Hammer

£960

WW2 Polish Air Force RAF POW Caterpillar Club badge Archive of Warrant Officer Aleksander Stanislaw Suczynski. Attributed to W/O Aleksander Stanislaw Suczynski, who after escaping Poland flew with Bomber Command and was shot down and taken POW in 1941. This remarkable archive includes: WW2 Irvin Airchute Company economy issue crude base metal Caterpillar Club badge, set with red eyes and gold coloured hook clasp. The reverse engraved "SGT. A. SUCZYNSKI, PRES, BY IRVING CO" An accompaning portrait photograph dated 9th August 1945 shows W/O Suczynski wearing uniform on which can been seen a Caterpillar badge. POW dog tag numbered 39266 Stalag IXC ... Original German POW mug shot photograph confirming the POW number ... 13 original POW photographs, some are stamped Stalag IXC to the reverse, also 4 of these photographs show a theatre production of Aladdin held in Stalag Luft 3 Christmas 1942 ... Original August 1945 photograph in RAF uniform ... Various badges ... Polish Cross of Valour with 2 clasps ... Plus a quality of other items including family badges. Warrant Officer Aleksander Stanislaw Suczynski was born in 1919 and appears to have been a pre war member of the Polish Air Force serving as an Air Gunner. Escaping to the UK, he was quickly posted to the newly formed 307 (Polish) Squadron RAF and then posted to 300 (Polish) Squadron as an air gunner. On the night of the 21st March 1941 along with four other crews he would become one of the first Polish airman to bomb Berlin. Continuing operations with 300 Squadron on the night of the 11th July 1941 his Wellington bomber took off for a raid on Koln, his aircraft was attacked by a night fighter and shot down. All the crew survived by bailing out and Suczynski was taken a POW. He was held at Stalag Left 3, Segan and Belaria. Choosing to remain in the UK after the war he settled in Cheshire and died in Tameside in 1979.