzett from the flying control tower. S/Ldr Horbaczewski came over in a jeep, his favorite toy, and brought our chief mechanic, Korczowski. In no time he found that the throttle linkage had jammed somewhere between the pilot's left hand side in the cabin and the engine connection. I was soon on my way back to Brenzett."

On 30 July 1944, nine Mustangs from 315 squadron took off for a long escort flight. A group of 48 Beaufighters from 489 Squadron(5) was ordered to attack German ships near the Norway coast. Led by S/Ldr Horbaczewski were F/O Czerwinski, F/Sgt Bedkowski, F/O Smidrowicz, F/O Kirste, F/Lt Cwynar, W/O Idrian, W/O Jankowski, P/O Swistun and F/O Nowosielski. Due to an engine malfunction in his Mustang, Czerwinski returned to base soon after takeoff, while Kirste lost formation in poor visibility. While traversing Lista Peninsula, 6 Mustangs from 315 Sq clashed with a group of German 15 aircraft, consisting of Bf-109s and Fw-190s. In result, Poles shot down seven aircraft without any losses. S/Ldr Horbaczewski: 1 and 1/2 Bf-109; F/O Nowosielski: 1/2 Bf-109; F/Lt Cwynar 1 and 1/2 Bf-109; P/O Swistun 1/2 Bf-109; W/O Jankowski 1 Bf-109 and 1 Fw-190; W/O Idrian 1 Me-110.

F/Lt Cwynar remembers that unusual combat...

"In early morning of July 30th, 1944, ten Mustangs of 315 Squadron, with Horbaczewski leading, took off from Brenzett with empty droppable combat fuel tanks. After an hour we landed at RAF station Coltishall.

We enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in the Officers' Mess and then went back to the airfield to await the order to take off. Our Mustangs had been refueled. The dropable tanks were also full, holding 75 US gallons each. There was nothing else to do but relax in the shade of the aircraft wings before an arduous, five hour long flight....

The Allies were receiving reports that the Germans were shipping uranium ore from the Bergen region of Norway, along the cost towards the Kattegat and on to Schweinemunde. The British were sending light bomber formations to sink anything that moved along the Norwegian coast.

The Germans posted one Staffel of Bf 109 to Stavanger to protect vital traffic. Our light bombers, mainly Canadian Beaufighters, were taking heavy losses at the hands of the German fighters. To counter it, the RAF High Command decided to surprise the Germans by sending an escort of Mustangs along with the Canadians.

Finally the control tower ordered a rendezvous with the Canadian squadron. We took off, as usual, with the fuel in the main tanks behind the pilot's cabin. When escorting at heights of 20k feet or more, we always flew 25 to 30 minutes on these tanks to make sure we used up a certain amount of fuel. That eliminated the Mustang's adverse lateral instability.

This time, however, heading low towards the Wash, we had to change to droppable combat fuel tanks soon after being airborne. This, as it later transpired, posed some difficulties.

As we approached the Wash, the weather began to close in with a rainy, warm frontal system from the west. We soon spotted the Canadians in close formation, low down, "on the deck", to avoid radar detection. CO Horbaczewski, with his section of three Mustangs, took up position on the starboard side of the Beaufighters while I went to port and Maciek Kirste to the rear.

The weather worsened rapidly as we closed in on the Beaufighters, forming a tight formation around them. Their leader kept steady course whilst "hugging the waves".

Maciek Kirste came through on the radio to inform that he had lost visual contact with the formation. Horbaczewski ordered him to fly back to England (note from authors: we have a copy of Kirste's logbook. His flight that day lasted 4 hrs 45 min; signed by Horbaczewski. In fact, he continued to Norway with his section and missed the fight.). It was dangerous in bad weather or while in the clouds to accelerate in an attempt to rejoin a formation after losing visual contact.

With only six of us left, we ordered our wingmen to go echelon starboard and port respectively, and as in cloud formation, held on grimly. We did not dare lose Canadians because we had to protect them.

After two hours of total concentration, suddenly it was as if we had flown through a curtain or passed over a cliff. We had overtaken the eastern edge of the frontal system. The sun was behind us - a useful tactical advantage - and in front we had a beautiful panoramic view of the Norwegian coast.

When few miles from land, the Candians turned to right along the coast in search of shipping. Behind them and slightly above, Horbaczewski tucked in with his section while I moved to his right with mine. We changed to main fuselage fuel tanks and waited keenly observing the Norwegian coast. In order not to betray our position in the sun, we kept our droppable fuel tanks under our wings.

Within few minutes, one of Horbaczewski's wingmen spotted German fighters approaching through a fiord's inlet, heading for the Beaufighters. There were two groups of four Bf-109's each, leisurely, almost nonchalantly carrying out a left-hand turn to take up position to attack the Canadians. Jettisoning our fuel tanks, we attacked. Horbaczewski went in first attacking the inner group and I engaged the outer formation. They were taken completely by surprise at first. They turned toward us having learned a thing or two in battles over France. They had been told the Spitfire shuddered when diving and with us approaching out of the sun they had not recognized our Mustang - they dived towards the sea.

