A Polish airman who took part in the 1940 Battle of Britain has died at the age of 100, officials have said.

During World War II, Captain Tadeusz Terlikowski was a member of the British Royal Air Force’s 303 fighter squadron, whose Polish pilots gained a reputation for courage and determination.

Terlikowski also took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. After the war, he settled in the United States.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Piotr Gliński said Terlikowski was “one of the last members of 303 Squadron, who fought for their homeland’s freedom at the side of the Allies.”

Gliński added: “It is our duty to save their story and heroism from oblivion.”

The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged to defend Britain from the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) during the summer and autumn of 1940. It has been described as the first major military campaign to be fought entirely by air forces.

After the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, many young Poles made their way to England. In the Battle of Britain they gained a reputation for aggressive aerial combat.

(pk/gs)

Source: IAR