Pniak Karol

Karol Pniak (1910–1980) – major pilot of the Polish Army, fighter ace, associated with the 2nd Aviation Regiment. He began service as a volunteer in 1928, joining the 2nd Aviation Regiment in Kraków. He underwent training at the Aviation NCO School in Bydgoszcz and a course in Grudziądz, after which he was assigned to the 122nd Fighter Squadron. In the interwar period he was one of the distinguished pilots of the 2nd Aviation Regiment and a participant in “Bajan’s Trio” during air shows in Warsaw in 1933. In September 1939 he served in the 142nd Fighter Squadron, flying numerous combat sorties and scoring his first aerial victories in the opening days of the campaign. After evacuation through France he reached Great Britain, where he continued service in the Polish Air Force in the RAF. In 1940 he fought in the Battle of Britain, attaining fighter ace status. In subsequent years he commanded flights in Nos. 306 and 308 Squadrons and served in “Skalski’s Circus”. After the war he returned to Poland, where despite his wartime service he was for a time subjected to repression. In later years he worked in civilian roles in Kraków and maintained contacts with the aviation community. He died in 1980.