In diving and climbing in a left hard turn, I engaged the group leader. By the way in which he scythed through the air, the edges of his Messer's wings stitching the sky with air-condensed threads, I realized he was a good pilot. He pulled out hard, but so did I! With the fuselage fuel tank still full and the Mustang's adverse lateral stability, there wasn't much room for imaginative maneuvering, so I had to hold a steady, smooth turn. With a few hundred revs always in reserve, I held on patiently. For 360 degree circle or more there was stalemate. I lowered flaps 10 degrees and was gaining on him. My solar plexus stopped churning as I felt sure of getting on his tail, all the time thinking: "Pull smoothly. Get that extra reserve throttle on".

I got him in my gunsights' illuminated ring, pulled straight through his line of flight, one diameter - two - three of deflection and then pressed the firing button. For a split second there as nothing then I saw the bullets punching holes, first on his tail section and then the fuselage, canopy and wings......

When converting from Spitfire VB's to Mustangs at ALG Coolham, in April/May 1944, Henryk Stefankiewicz and myself, tried many brainstorming ideas. When engaging the enemy low, over ground or sea, there was only one maneuver at the fighter pilot's disposal, an ideally constructed tight turn. When Mustang's speed dropped to 220-240 mph, by lowering 10 degrees of flaps the pilot could get on to his opponent's tail in no time. At a safe height, "Mysz" as he was affectionately known, and I, by altering the configuration of the Mustangs, proved it really worked.

There was considerable danger though. The Mustang was a great but unforgiving machine. When flaps were down, if pulled crudely, and at an even lower speed, say 200, it could stall. When told about our experiment, Horbaczerwski would not have it. He told us not to discuss it with the other pilots, saying: "Flaps or no flaps, I don't want to see my pilots falling from the skies"

........After the engagement, which ended in an individual melee, we tried to gather ourselves together. To save valuable fuel, it was decided we would fly home in two separate sections. Horbaczewski "iherited" my wingman, Idrian. "Dzióbek's" Nowosielski became my companion. We headed home.

In no time we flew back into the same atrocious weather, even worse than before. There was water below and water lashing down from above. I decided to pay more attention to the flying panel instruments. I came gradually to the sea level, about 10 feet above waves, and to get that extra safety margin set the altimeter to "0" - zero! Only now and again checked to see if the wingmen were still with me and continued to head home. Tadek Jankowski, a gifted pilot and trusted wingman, good raconteur, began to poster me: "Michal! Let's go above the clouds. Let's climb up!"

It would have been pleasant to go above, to see the sun and skim over the clouds. But soon we realized that we were in trouble. I was approaching land through a low cloud base without a clue as to my position or when and where I was going to get down. To have gone above would only compounded our difficulties. I told Jankowski to keep quiet. Nowosielski did not utter a word.

After reaching the English coastline, I turned south and to orient myself, flew along the coast. South of Bridlington, I found an airfield and the three of us landed safely. I spent the night in a comfortable bed, which was a pleasant change from Brenzett's camp in the tent.

"Dzióbek" Horbaczewski's section landed about thirty miles south of us, near Hull.

The next day, we flew back to Brenzett to learn that after sinking one merchant ship and setting a few barges on fire, the Canadian Beaufighters returned safely to base.

The enemy casualties were seven Bf-109 destroyed; our losses - nil! "

Michal Cwynar's recollections from Jul 24, 1944. "Skrzydla"

Just after successfull combat over Norway fiords, at Coolham airbase. From left: F/Lt Przymienski (I.O.), P/O Swistun, S/Ldr Horbaczewski, F/O Nowosielski, F/Lt Cwynar, W/O Jankowski and F/Sgt Bedkowski (Bedkowski didn't take a part in this action). On the picture, missing is a section of F/O Kirste, which landed on another airfield.

Polish fighters clashed with Bf 109's (and probably also FW 190's) of IV./JG 5. On German side Leutnant Heinz Salz was killed, while Unteroffizier Johann Kwiotkowski (this name sounds very Polish...), Leutnant Horst Mülling and Unteroffizier Dieter Kreikemeier went missing. Intresting fact, that German pilots reported a group of 20 Mustangs, while real number of Polish fighters was 6...

After finishing his tour of duty, Michal Cwynar again was posted to training units. Shortly after war (July- September 1945) he took command of 316 Fighter Squadron. After leaving RAF in 1948, he settled in Scotland.

Total score of Michał Cwynar is 5 personal kills and 1 shared victory. He scored also 1 V-1 and other 4 as a shared (1/2).

S/Ldr Michal Cwynar’s (P.1903) table of scores:

Note: some data and pictures are after SKRZYDLATA POLSKA, Michał Cwynar, "Trzy wspomnienia wojenne."

Note: Please check also another story devoted to career of Michał Cwynar!

Mustang III PK-N FZ154. Flying this machine, on 22 July 1944 Lt., Cwynar scored two 'halfs' of V-1 bomb. PK-N was very rare example of RAFs Mustang with 'American' canopy, all other Mk-IIIs were equiped by 'Malcolm' hood. The profile shows FZ154 with 'D-Day' markings.

Profile: Aeroplan 1/97, Wojtek Matusiak, 'Dziubek i inni'.

1999.12.23, © WW II Ace Stories.