Witold ‘Tolo’ Łokuciewski: 303 Squadron Fighter Ace

February 2, 1917: 303 Squadron flying ace and commander Witold ‘Tolo’ Łokuciewski was born.

Łokuciewski was posted to 303 Squadron as one of its initial group of pilots. During the Battle of Britain, he scored 4 confirmed kills and 1 probable kill on Luftwaffe aircraft. On March 13, 1942 he was shot down in air combat over France and became a prisoner of war.

From July 1942 until January 1945 he was at Stalag Luft III POW camp. In 1943, Łokuciewski attempted to escape with 25 other prisoners, but was recaptured at Liegnitz (now Legnica in Poland). He also helped with the preparations for the mass escape portrayed in the 1963 film “The Great Escape.”

After liberation in April 1945, Łokuciewski returned from Germany to Britain. On November 29, 1945 he was re-posted back to 303 Squadron, and on February 1, 1946 he took command of that squadron as its last commander.

Łokuciewski returned to Poland in June 1947, but was arrested and imprisoned like many other returning Allied soldiers. It was not until 1956 that he was allowed to join the Polish Air Force, where he eventually became Military Attaché in London.

He was awarded the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, the Cross of Valour and bar, and the British Distinguished Flying Cross. During WWII, he scored 8 confirmed kills, 3 probable kills, and 1 shared probable kill. Łokuciewski died on 17 April 1990 in Warsaw.

Chapter 12 of 303 Squadron: The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron, titled “The Enemy’s Dance of Death” details one of Łokuciewski’s air victories on September 11, 1940—describing both the poetry of motion and the high-stakes life-and-death struggles in the air for pilots of all combatants.