The Airmen's Stories - P/O S J Chalupa

Stanislaw Jozef Chalupa was born on 14th January 1915 in Zalas, west of Krakow, Poland. Chalupa went to the Artillery Reserve Cadet Officers School after leaving school.

In January 1936 he moved to the Air Force Flying School at Deblin and was commissioned in 1938. He was serving with 123 Squadron of the Pursuit Brigade in September 1939 and on the 3rd he shared in destroying a Me110.

After the Polish campaign ended he flew his PZL P7 to Iasi airfield, Romania. Evading internment, made his way to Balchik on the Black Sea and boarded the Greek ship Patrisa, arriving in Marseilles on 27th November 1939. He was transported to the Polish depot at Lyon-Bron and went from there to Montpellier for training.

Above: Lt. J Brzezinski, Chalupa and Sgt. A Beda in France

By May 1940 he was serving with Groupe de Chasse I/2, operating the Morane 406 at Xaffevilliers. On the 11th he shared in the probable destruction of two Ju88's, on 2nd June he destroyed a He111 and on the 8th he destroyed a Ju87 and shared a second Ju87 and a Me109.

After the French collapse Chalupa went by train to St. Jean de Luz, boarded the Arandora Star on 16th June and arrived in Liverpool on 27th June. He was processed into the RAF and joined 302 Squadron at Leconfield on 23rd July. He claimed the probable destruction of a Ju88 and the later damaging of another on 21st August.

After the latter engagement, Chalupa's engine began to malfunction and started smoking. He throttled back and began a gliding descent towards his home airfield but just failed to reach it. He made a wheels-up landing outside the Leconfield boundary. The aircraft, Hurricane P3934, was repairable and he was unhurt.

Chalupa went to Duxford on 13th September 1940 with a 302 Squadron detachment, which flew operationally as part of the Bader Big Wing. On the 15th he claimed a Do17 destroyed and another probably destroyed. The attachment ceased on the 25th and the detachment rejoined 302.

In November 1940 Chalupa was still serving with 302, then based at Northolt. On the 10th he was posted to RAF Northolt as non-effective sick, due to severe nosebleeds. After recovering he rejoined 302 Squadron. He was awarded the VM (5th Class) (gazetted 1st February 1941).

Rested from operations on 30th July 1942, Chalupa was posted to the Operations Room of 302 Squadron, remaining there until 24th June 1944, when he went to 16 SFTS Newton for an instructors course on Masters, after which he became an instructor there.

On 30th January 1945 Chalupa was posted to 3 (O) AFU for No. 1 Pilot Navigation Course and he returned to Newton as a Navigation Instructor.

On 25th September 1946 he was posted away to a Holding Unit, went to 6 RU on 9th November and was released from the Polish Air Force on 30th December 1946 as a Flight Lieutenant.

He was awarded the KW (gazetted 31st october 1947). Postwar he initially worked in different occupations, first in England and later in Canada. There he was employed in metallurgical plants in Alberta until retiring. In 1995 he returned to Poland and settled in Krakow.

He died there on 24th April 2004.