Janina Lewandowska
Janina Lewandowska (22 April 1908 in Kharkiv - 22. April 1940 in Katyn) was a Polish World War II pilot killed in the Katyn massacre.[1]
Early life[]
Lewandowska (née Dowbor-Muśnicka) was born April 22, 1909, in Kharkiv in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). Her father, Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki, was a Polish military general.[2] As a teenager, she joined the Poznań Flying Club and earned her glider and parachutist certificates. She learned to fly light aircraft by 1937. Shortly before the war began, she married instructor-pilot Mieczyslaw Lewandowski.
Military career[]
In August 1939, Lewandowska was drafted for service with the 3rd Military Aviation Regiment stationed near Poznań, Poland. On September 22, her unit was taken prisoner by Soviet forces. Lewandowska was one of only two officers in the group; both were taken to the POW Camp for Polish Officers in Kozelsk, Russia. Her fate is uncertain, although it seems likely she died in the Katyn massacre.
References[]
- ↑ "Janina Lewandowska– jedyna kobieta zamordowana w Katyniu". http://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/janina-lewandowska-jedyna-kobieta-zamordowana-w-katyniu.
- ↑ Pennington, Reina; Higham, Robin (2003). Amazons to fighter pilots : a biographical dictionary of military women / Vol. 1, A-Q.. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 257. OCLC 773504359.
Sources[]
- Bauer, Piotr (30 July 1989). "Wojenne Losy Janiny Lewandowskiej" (in pl). pp. 31.
- Muszynski, Adam (1982). lista katynska. London: Gryf Publications. OCLC 246675334.
The original article can be found at Janina Lewandowska and the edit history here.