Jerzy Bajan

Jerzy Bajan was born on 4 June 1901 in Lwów (at the time in the Austro-Hungarian Empire; now Lviv in Ukraine), a son of Felicjan (a qualified architect, an amateur actor) and Zofia née Slawik. He was baptised at the Roman-Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary there on 21 September 1902. Together with his younger siblings: brother Marian and sister Małgorzata, he grew up in Stanisławów (now Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine), where he graduated from a primary school and, from 1910, he was a pupil of the Higher Real School (Wyższa Szkoła Realna; subsequently renamed as the III Państwowe Gimnazjum im. Stanisława Staszica or 3rd ‘Stanisław Staszic’ National Secondary School). Following the outbreak of WWI, Felicjan Bajan moved to Horodenka (now in Ukraine) to work on fortifications. The town suffered from a cholera epidemic in the summer of 1915, and Felicjan died of the illness on 17 August. Jerzy contracted it, too, while staying with his father, but he survived. According to his siblings, it was during the 1916 Austrian-Russian fighting at Stanisławów that he saw aeroplanes for the first time in his life, and got so interested that, eventually, his entire life was connected with aviation.

While still a secondary school pupil, Jerzy Bajan joined the Polish Military Organisation (Polska Organizacja Wojskowa) in April 1917, and then the Polish Legions/Polish Auxiliary Corps (Legiony Polskie/Polski Korpus Posiłkowy) in June 1917. He was posted to the 4th Replacement Company (4 Kompania Zapasowa) at Bolechów (now Bolekhiv, Ukraine). Interned in connection with the so-called Oath Crisis, he escaped in January 1918 and resumed his school education. He completed the first half of his final secondary school year at the 1st ‘King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk’ Secondary School (I Gimnazjum im. Króla Kazimierza Jagiellończyka) in Kołomyja (now Kolomyia, Ukraine). He then resumed his military service, leading a platoon of the Polish Military Organisation in Stanisławów and participating in operations against the Ukrainians. To evade being captured by them, he ravelled by a roundabout route via Hungary to reach Cracow where he joined the Polish Army as a volunteer on 21 November 1918, at the age of 17. He took part in the Polish-Ukrainian War until March 1919 (during the fighting at Chyrów and Dobromil, now Khyriv and Dobromyl) as a member of the 2nd Squadron of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment (2 Pułk Szwoleżerów), eventually leading a mounted reconnaissance platoon at the ‘East’ HQ. He was promoted lance corporal (starszy szeregowiec) in December 1918, and corporal (kapral) on 18 January 1919. In March and April 1919, he was an instructor at the NCO School at Sanok. He was promoted lance sergeant (plutonowy) on 1 April. On 18 May 1919, he was transferred to the 40th ‘Lwów Rifles’ Infantry Regiment (40 Pułk Piechoty “Strzelców Lwowskich”), with which he then fought in the Polish-Russian War as a platoon leader in the 11th Company. He suffered a head wound at the front line at Chyrów in May 1919, and was then wounded in his arm at Tarnopol (now Ternopil, Ukraine) in June. He passed his final maturity (secondary school) exams as a member of the Education Course for Soldier-Pupils (Kurs Naukowy dla Uczniów Żołnierzy) in Lwów on 28 April 1920. He contracted typhus in November. Following hospital treatment, he returned to the 40th Inf. Rgt on 15 December, with a posting to the HQ company of the replacement battalion.

He chose a military career and commenced an abbreviated officer training course at the Infantry College (Szkoła Podchorążych Piechoty) in Warsaw on 1 January 1921. Upon graduation (ranked as the 80th of 100) he was posted as a Lance Sergeant Officer Cadet (plutonowy podchorąży) to the 24th Infantry Regiment (24 Pułk Piechoty) on 15 June 1921, but he volunteered to serve with the air force instead. He commenced training at the Air Observers’ Officers’ School (Oficerska Szkoła Obserwatorów Lotniczych) on 13 November 1921. His commission to the rank of second lieutenant (podporucznik) in the air force branch was gazetted on 5 August 1922, with effect from 1 May 1922. Upon completion of the training course, on 20 August 1922, he was detached for a 90-day course in radio-telegraphic communications at the Signals Force Training Camp (Obóz Wyszkolenia Wojsk Łączności) at Zegrze. He formally qualified as an observer and received his observer’s wings on 11 December 1922. He was posted to the radio-communications platoon of the 3rd Air Regiment (3 Pułk Lotniczy) in Poznań on 16 December 1922, becoming its acting commander on 23 April 1923. He was detached for a horse-riding course (!) at the 7th Mounted Artillery Squadron (7 Dywizjon Artylerii Konnej) on 6 November 1923. He was promoted lieutenant (porucznik) with effect from 17 November 1923, and re-categorised as a career officer at the same time.

