Jan Biały

Born on June 16, 1897, in Krakow. In 1915, he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian army. He fought first on the Russian front, and then on the Italian front, where he was taken prisoner. After the war, he joined “Haller’s Army” and, as part of the 48th Infantry Regiment, participated in the Soviet-Polish War.

Early Life and Aviation Career

In 1921, he joined aviation. He completed a navigator course and, after retraining, became the commander of the 121st Fighter Squadron. In 1931, he was involved in an accident. Following several difficult operations, he successfully returned to active duty.

Service in World War II

At the start of the war, he conducted several reconnaissance and ground attack missions against advancing German troops. A flight on September 7 nearly ended tragically when his “Karas” was attacked by three Bf-109s. Although Biały managed to shoot down one enemy, landing the heavily damaged aircraft was described as a “circus act.”

He evacuated to Romania and, by the end of the year, to France. There, Biały became the commander of the 2nd Bomber Squadron, a unit that existed only on paper. Following France’s capitulation, he evacuated to England.

After undergoing the necessary retraining, he received orders to form the 304th Bomber Squadron “Ziemi Śląskiej,” which was officially established on August 22, 1940. Despite his administrative role, Jan was eager to return to flying.

His final combat sortie took place on February 9, 1943, serving as a co-pilot aboard a Wellington Mk. I (K, W5718). During a routine flight over the Bay of Biscay, their aircraft was attacked by a quartet of Junkers. The pilots successfully evaded attacks for 58 minutes before managing to land safely at the nearest English airfield.

In the first half of 1943, he commenced training at the SOE (Special Operations Executive) center in Scotland. On the night of April 27-28, 1944, he was dropped from a Halifax, which had taken off from Brindisi, Italy, into a partisan base of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa). His objective was to organize aerial supply for the partisans.

Post-War Life and Legacy

In 1945, he was arrested by the NKVD for his collaboration with the AK. However, he was released a year later under an amnesty. He moved to England but returned to his homeland in the late 1950s. He held various jobs before eventually dedicating himself to educational activities.

He passed away on November 2, 1984, at the age of 97. He is buried in the cemetery in Bytom.