This is the day that my Jajji (grandpa in Polish) was shot down in his B-17 bomber on a mission to bomb a ball-bearing plant in Germany. He was the left waist-gunner on the aircraft called "Spare Parts". He was part of the 8th Air Force, 381st Bombardment Group, 532nd Bomb Squadron. They flew out of Ridgewell, England. He and his crew were shot down and taken prisoner by the Nazi's. Jajji was a POW at Stalag Luft VI and Stalag Luft IV (the Stalag Luft's were German prison camps especially for captured aircrew). He spent over a year at those camps, getting fed a starvation diet and given no amenities. In March 1945, he and his compatriots were marched out of Stalag Luft IV and force marched for 3 months across Europe. It was one of the coldest winters Germany had ever seen. These men were given even less food than in the camp, forced to march despite illness and injury, forced to sleep in barns or in fields, and infected with dysentary and pneumonia. They were shot if they lagged behind. This is the famous "Black March". Next to the Bataan Death MArch, it is considered the worst crime ever committed against American POWs. They were eventually liberated by the British and Americans, in what was to be a sad day for the Germans.
Jajji is still here, and he is the greatest man I know. He is endlessly selfless and will do anything to se a smile on your face. He is caring, kind, generous, and compassionate to everyone. He proudly wears his "Air Force Veteran" hat and displays his "Prisoner of War" license plate. I am so proud to know him and can only hope to emulate the kind of man he is.
Jajji is in this photo with his crew. He is in the back row, second from the right, with a huge smile on his face.