He transferred to the Pilots’ School (Szkoła Pilotów) at Bydgoszcz on 5 April 1924. He returned to the 3rd Air Regiment on 21 November 1924, appointed the Adjutant of the V/3 Line Squadron (V/3 Dywizjon Liniowy; a light bomber/reconnaissance unit). He then had a sick leave for psychosomatic causes between 1 January and 21 February 1925. Subsequently, he resumed his detachment to the Pilots’ School at Bydgoszcz. Upon completion of the course, he qualified as a pilot with effect from 17 June 1925, and received his pilot’s wings. He was posted to the 6th Air Regiment in Lwów on 18 June 1925. He commanded a company of airmen there from 11 July, and then a communications platoon from 24 October 1925. He was re-posted to the 11th Air (Fighter) Regiment (11 Pułk Lotniczy (Myśliwski)) at Lida (now in Belarus) on 12 November 1925, and commanded a similar platoon there from 11 January 1926. A week later he was assigned to the 3rd Flight of the regiment as a pilot, while still commanding the communications platoon. He was the Education Officer from 24 March, and commanded the Photographic Section from 20 July 1926. He was re-posted as a pilot to the 114th Air Flight (114 Eskadra Lotnicza) of the 11th Regiment on 12 April 1928. On 11 July 1928, he was transferred, together with the entire fighter squadron, from Lida to the 2nd Air Regiment (2 Pułk Lotniczy) in Cracow, where his unit was renumbered on 20 September: the 114th Fighter Flight became the 122nd. Between 2 January and 18 February 1929, he took part in a chemical weapons course for artillery and air force officers at the Gas Training School (Szkoła Gazowa) in Warsaw. He assumed the post of the Gas Officer of the 2nd Air Regiment on 19 April.

He was appointed to command the 121st Fighter Flight (121 Eskadra Myśliwska) on 9 July 1929. In April 1930, he completed a flight commanders’ course at Dęblin. He was promoted to the rank of captain (kapitan) on 1 January 1931. He took command of the 122nd Flight in October 1931. He felt particular attachment to that unit and its emblem, known as the ‘paper horse’ in Poland and as ‘cocotte’ in the West, eventually became his personal insignia on various aircraft he flew outside the unit (such as those he used during aeronautical sports events, or his personal PZL P.11 fighter when he was in charge of flying training at Dęblin).

Beside his military service, he expressed his passion for flying in numerous air shows and competitions.

He has formed a small aerobatic team in the 2nd Air Regiment, which became known as the ‘Trójka Bajana’ (‘Bajan Trio’) as three pilots performed the display simultaneously (they included, beside himself, Lt Bronisław Kosiński, Cpl Stanisław Macek and Cpl Karol Pniak). One of Bajan’s ideas was to connect the wingtips of the aircraft with special cord, which did not break despite various aerobatic manoeuvres. This was aimed to prove that the pilots maintained unchanged distance, but civilian spectators often misunderstood that it was the cord that kept the aircraft in formation! Displays of the Cracow team inspired one of the highest grossing pre-WWII Polish films: “To Thy Protection” (“Pod Twoja Obronę”; premiered in April 1933). Sequences of aerobatics performed by pilots of the 122nd Flight in PWS-A aircraft were one of its attractions.

Jerzy Bajan took part in numerous international aeronautical tournaments and shows, both in military and civil aircraft. In 1929, he participated in the 3rd Air Rally of the Little Entente and Poland (III Lot Małej Ententy i Polski), flying a SPAD 61 (competition no. 20), winning the award for the best military preparation. In 1930 he took part in Challenge International de Tourisme (known in Poland in short as the Challenge) flying an RWD-4 (SP-ADM), he came 32nd (Sgt Gustaw Pokrzywka, the Chief Mechanic of the 122nd Flight, was his air crew partner; they were the only Polish crew to complete the event). In 1931 he flew the same RWD-4 (SP-ADM) when he won the aerobatics competition during the Air Meeting in Zagreb and was second in the overall ranking (which also included precision landing and top speed contests) in a crew with Rościsław Wierzbicki. In July 1932, flying a prototype of the PZL P.11/II fighter (factory marking 6-A), he was second in the 3rd International Air Meeting in Zurich. Less than a month later, he took part in the Challenge, this time in a PZL.19 (SP-AHK, competition no. 03), again crewed with Pokrzywka, but they finished tenth after they lost an engine cowling panel in flight. In 1933, he participated in the 1st International Alpine Rally, also with Pokrzywka, in another PZL.19 (SP-AHI, competition no. 42). After the first two contests (fly-in and speed) they were leading in the competition, but during the rally their machine was destroyed in an accident. In October of that year, he took part in a tour of PZL P.7a fighters flown by Polish pilots to Romania. In 1934, during the fourth Challenge, Bajan and Pokrzywka in an RWD-9 (SP-DRD ‘Jan Śniadecki’, competition no. 71) achieved their greatest sporting success: they won the overall ranking of the competition, repeating the 1932 success of Żwirko and Wigura. They also won individual contests in the minimum speed (54 km/h), the take-off run to overflying a barrier (76.1 m), and the time to fold the wings and then re-assemble them (46 s).

