Tadeusz Mecznik                                                                                      Updated:  12 JAN 2012

Airman: v999011.htm Surname: Mecznik Init: T Rank: F/Sgt Service: PAF Sqdn: 138

P_link: p223.htm Plane: HAL BB309 Operation: SOE to PL Crash_site: Slaglille Mark

Crash_d: d170943 Buried_d: v999 C_link: v999.htm At_Next: EVD

“Natten til den 17. september 1943 var Halifax BB309 på en SOE-mission til Polen, hvor 2 faldskærmsfolk og containere med våben blev nedkastet." (FAF)

HAL BB309 blev under returflyvningen ramt af en tysk natjager, så den var nødt til at lave en nødlanding. Uheldigvis ramte den et hus, hvor 5 mennesker mistede livet.
5 polske flyvere mistede livet og blev begravet på Slaglille Kirkegård, mens 1 blev krigsfange og 1 flygtede til Sverige.

Piloten Tadeusz Mecznik vågnede op i en pæn hvid seng på Ringsted sygehus. Han havde brækket venstre ben og højre arm. I sengen ved siden af lå 2.piloten, som
døde i løbet af dagen. Sognepræst Svend Jacobsen fra Slaglille fik den 2. oktober lov til at besøge den sårede pilot på Ringsted sygehus. Sognepræsten og Mecznik gennemdrøftede begivenhederne, ved vi fra kirkebogen i Slaglille. (Kilde: DFEV)

”I oktober fik isenkræmmer Marius Petersen, Ringsted, en forespørgsel fra daværende 1. reservelæge på sygehuset Lenler-Eriksen. Ville Marius Petersen være i stand
til at hjælpe Mecznik til flugt, inden han skulle overføres til tyskerne? Det mente Marius Petersen nok kunne lade sig gøre. Han kontaktede den daværende leder af
Zone-stationen i Ringsted, Jørgen Wiboltt.

Det stod klart, at flyveren efter en evt. flugt omgående måtte væk fra byen. Men hvor skulle man køre ham hen? Wiboltt tog til København for at få truffet en aftale om transport til Sverige med videre, men uden resultat. Ingen kunne tilsyneladende hjælpe. Lidt senere fik Wiboltt dog kontakt med Kisling på Zonens Østerbro-station.
Denne lovede at sørge for Sveriges-transport, hvis flyveren blev bragt til København.

På sygehuset planlagde man flugttidspunktet til den 7. november, afpasset efter Mecznik´s evne til at gennemføre en flugt. Der blev sørget for, at de patienter, der lå nærmest flyver-sygestuen, kom tidligt til ro, og dermed var alt klar. Kort før kl. 22 gik Marius Petersen og Wiboltt ind på sygehusets grund, satte en stige op til
flyverens vindue og bankede på. Mecznik afhaspede derpå straks vinduet og krøb ud hjulpet af de to ”bortførere”. Flyveren fik en civil frakke på, og han gik selv de
ca. 600 m til Zone-stationen. Herfra kørte Wiboltt ham straks til København og afleverede ham til Kisling.

Et par dage efter dukkede den polske flyver op ved Nordsjællands Øresunds-kyst. Politiassistent Thormod Larsen, der dengang var ung kriminalbetjent i Helsingør,
fortæller herom: ”Så vidt jeg husker, skulle det hedde sig, at vor flyver skulle overføres til Hillerød sygehus til viderebehandling, hvorefter han så førtes til os til overførsel.
Den fandt sted ved Espergærde, kodested FA (vi havde 14 overfartssteder med kodenavn på nord- og sydkysten at benytte i henhold til søgang, vandstandshøjde, vindforhold, månelys over vandfladen – alt på forhånd taget i betragtning). Vor kurerforbindelse til Helsingborg var dengang 100 % sikker, og den var hurtig, således at
vor båd kunne være ved aftalte kode til aftalte tid, således også hin aften i november, da den polske flyver overførtes.

