MIKUSEK, Hipolit

Stats:

rank: F/Sgt
status: survived
airforce: RAF
born: 1917-08-13 Poland

added by: Stefan

Hipolit Mikusek    
He was a pilot who served in the 302nd "Poznań" Fighter Squadron during World War II.    
In 1914, his family was deported to Russia. His father was a railway worker and was assigned to work on the Moscow railway, while his mother and her parents settled in Uniecza. Hipolit was born on August 13, 1917, the firstborn son of the Mikusek family. Two days later, he was baptized by Father Ignacy Skorupko, who visited there once a month. The family returned to Poland in 1919. They settled in Dęblin, where Hipolit's father, Adam Mikusek, had worked before leaving for Russia. Hipolit attended a private high school. His great passion for aviation soon became apparent. In Dęblin, he learned to fly and parachute. He then flew with the 1st Air Regiment in Warsaw, where he also completed a fighter training course. World War II broke out on September 1, 1939. On June 16, 1942, Hipolit Mikusek began serving in the 302nd Fighter Squadron (Poznań). This squadron was formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and Great Britain in 1940. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons that fought alongside the RAF (Royal Air Force) during World War II, including in the Battle of Britain. He flew a Spitfire VB AA 854 WX-6. The combat report describes Hipolit's downing of a German FW 190 (Focke Wulf) fighter on July 26, 1942, which, in a clash with a Spitfire, was a huge success for the Allied pilot. Unfortunately, on September 8, 1942, the young Polish pilot was shot down over France (near Le Havre in Upper Normandy). He was captured by the Germans and held until the end of the war in one of the largest POW camps, Stammlager IV B near Muhlberg/Elbe in Saxony. The Red Army entered the camp on April 23, 1945.
   Due to the post-war situation in Poland, Hipolit decided to seek help from his English allies and settle in England, as he would certainly have been arrested and imprisoned in his homeland, like many of his colleagues. In the autumn of 1945, he married an Englishwoman, Joan Armistead. A photo from the wedding ceremony was published in the local press. The bride wore a bouquet of red and white carnations. For several years, Hipolit worked as a pilot. He flew in the RAF until June 15, 1950. He had two children: a daughter, Christina, and a son, Stefan, also a pilot. His daughter married an American in 1970 and settled in the USA. After some time, she persuaded her parents to move to Chicago. He had serious health problems and was treated for bronchial asthma. He died on December 1, 1992, in Chicago and was buried there at Maryhill Cemetery. His wife returned to England and died in 2009. Their son still lives in England, and their daughter in the USA. And this is the story of a man who was born in Russia, grew up in Poland, settled and started a family in England, and spent his old age in the USA and ended his life there.