Military: Gnyś First Kills

Gnyś 'First Kills' - During the evacuations of Polish towns in the onset of WWI in 1914 -1915, a four year old Władysław Gnyś sees a German aircraft shot down over a nearby forest. Memories of this event stayed with him throughout his early years and led him to pursue active duty in the military air force.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - In the early morning of September 1, 1939, Capt. Medwecki, pilots Gnyś and Arabsky are scrambled to intercept the invading German Luftwaffe.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Piloting a PZL11c, Gnyś strafes a German armored column. Although it was perhaps a little bit primitive compared to the 'modern' planes of the Luftwaffe the fire power of 4 machine guns offered a deadly punch in its combat capabilities.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Sept 17-18, 1939 saw a mass exodus of Polish refugees and military personnel cross a bridge out of the small town of Kuty into then neutral Romania. The military was ordered to flee Poland to escape both the Germans and now Russian armies. Not wanting to surrender their weapons to the neutral nation, all were discarded into the River Czeremossz and ultimately plugging the river.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Upon waiting for passage to France, as all military personnel were instructed to do, Gnyś met a young Romania artist. One afternoon during a picnic, they were approached by a local policeman and a Gestapo agent. In knowing the policeman, she successfully passed Wladek off as her cousin saying ~ 'Do not speak' and likely saved him from becoming a POW and probable execution.

May 10, 1940. Many of the Polish airmen that had been ordered to flee from their homeland ended up in France. By early spring they were organized into their own squadrons within the French Air Force. Gnyś hits the deck as his Morane Saulnier MS406C fighter plane is destroyed in a German bombing run. Another bomb hits the ground near the pilot but was a dud... fortunately.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - During combat with He111 Heinkel bombers, a bullet enters the cockpit of French Morane MS4C5 fighter plane, hitting the joystick and ripping it out of his hand. He was not hit.

Many sorties[flight missions] throughout the war involved attacking German armour, personnel and fuel columns.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Aug 27,1944. His Spitfire Mk IX is hit by shrapnel from flak bursts possibly damaging the canopy sliding rail and jamming the cockpit canopy shut trapping Gnyś inside. He was forced to crash land the aircraft in a farmer 's field. The plane hit the ground and somersaulted a couple of times dislodging the canopy. Remarkably unharmed but disoriented Gnyś tumbled out from the wreckage and tried to make his way into a nearby wooded area, Gnyś is hit by a German bullet just below his heart.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Aug 27,1944. Two very young SS panther tank crewmen captured the badly wounded Gnyś. A third soldier, a SS infantryman who had approached them, wanted to shoot the new prisoner. He was 'persuaded' at gun point of back off. Wow, saved by the SS!

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Aug 27,1944. Gnyś was then led back to their tank and was placed outside just behind the turret. Earlier in the day, he had radioed this armored column's position and now it was under attack. The young crewmen fled into trees leaving Wladek exposed. Remarkably the tank was not destroyed and Gnyś not hit either.

Gnyś 'First Kills' - Aug 27,1944 - The wounded POW, is lying on a stretcher in an cramped ambulance. Weak and unable to move, blood dripping from the man in another stretcher suspended above him hits Gnyś over his nose and mouth. 'After completing this image, the author suggested adding a blood colour to this black and white illustration...and how about some of the others from this sequence depicting his wounding and capture. With all the images black and white, a single spot colour would have been tremendous accent...Alas, the book manufacturer did not offer this option for us upon its printing. Too bad.