Pinkowski Files

Damsz, Jerzy (George)
(September 6, 1911 - June 22, 1987)
WWII night-fighter pilot, cryogenics engineer

Jerzy Damsz was born on September 6, 1911 in Lodz, into a well-off family. His father worked in a bank and was a former army officer, a veteran of three wars. In the city of his birth he attended private school, the A. Zimowski Humanistic High School. He also developed a wide assortment of interests including playing the piano, tennis and water sports. In 1931 he graduated high school and then completed a special preparatory course in the sciences to pass the entrance exam for Warsaw Technical University, Mechanical Department. In 1934 he joined the Warsaw Aeroclub and completed a course in glider flying, earning the rank of "A." In the summer of 1935 he left for a course of Readiness Training in the Polish Air Force in Luck where he learned to fly powered aircraft. Later, he flew in an aeroclub. In 1936, together with Roscislaw Aleksandrowicz he placed first in a nation wide air competition (flying an RWD-8 aircraft).
After completing studies and receiving an engineer's diploma in 1936 he reported to the Cadet Training School of the Air Force Reserve in Deblin (earlier he completed a mandatory course in cadet training for the artillery in Wlodzimierz Wolynski ). After completing the course as a cadet platoon officer he remained in the reserve and had flying privileges in the 1st Warsaw Air Regiment of 20 hours per annum (where before the war he flew on Potez, Breguet XIX, RWD-8, PWS-26 and "Karas" aircraft).
Late in the spring of 1937 he found work at the Warsaw Technical University (in the department of Heat Machines where he lectured) and in the autumn started additional work at the Air Force Technical University. On September 6, 1939 he was ordered to evacuate to the east. Owning a motorcycle with a sidecar he took his wife [Zofia Krupinska] and luggage through Warsaw and Lwow into Romania. After crossing the border he arranged for a passport at the Polish consulate in Czerniowce, and obtained permission from the Romanian authorities to travel to Yugoslavia. With his motorcycle he reached Zagreb, and then Athens, Greece. In the Greek capital he boarded the Polish passenger ship "Warszawa", which took him directly to Marseilles.
In France he was assigned to the Center of Air Training in Lyon-Bron. Because there were very few airplanes available he did not participate in active flying. In the early spring he was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant. In May he was sent to Base Aerienne Tolouse Francasalle. When the French capitulated he and other Polish airmen were evacuated south from Tolouse to Port Vendres. A Polish destroyer transported the group to Oran where they boarded a train to Casablanca. There they were loaded aboard a Polish collier which sailed to Liverpool by way of Gibraltar.
In England Jerzy Damsz was stationed in Blackpool where he took a course in the English language. In mid-September he was assigned to a unit of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in White Whaltham, his job was to fly aircraft from factories or repair depots to units engaged in the air war. After a short training course he took on routine duties of flying mostly twin-engine aircraft but occasionally Spitfires and Hurricanes. In the Spring of 1941 he asked to be transferred to the 307 Night Fighter Squadron, then stationed in Exeter. Once in the squadron he was retrained to fly Beaufighters and at the end of 1941 made his first combat flight.
Damsz flew as pilot with Lt. Navigator Witold Sylwestrowicz, whom he knew from his time working at the Air Force Technical Institute. The main mission for the fighters of Squadron 307 were night patrols over England and scrambles to intercept intruders. During a patrol on the night of 4-5 August 1942 (in a Beaufighter VI) Damsz was directed toward a German bomber, but through an error by the controller (who gave an incorrect altitude for the German aircraft) he did not get into firing range and the bomber escaped.
From March 19 to 31, 1943 Damsz was commander of flight "B" after the death of Major Michalowski; while Capt. Ranoszek - the regular commander of flight "B" - became the squadron commander. On the night of March 19 to 20, 1943 Damsz was again directed toward a German bomber. This time the German pilot used the clouds for cover and fled over the English Channel. The night fighters were forbidden to fly out that far lest the secret of their airborne radar fall into enemy hands. In the spring of 1943 along with his regular duties (night patrols) the squadron made preparation to conduct night flights over occupied Europe. On April 15 flight "C" was formed, whose crews were given special training in navigation and flying technique for conducting missions over the occupied continent - Damsz was made commander of this flight. A month later the flight of four Mosquitoes departed for a patrol over France but Damsz's machine developed engine trouble and he was forced to return. Three nights later he took part in another mission, patrolling the airspace over the German airbase at Glize Rijen (this was on the night when British Lancaster bombers bombed two dams on the Rhine and his mission was to provide fighter backup).
From June 1943 he flew patrol flights over the Atlantic in full formation. On September 10, 1943 while in a formation of four aircraft commanded by Major Orzechowski (this was his 14th mission of this type) he was involved in air combat with Messersmith Bf110 aircraft. The one he engaged was sufficiently damaged so that a "probable" victory was awarded. Because an engine overheated he returned to base flying on a single engine and landed after successfully restarting the engine which had malfunctioned.
On September 25, 1943 he personally commanded a formation of Mosquitoes over the Bay of Biscay. Again he encountered German aircraft but this time they were Junkers 88s. On this mission Damsz's navigator was Captain Ignacy Szponarowicz, the regular flying companion of Major Orzechowski. The enemy aircraft scattered and individual dogfights ensued. In the incredible confusion Damsz was able to shoot down one Ju 88 (confirmed victory) which went down into the water trailing smoke and to damage another Ju88.
After a long period of operational flying he took time off for rest. From November 1943 to March 1944 Damsz flew less, mainly because his squadron was now based in Scotland and had no assigned flights over the Atlantic. Near the end of February 1944 he logged 110 combat missions (including 28 day flights). He asked for transfer to the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough as an engineer-specialist in aircraft engines and was posted there. He had no flying duties, but was involved in the testing of aircraft engines especially:
- testing individual parts of the engine to determine maintenance and parts replacement cycles
- writing manuals for the installation or dismounting of engines under field conditions
- testing of engine wear under full power
- calculation of the economical parameters for operating engines to extend operational life
- tests related to engine cooling temperature and its effects
On October 17, 1945 Damsz returned to Squadron 307. Initially he was assigned as commander for "A" flight. Then, from March 1, 1946 until the unit was demobilized he held the rank of Wing Commander (equivalent Polish rank of Captain) and was commander of the squadron. During his time of service with the Polish Air Force he received the Sliver Order of the Virtuti Militari (no. 8412) and was thrice awarded the Cross of Valor.
On October 14, 1947 he was demobilized and departed for Argentina. With several partners he invested his money in organizing a transport service firm but the Argentine government withdrew its approval and this led to the firm's bankruptcy. He did not give up and used some of the firm's equipment to furnish a diesel engine maintenance shop. This enterprise flourished but in 1952 Damsz sold his interest and relocated to Paraguay. There he took the position of technical director in a large but technologically backward gypsum mine. He worked out a new technology for kiln processing of gypsum which brought the company enormous income (of which he was not given any share). He then returned to Argentina and took the position of development-research director in the "Iggam" corporation (which operated several factories and mines). He was not satisfied with the working conditions (inadequate income in comparison to his effort) and searched for new employment. For a time he worked in a pump factory, then at the Kaiser Automobile factory in Cordoba.
He grew tired of Argentina and decided to resettle in the United States. In 1958 he obtained a visa and came to live in the home of his old navigator, Witold Sylwestrowicz while searching for work. After a few months he was employed by Hofman Laboratory, a company which made containers for storing and transporting liquified gasses. In this way he became familiar with the newly developing field of cryogenics -- the study of material behavior at low temperatures. Damsz made rapid progress in this firm and other concerns started to seek his services. He changed employment to one of the most important companies involved in cryogenics - Philips Laboratories Division. His higher salary permitted him to purchase a house near New York City and bring the rest of his family to the United States (for two years his wife and son remained in Argentina). During the years 1971-72 the company in which he worked was reorganized and its headquarters moved to Rhode Island. Damsz worked out many new inventions, and his patents were subsequently utilized by organizations such as National Air and Space Administration (NASA), the Food and Agricultural Mission of the United Nations, and companies engaged in the fields of cryogenic medicine and food processing.
In addition to his work Damsz was involved in Polonia. He was president of the Polish Engineers' Association, and was on the board of trustees of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America (PIASA). He was well known and listed in a prestigious "Who's Who" -- a compilation of the most outstanding residents of the United States. In November of 1975 he took early retirement and moved back to Poland, settling in Sopot. He decided to assist in the development of cryogenics in Poland with his enormous knowledge and experience. He became a consultant to the Institute of Heat Technology at Warsaw Technical University. He was also involved in organizing a veterans' group within Solidarity. During his final two years of life he wrote a memoir: Puchacze Lwowskie: Wspomnienia Lotnika [Lwow Eagle-Owls: An Airman's Memoir] by Jerzy Damsz (edited by his 2nd wife, Teresa Remiszewska-Damsz), published by: Wydawnictwo ZNAK, Krakow,1990.
Jerzy Damsz died on June 22, 1987 in Sopot at age 75.
His wartime record:
Sept. 10, 1943 - Mosquito II 307 squadron vs. Bf 110 (probable victory)
Sept. 25, 1943 - Mosquito II 307 squadron vs. Ju 88 (confirmed victory)
Sept. 25, 1943 - Mosquito II 307 squadron vs. Ju 88 (probable victory)
From: article by Wojciech Zmyslony; English translation: Peter Obst (Jan. 22, 2010)