Mystery Mustang 111 – KH494

Incredible…I’ve looked for 35 years and you come up with the answer in as many seconds! Many thanks

http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/raf1945/szymankiewicz.html Code was SZ-I

Hope this helps

Beermat beat me to it.

Presumably you have a photo of of Teofil Szymankiewicz? I also have one of his original grave.

OK…..just looked at the website….which answers the above question!!

1945-01-02
7 A/C took part in a sweep Rodeo 408. Lake Lascher – Lipstadt/Rhine area. Uneventful. F/L. Szymankiewicz crashed landed in Belgium at B.88. Pilot injured and died in Hospital same date.
http://orb.polishaf.pl/316sqn/1945-12/1945-01-no-316-squadron-f540

North American P-51C-10-NT Mustang
s/n 44-10851, c/n 111-28984
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1944_1.html

Thanks for all your help folks. Actually SZ-I makes a lot of sense now. Teofil was know to all his friends and my mother as Ilek (Szymankiewicz). I remember my mother telling me a story about him landing his aircraft in a field near her home, and telling her it had his initials on it. Sounds like a court martial offence to me, but he obviously got away with it. When he was killed all his personal effects were sent to my mother, including the most incredible photograph album, covering his time with the Polish and French Air Forces and, of course, his time with 317 and 316 squadrons. I still have them all and through the excellent help of Wojtek Matusiak, have been able to copy the album for the family. It is also thought he may have flown JH-C the Spitfire which, of course, is still flying.

SZ are 316 Squadon’s codes. It was not unusual for Polish pilots to adopt an individual letter as their own. Sometimes the initial of the surname, sometimes not. It may even have made identification in the air easier if a pilot always used the same letter. So nothing particularly remarkable if he used ‘I’ for Ilek.

I have viewed gun camera footage recently of an individual with this name –

Combat Film K1416 F/O Szymankiewicz 317 20/7/42 Spitfire Ground Targets

Combat Film K2958 P/O Szymankiewicz 316 21/11/42 Spitfire Ground Targets, Holland

Voytech,
Thanks for the clarification…

I have viewed gun camera footage recently of an individual with this name –

Two individuals

Combat Film K1416 F/O Szymankiewicz 317 20/7/42 Spitfire Ground Targets

F/O Teofil Szymankiewicz, service no. P-0744

Combat Film K2958 P/O Szymankiewicz 316 21/11/42 Spitfire Ground Targets, Holland

P/O Jerzy Szymankiewicz, P-1626, who survived the war

I might also have some photos of him without knowing. My late father was a photographer in 317 and also had dealings with 316. Wojtek visited me and looked all through the stuff that I have. My father came out through Hungary, Jugoslavia etc. then served in France before coming to England. I have no idea who most of the people in the photos are. I also have a couple of photos of Mustangs,thought to have been at Andrews Field 1944/45, but I could be wrong. Unfortunately my father died before I became interested(too young) so I never got to question him about them but Wojtek helped with a few.

Thanks again folks for all your help. I’d be very interested in viewing the camera gun films. How can I find them? Also the additional photos are very interesting. My email is: [email]lannoy@btopenworld.com[/email] Thanks again, Simon

My mother was engaged to a Polish pilot during WW11 who was killed on 2/1/45 in Mustang 111, KH494. He was with 316 sq. at the time but I have never been able to trace the identification codes carried by that aircraft, or indeed any evidence that 494 was with 316 Sq. at that time. Any clues?

I use to live across the road from her, do you still have that engine bearer, either Merlin or Griffon ????

Teofil Szymankiewicz was born on 20 December 1918 at Czempin near Koscian (less than 20 miles/30 km south of Poznan).

“Ilek” is short for “Teofilek” which in turn is a pettified form of Teofil, his first name, so no Turkish connection here. It’s somewhat similar to “Betty” being a form of “Elisabeth” – not obvious to foreginers.

It’s great when so much of someone is know.

I am ressurecting an older post in hopes of finding out more information on Teofil Szymankiewicz. I am on a quest doing some genealogy and one of the names that emerged for me as ancestral name was Szymankiewic. (I am in the US, 50% Polish descent. My grandmother and grandfather were born in Poland but left well before WWII.)

My son was born loving the P51 Mustang and built many models of them. His love of planes was furthered by the EAA in Oshkosh WI. He is grown now, did a stint in the army. He still loves planes, but likely can’t get a pilot lisence now due to some war injuries he has. He recently paid a small fortune for a ride in a B17G. He loves old planes and always has….the P51 was his favorite….oh, and the B1 bomber….he had a webpage on it.

Anyway, I am pursuing genealogy for possible answers to some medical issues I have. In my quest, I came across this forum with reference to Szymankiewicz and I wonder if we share a common ancestor. My other family names are in regions where this name is more common.

I see he called himself ‘Ilek’….that is ‘strawberry’ in Turkish…It is also the name of a river. I speak Polish (not well, anymore) and don’t know of that name or word.

I have found his gravesite picture online, (near Poznan). I am wondering if there is any information on the location of his parents or other family? What region was he from? Birthdate?

Thanks for any info. I would greatly appreciate it.