Marian Bełc

{{Infobox military person

|name=Marian Bełc

|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|post-noms=DSO DFC**}}

|image=Marian Bełc.png

|rank=podporucznik

|birth_date={{Birth date|df=yes|1914|01|27}}

|birth_place=PaplinAndrzej R. Jańczak "Ostatni lot", Warsaw 1979, p. 138 Russian Empire
(present-day Poland)

|death_date={{death date and age|1942|08|27|1914|01|27|df=y}}

|death_place=RAF Babdown Farm, England

|allegiance={{flag|Poland}}
{{flag|France}}

|branch={{air force|Poland}}
{{flag|France}} Armée de l'Air

|unit=Polish 143rd Fighter Escadrille
Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille
No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron

|serviceyears=1934-1942

|servicenumber=P-1901

|commands=

|battles=Polish Defensive War, World War II

|awards=Virtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Cross (UK)

}}

Marian Bełc {{post-nominals|country=GBR-cats|DFC}} (27 January 1914{{spaced ndash}}27 August 1942) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 7 confirmed kills and one shared.

Biography

Marian Bełc graduated from pilot training at Lublinek air base near Łódź. On 2 November 1934 he was assigned to the 143rd Fighter Escadrille in Toruń.Sikora 2014, p. 286. In autumn 1937 he was transferred to the Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille in Wilno. During the Invasion of Poland Bełc shot down his first plane, on 3 September a Bf 109.Krzystek 2012, p. 88. After the Soviet invasion of Poland he was evacuated to France via Romania. He served in the Krasnodębski section of the Groupe de Chasse et de Défense I/55 under the command of Zdzisław Krasnodębski.*{{cite web |url=http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str239.htm |title=Polskie "kominy" we Francji w 1940 roku |access-date=9 October 2009 |author=Grzegorz Śliżewski |language=pl |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909012215/http://www.samoloty.ow.pl/str239.htm |archivedate=9 September 2009 |df=dmy-all }} In the same unit served two other Polish aces: Jan Zumbach and Stanisław Karubin. After the capitulation of France he came to the UK. All pilots of the Krasnodębski section were posted 2 August 1940 to the No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron.Zieliński 1994, p. 47. In the Battle of Britain Bełc downed 6 German planes.Sikora 2014, p. 290.

On 15 April 1941 married Audrey Stephenson, their son Marian Edward was born on 27 October 1941.[http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw303zdj.html picture of Bełc's wife and son]

In 1942 Bełc became an instructor in 58 OTU. On 27 August 1942, in a training flight with a British pilot their plane crash-landed. Both pilots were killed.Zieliński 2005, p. 17. Bełc is laid to rest at Northwood Cemetery in Grave 267, Section H.

Aerial victory credits

Bf 109 - 3 September 1939
1/8 Do 215 - 18 September 1940
Bf 109 - 26 September 1940
Bf 110 - 5 October 1940
Bf 109 - 7 October 1940
Bf 109 - 24 June 1941
Bf 109 - 28 June 1941
Bf 109 - 24 October 1941

Awards

60px Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross

60px Cross of Valour (Poland), three times

60px Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

Marian Bełc

Biography

Aerial victory credits

Awards

References

Further reading