On 1 April 1935 Bajan was detached from the 122nd Flight to the Air Gunnery and Bombing School (Lotnicza Szkoła Strzelania i Bombardowania) at Grudziądz as the head of the training group during the summer term of advanced flying training. In the summer of that year he went to Britain, where he toured flying training establishments to study the Royal Air Force pilot training system: at the Central Flying School at Upavon between 2 and 5 July, at RAF Tangmere between 8 and 10 July, and at No. 3 Flying Training School at Spitalgate between 23 and 27 July. He then returned to Grudziądz and, on 1 September 1935, to the 122nd Flight. In October of that year, a team of the 122nd Flight consisting of Lt Antoni Wczelik, Lce Sgt Karol Pniak and Lce Sgt Stanisław Macek, representing the 2nd Air Regiment, won Poland’s Central Fighter Competition held at Grudziądz. In addition to the piloting contest, it also included air firing accuracy (against a towed sleeve) and air combat contests. Bajan was not a member of the team, but its victory was undoubtedly proof of the excellent training of his flight’s personnel.

On 15 January 1936, he was appointed the Head of Flying at the Air Force Officers’ Training Centre (Centrum Wyszkolenia Oficerów Lotnictwa) at Dęblin. He was promoted Major (major) on 19 March 1936. On 1 November 1936, he commenced twelve-month studies at the Polish Air Force Staff College (Wyższa Szkoła Lotnicza) of the Polish Army Staff College (Wyższa Szkoła Wojenna) in Warsaw. On 4 November 1937, he was posted as a staff officer to the Polish Air Force School Group HQ (Komenda Grupy Szkół Lotniczych) in Warsaw. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (podpułkownik) on 19 March 1939. In the summer of 1939 he was a member of a team of test pilots who went to France and Britain to conduct flying trials of aircraft offered to Poland. This included test flying the Supermarine Spitfire as one of the first Polish pilots (possibly the very first one, considering the hierarchy of the team). Upon return to Poland, he was appointed the commandant of the Polish Air Force College (Szkoła Podchorążych Lotnictwa) at Dęblin on 1 August 1939.

Before WWII, Jerzy Bajan was awarded the following Polish decorations, among others: Officer’s and Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Poland Revived) (Order Odrodzenia Polski), Silver Cross of Merit (Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi), ‘Eaglets in the Defence of Lwów’ Medal (Medal „Orlęta w Obronie Lwowa”), Ten Years of Restored Independence Medal (Medal Dziesięciolecia Odzyskanej Niepodległości), 1918–1921 War Commemorative Medal (Medal Pamiątkowy za Wojnę 1918–1921), and the Medal of the City of Lwów (Medal Miasta Lwowa). He was also a Knight of the 1st Class of the Swedish Royal Order of the Sword (Riddare av 1. klass Kungliga Svärdsorden), a Knight of the Bulgarian Order of Saint Alexander (Орден Св. Александръ) and an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania (Ordinul Coroana României în grad de Ofiter). Following the 1934 Challenge success, the Polish League of Air and Anti-gas Defence (Liga Obrony Powietrznej i Przeciwgazowej) minted a commemorative medal in 1934 (apparently it was at his demand that the image of Sgt Pokrzywka was also included in it).

Upon the outbreak of WWII, during a German air raid on Dęblin on 2 September 1939, Bajan was wounded and buried under rubble in a building of the base. He was recovered by officer cadets Zbigniew Groszek and Czesław Zdrodowski, and then flown by Capt. Jan Hryniewicz in a Lublin R-XIII med-evac aeroplane to a hospital in Warsaw, where his shrapnel-riddled hand was operated upon. Although amputation was thus avoided, the left hand of this outstanding pilot was permanently disabled. Bajan evacuated to Lublin on 6 September, and left Lublin for Śniatyń (now Sniatyn, Ukraine) on 10 September. Upon the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, he crossed Poland’s border into Romania, as ordered by his superiors. He evaded internment, obtained a passport at the Polish Embassy in Bucharest, and went by sea to Marseilles in France, arriving there on 16 October. On 18 October he reported at a Polish assembly station in Paris.

