On 2 December, we were transported deep into Małopolska, straight to Ochotnica. All thanks to an event held in the Museum’s cinema hall — a screening of the documentary film “Liberator in Ochotnica” directed by Wojciech Jachymiak, which tells a deeply moving yet one of the least known aviation stories from World War II.
“Liberator in Ochotnica” tells the story of the crew of the United States Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator bomber “California Rocket”, which, returning from a mission against the German synthetic fuel plant in Oświęcim-Dwory, was damaged and subsequently crashed in the Gorce Mountains near the Pańska Przehybka pass.
The film portrays the tragic story of the flight, interweaving re-enactments with testimonies from families and witnesses of the period, as well as contemporary research conducted by young residents of Ochotnica. An important element of the narrative is the evacuation of the Liberator’s crew and their rescue by soldiers of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa).
To ensure the widest possible audience could see the film, it was screened at the Polish Aviation Museum in two sessions:
After the first screening, a discussion with the audience took place.
The official premiere of the film took place on 25 August 2025, in the hangar of the Podhale Aero Club in Nowy Targ. The screening at the Polish Aviation Museum was one of the rare opportunities to see the film on a big screen.
In cooperation with, among others, the Rural Cultural Centre in Ochotnica Górna, the Podgórze Cultural Centre, and the “Fortress Heritage” Foundation in Toruń, attendees gathered in the Main Building of the Polish Aviation Museum had the opportunity to see the panel exhibition “White Stars over Poland”, accompanying the film screening.
The exhibition provided information about:
An additional attraction awaiting visitors was a presentation of a collection of original flight jackets from the World War II period. Between 12:00 and 16:00, visitors could:
It was undoubtedly a unique opportunity to experience the atmosphere of aviation history first-hand.
We sincerely thank all participants of the event. We are delighted that the space of our Museum once again served to bring history closer and to discover its important, though not always well-known, episodes.
We invite you to view the photo report:
