Flying Instructor to Spitfire Pilot - Leon Swietlikowski
Leon Swietlikowski was born in 1912 in Wilno, which was then part of Poland, but is now Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Working as a pilot on the RWD series of light aeroplanes (mainly the RWD-8, but including the -1, -13, 17, 21 and RWD-10 single-seat aerobatic machine, he flew his last flights in Poland on 1 September 1939, the day of the German invasion, his 3 hrs 50 min that day bringing his total to 457 flying hours.
RWD-10 (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
Swietlikowski's Logbook - 1 September 1939 (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
Escaping to France and from there to England, Swietlikowski joined the RAF’s No 2 Anti Aircraft Co-Operation Unit at RAF Gosport on 26 March 1940. There he flew the Magister, Queen Bee, Swordfish, Battle, Roc, Shark and Hector on target towing duties until June 1941.
Blackburn Roc (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
Swietlikowski’s first trip in a Tiger Moth was on 11 June 1941; he completed a total of 75 hrs at No 4 (Supplementary) Flying Instructor School at Cambridge as a member of the first course of Polish pilots to become flying instructors with the RAF. He graduated on 10 July 1941 ‘Qualified as an Elementary Flying Instructor’, having achieved 783 hours total time.
Plaque Showing the First Polish RAF Flying Instructors (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
He started instructing at No 25 (Polish) Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at RAF Hucknall on 16 July 1941. He first flew R4769 (now our G-AGEG) during January 1942 and flew the Aeroplane a total of 14 times between then and May 1943. Details of his flights in R4769 are here.
Hucknall, 1943 (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
During March 1943, Swietlikowski was commissioned, and by August 1943 was flying with 25 EFTS ‘Instructors Flight’, having amassed over 2000 hours total time.
On 22 Feb 1944, he flew a Tiger Moth to Grantham and back with ‘S/O Smith’ and then flew an Avro Anson to his next posting at No 61 Operational Training Unit (OTU), RAF Rednal. After a dual flight in a Miles Master with Flt Sgt Rutsecki on 25 February, Swietlikoski flew a Spitfire solo for the first time on 26 February. Remaining at Rednal until 30 April 1944, he then spent a short period at No 2 Tactical Exercise Unit (formerly 58 OTU) at Grangemouth and Balado Bridge before joining 303 Sqn at Horne, an Advanced Landing Ground near Lingfield.
Swietlikowski’s first operational mission was ‘Ramrod 339’ on 28 May, where he was one of twelve 303 Sqn Spitfires escorting 24 Mitchells bombing the Gatteville coastal battery on the NE tip of the Cherbourg peninsular as part of the prelude to the invasion of Europe. Swietlikowski’s daily routine now consisted of bomber escort ‘Ramrods’ and Channel patrols; on D-Day, 6 June 1944, he flew 2 missions, the first a patrol of the invasion area, the second to escort 250 Stirling/Glider combinations.
303 Sqn, D-Day, RAF Horne; Swietlikowski middle row, extreme right (Swietlikowski / museumofflight.org)
From then until early July, Swietlikowski’s missions were largely patrol / cover over the beach area. From 6 July, the Ramrods resumed, with 303 Sqn flying escort on a number of bombing missions in support of the advance of ground troops; more details of his missions are here. Swietlikowski’s last mission with 303 sqn was a fighter sweep ‘Rodeo’ on 15 August 1944, where barges were attacked on the Aisne Canal and River Oise.
Following a rest from operations with No 84 Group Support Unit, Swietlikowski joined No 308 Sqn, whose Spitfire IXs were moving forward with the battle and based at Advanced Landing Ground B60, Grimbergen, near Brussels. 308 Sqns tasks included armed recce (including V2 sites among other attractions), dive bombing and strafing of ground targets and fighter escort to bombing missions. 308 Sqn moved forward to B77 Glize-Rijen on 9 March, B101 Nordhorn on 13 April and B113 Varrelbusch on 1 May. Notable events included a number of 308 sqn ac being damaged by flak, including Swietlikowski’s on 24 March and the sighting of German jet fighters; details of Swietlikowski’s missions are here.
Swietlikowski and Spitfire 'Bette' (Swietlikoski / museumofflight.org)
He remained in the RAF until 1948, serving mainly at RAF Dunholme Lodge and RAF Cottesmore, where he served with No 204 Advanced Flying School, a Mosquito-equipped training unit.
During his time in England, Swietlikoski met Elizabeth Thomson-Dale, who was serving as a WAAF officer. His Spitfire XVI was adorned ‘Bette’ in her honour and one wonders if she was the mysterious ‘S/O Smith’ that he flew in a Tiger Moth on more than one occasion. Post-War, the couple married and emigrated to the USA, where Swietlikowski died in 1984.