While in France, he underwent further treatment aimed at restoring control of his left hand. He spent time at a hospital at Créteil near Paris, among other places (this is probably the reason why some authors erroneously link his wounds and the resulting disability of his hand with participation in the Battle of France). When France capitulated, he evacuated by sea to Britain, arriving there on 23 June. Upon admission into the exiled Polish Air Force in Britain he received the service number P-1499. He was admitted to the RAF Hospital at Torquay on 1 September 1940, staying there until 21 December. He was then transferred to the Polish Air Force Depot in Blackpool and was then posted as the Polish Liaison Officer to the HQ of No. 13 Group RAF on 11 February 1941. On 7 April 1941, he was re-posted to a similar post at the HQ of Flying Training Command RAF. Bajan wanted to resume flying as a pilot and even, despite his disability, to fly on operations. Working with F/O Witold Sylwestrowicz, an engineer officer, he developed a prosthesis intended specifically for flying: it was a leather band with metal hooks attached, strapped on his wrist, which allowed him to operate the throttle lever. He commenced a refresher course at No. 16 (Polish) Service Flying Training School at Newton on 18 October 1941, and on 11 November he was posted for fighter training on Spitfires to No. 61 Operational Training Unit RAF at Heston. Upon completion of the latter, he was posted to No. 316 ‘City of Warsaw’ Squadron on 13 January 1942. While with the squadron, he flew as an ordinary pilot on Spitfire VBs, totalling ten operational sorties in 17:15 flying hours. Notably, his superior officers in the unit where much younger than him, and some of them (such as the famous ace, Stanisław Skalski) had joined the Polish Air Force impressed by his air display performances and competition flying successes.

Bajan resumed staff work on 4 May 1942, when he was appointed the Head of the Personnel Department of the Polish Air Force Inspectorate General. A year later, following the death of G/Cpt Stefan Pawlikowski (who was shot down over France during an operational sortie on 15 May 1943), Bajan took over as the Senior Polish Liaison Officer at the HQ of Fighter Command RAF, the post being, in fact, that of the Commander of the Polish fighter force. He remained at this post until the disbandment of the exiled Polish Air Force in late 1946. During 1943–1944, in connection with RAF re-organisations, the post was known as the Senior Polish Liaison Officer at the HQ Air Defence of Great Britain. During 1942–1944, while holding staff posts, he continued to fly on operations with Polish fighter squadrons, Nos. 302, 303, 308, 316 and 317, on Spitfire Vs and IXs. He has flown a total of 32 operational sorties in a total time of 60:00 hours from Britain. He was promoted to the Polish rank of Colonel (pułkownik) with effect of 1 March 1945.

In 1943 Bajan was a member of the Polish committee that investigated the circumstances of the death of Gen. Władysław Sikorski, the Commander-in-Chief of the exiled Polish Forces. After WWII he presided over the Historical Committee of the Polish Air Force that verified Polish fighter pilots’ victory claims/credits. The document prepared by the Committee, entitled “Polish Fighter Pilots Achievements during the Second World War (1.9.1939–6.5.1945)”, which he signed on 25 March 1946, is commonly known as the ‘Bajan list’. It is the only official, even if not error-free, listing of Polish fighters’ aerial victories.

Upon disbandment of the exiled Polish Air Force, he served at the HQ of the Polish Resettlement Corps (Air) from 14 April 1947. In 1948, he was re-posted to No. 3 Polish Resettlement Unit at Dunholme Lodge when he was hospitalised due to peptic ulcer condition. He was demobilised on 14 April 1949, as a Polish Colonel and RAF Wing Commander (having held the rank of Acting Group Captain while in active service).

Polish decorations for his World War II services included: Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Cross of Valour (Krzyż Walecznych) & bar, Air Medal (Medal Lotniczy) & 3 bars, Operational Pilot’s Wings (Polowy Znak Pilota; no. 1062), and Honorary Insignia for Wounds and Injuries (Odznaka Honorowa za Rany i Kontuzje). He was also a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

He remained in exile in England after demobilisation. He worked as a volunteer for the Polish Air Force Association (PAFA). He held the posts of the President of the Executive Committee, Secretary General, and eventually the PAFA Chairman from May 1958 to May 1964. He was also a co-founder of the Polish Gliding Club at Lasham. He lived on a modest disability pension. During 1960s he started to suffer from Parkinson's disease, which made any activity impossible for him during the final period of his life.

Colonel Jerzy Bajan died in London on 27 June 1967, soon after his 66th birthday. He was buried at the Northwood Cemetery, not far from Northolt. His headstone, located near the CWGC plot where numerous Polish fighter pilots are buried, was restored in 2024 by the effort of the Polish Air Force Memorial Committee in London-Northolt.

He was married to Maria née Makuch. They had no children. Mrs Bajan died in London six months after him, on 29 December 1967.

Streets were named after him in Biała Podlaska, Cracow, Dęblin, Gdańsk, Gliwice, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Łowicz, Łódź, Mielec, Ozorków, Poznań, Sosnowiec, Starachowice, Starogard Gdański, Szczecin, Tarnów, Warsaw, and Wrocław.

Wojtek Matusiak, Wojciech Zmyślony