Bolesław Drobiński (23 October 191826 July 1995) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 7 confirmed kills and one shared.

Biography Drobiński made his first flight on a glider in 1934. On 2 January 1938 he entered the Polish Air Force Academy in Dęblin.Pawlak 2009, p. 231. After the Invasion of Poland he was evacuated to France via Romania and Italy, then he came to England.Krzystek 2012, p. 161.

On 11 September 1940 Drobiński was assigned to the No. 65 Squadron RAF and took part in the Battle of Britain.Sikora 2014, p. 283. On 2 March 1941 he was posted to the No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron. On 15 May 1941 he damaged a Ju 52 which was on the ground. On 21 June 1941 Drobiński heavily damaged the plane flown by German ace Adolf Galland and forced him to a crash-landing. From 18 March 1942 to 9 August 1942 he was an instructor in No. 58 Operational Training Unit at RAF Grangemouth.Zieliński 1994, p. 43. On 18 October 1943 he was ordered to No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron. On 3 April 1944 he began to work in the Ministry of Defence. On 26 September 1944 he took command of No.303 Polish Fighter Squadron.Zieliński 2019, p. 55.

Drobiński was demobilized in 1948. He worked in the oil industry in America. In 1950's he settled in a village in Surrey.Zieliński 2005, p. 40. In 1960 he obtained British citizenship. In 1969 he acted as a technical advisor for the Battle of Britain, where he reunited with Galland, who was also a technical advisor for the movie. In 1943 he married a South African woman, they had two sons and a daughter.

Aerial victory credits 18 June 1941 – 2 Bf 109 21 June 1941 – Bf 109 22 June 1941 – Bf 109 25 June 1941 – Bf 109 3 July 1941 – Bf 109 6 July 1941 – 1/3 Bf 109 (probably destroyed) 7 July 1941 – 1/2 24 July 1941 – Bf 109 (probably destroyed) 24 October 1941 – Bf 109 (probably destroyed) 13 March 1942 – Bf 109

Awards Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross Cross of Valour (Poland), three times Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

References

Bibliography Tadeusz Jerzy Krzystek, Anna Krzystek: Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940–1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAAF). Sandomierz: Stratus, 2012, p. 161. Jerzy Pawlak: Absolwenci Szkoły Orląt: 1925-1939. Warszawa: Retro-Art, 2009, pp. 231–232. Piotr Sikora: Asy polskiego lotnictwa. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. 2014, p. 282-285.

Józef Zieliński: Lotnicy polscy w Bitwie o Wielką Brytanię. Warszawa: Oficyna Wydawnicza MH, 2005, pp. 39–40. Józef Zieliński: 303 Dywizjon Myśliwski Warszawski im. Tadeusza Kościuszki. Warszawa: Bellona, 2003

Further reading