Båden kom. Erling Kiær stod til rors, og flyveren blev båret om bord af Thormod Larsen og revisor Ove Bruhn, der dengang arbejdede på politikontoret i Helsingør. Motorbåden lagde ud fra kysten, og snart efter var Mecznik i sikkerhed i Sverige. En bemærkelsesværdig flugt var bragt til en heldig afslutning.” (DFEV)

Fra HAL BB309 er 5 flyvere begravet i Slaglille. 1 flyver blev krigsfange og 1 flyver blev hjulpet til Sverige. 7 flyvere.

”On the night before 17 September, 1943 Halifax BB309 was on a SOE-operation to Poland, where 2 agents and containers with weapons were dropped." (FAF)

During the return flight HAL BB309 was hit by a German night fighter, so it had to make a crash landing. Unfortunately it hit a house, where 5 people lost their lives.
5 Polish airmen lost their lives and were buried in Slaglille Churchyard, while 1 became a POW and 1 escaped to Sweden.

Pilot Tadeusz Mecznik woke up in a nice white bed in Ringsted Hospital. He had broken his left leg and right arm. Next to him was the copilot, who died during the day.
On 2 October vicar Svend Jacobsen from Slaglille was allowed to visit the wounded pilot in Ringsted Hospital. We know from the church register in Slaglille that they discussed the events. (Source: DFEV)

“In October ironmonger Marius Petersen, Ringsted, had an enquiry from doctor Lenler-Eriksen at the hospital. Would Marius Petersen be able to help Mecznik to
escape, before he was to be transferred to the Germans? Marius Petersen thought it might be possible. He contacted the then leader of the Zonen Ringsted station,
Jørgen Wiboltt. (Zonen, a private company dealing with all kinds of accidents and fires.)

It was obvious that after a possible escape the airman had to get away from the town immediately. But where could he be taken to? Wiboltt went to Copenhagen to
make arrangements of transport to Sweden and other matters, but without a result. Apparently no one was able to help. However, a little later Wiboltt had a contact
with Kisling at Zonen Østerbro station, who promised to arrange a transport to Sweden, if the airman was brought to Copenhagen.

At the hospital the time for escape was planned to 7 November, adjusted to Mecznik´s ability to carry through an escape. It was arranged that the patients, who lay
nearest the airman´s room, went to sleep early, and then everything was ready. Shortly before 10 p.m. Marius Petersen and Wiboltt entered the area of the hospital,
put a ladder to the airman´s window and knocked. Mecnik immediately unhasped the window and got out helped by the two “abductors”.  The airmen got a civilian coat,
and he walked on his own the about 600 m to the Zonen station. From here Wiboltt at once drove him to Copenhagen and handed him over to Kisling.

A couple of days later the Polish airman turned up at the Sound coast of North Zealand. Police inspector Thormod Larsen, then a young police officer in Elsinore, tells about it, “As far as I remember it was to be said that our airman was to be transferred to Hillerød Hospital for further treatment after which he was taken to us for transfer.
It took place at Espergærde at a place with codename FA (we had 14 tranfer-places with codenames on the north- and south coast to use according to the sea, water
level, wind, moonlight on the surface – everything considered in advance). Our courier connection to Helsingborg was then 100% safe, and it was fast, so that our boat could be at the appointed place at the appointed time, also that night in November when the Polish airman was transferred.”

The boat came. Erling Kiær was the helmsman and the airman was carried on board by Thormod Larsen and accountant Ove Bruhn, who then worked at the police
office in Elsinore. The motor boat started from the coast and soon after Mecznik was in safety in Sweden. A remarkable escape had come to a successful end.” (DFEV)

5 airmen from HAL BB309 are buried in Slaglille. 1 airman became a POW and 1 was helped to evade to Sweden.
See Bomber Command No. 138(Special) Squadron * RAF - Handley Page Halifax * Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons. Lost Bombers has this.
See also No. 138 Squadron * RAF Tempsford * A History of RAF Tempsford * The Tempsford Airfield Pages *  Roll of Honour, Tempsford.  7 airmen.