Skip to main content

Jan "Johnny"

  • Zumbach, Jan "Johnny"
  • Polish Fighter ace, 13 victories. 111th Eskadra Mysliwska. 

  • 14-04-1915 Ursynów, Poland.
  • Poland.
  • 03-01-1986, age 70, in Paris.
  • Powazki Cemetery, Warsaw. 


Zumbach, Jan "Johnny"
Jan "Johnny" Zumbach, born 14-04-1915 in Urysnow, Poland, was a RAF ace in World War II. His parents were Polish-born Swiss', which made him be registered as a Swiss citizen. He hid his nationality in order to join the Polish Army in 1934, and served as an infantryman until he was transferred to the Polish Air Force in 1936. His graduation from flight training was the year 1938. Thanks to a broken leg, Zumbach could not fly in the German invasion of Poland, which marked the outbreak of World War II. It was caused in a flying accident during the summer of 1939. After Poland was taken over, but not surrendered, he and a huge number of other Poles both civilians and from armed forces was evacuated via Romania to France. A surprise awaited him in Romania. It's government, after seeing the quick victory of the Nazi, and Soviet Forces in Poland, was afraid of sending aid to the Polish refugees. However, most Poles evaded arrest by bribing the Romanian officers, which cared very little for escaping Poles. The money was from the Polish Underground. In France, he and the other Poles' treatment was just slightly better. The French blamed them for starting the war. Even though they encouraged the Poles to come before, when they arrived, their mood changed drastically.  After France fell, Zumbach and the other Poles had to make another long journey to Britain. This time, however, the French officers, unlike the Romanians, strangely were extremely strict and they were stopping any Pole leaving. Nevertheless, Zumbach, and thousands of Poles still made it to Britain. Many of them were pilots like Zumbach and they formed numerous new squadrons in the RAF. One of them was the No. 303 "Kosciuszko" Squadron 303 Polish Fighter Squadron Badge.jpg  , which Zumbach was assigned to. 126 German aircraft or "Adolfs" were claimed as shot down by No. 303 Squadron pilots during the Battle of Britain. This is the score of "Adolfs" chalked onto a Hurricane  . 
These new squadrons were very valuable in the upcoming Battle of Britain (see Bomber Harris).  Zumbach survived the war with 13 kills, 5 probable’s, and 1 damaged, and was decorated with the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Military, the Polish Cross of Valour, with 3 bars; and the Distinguished Flying Cross, with bar. He also had many nicknames given to him by the British, the 2 most common is "Johnny," an Anglicization of his first name, and "Donald," because his sloping nose with its oddly upturned tip reminded people of Donald Duck's bill. Shortly after the war, he and 2 other ex-RAF pilots started a charter air transport company that became a cover for a bank-note-smuggling operation. It's activities soon expanded into a wide range of illegal goods from various nations. Soon, he settled down, married, had a child, and stopped illegal smuggling for a while. In 1962, he set-up a primitive air force for Katanga, and another one 5 years later for Biafra during it's war with Nigeria. It's only aircraft was a World War II-vintage B-26, which Zumbach and his bombardier, an Ibo tribesman, dropped homemade explosives on Nigeria during bombing raids. Even in his seventies, Zumbach was still living on the edge. One day in late 1985, he told Ludwik Martel   in London that he was involved in a secret deal that was going to make him a lot of money. Jan Zumbach died mysteriously in Paris, France, age 70 on 03-01-1986. Nobody knows why, but many of his friends were sure that he had met with foul play. Flight Lieutenant Ludwik Martel  , Battle of Britain pilot, was born on 03-03-1919. He died on 02-04-2010, aged 91. Martel shot down a Messerschmitt 109 over the Channel. He would later recall his feeling of excitement, as a 20-year-old, after this dogfight. It was such that he could not answer the simplest of questions put to him by the intelligence officer on returning to base. A few days later he was forced down by an Me109, suffering shrapnel wounds. Johnny Zumbach is buried on the Powaski Cemetery in Warsaw. Close by the graves of General, Walerian Czuma (see Czuma), Generalmajor of the Para Troops, during Operation Market Garden, Stanislaw Sosabowski (see Sosabowski) and Polish Marshall, Edward Rydz-Smigly (see Rydz-Smigly).  

Made by monkey republic.