ORP Blyskawica Destroyer

Although they returned to Cowes five times during the war for repairs, the most famous event occurred on May 4, 1942, when the German Luftwaffe bombed the island. After seeing many low-flying spy planes earlier in the day, her Captain Commander Wojciech Francki disobeyed instructions and restocked the armoury, ensuring that the courageous crew had enough of ammunition.

At 11 o’clock, the first wave of attackers arrived, and for the next two hours, they fought with blazing guns and rains of bombs, ultimately succeeding in pushing the Germans higher and making accurate bombing more difficult. During a break in the fighting, the crew did not just take stock; they also bravely pitched in to help with the search and rescue efforts that had been launched. At approximately 2 in the morning, another wave of attackers arrived, this time armed with armour-piercing explosives to destroy the shipyard’s heavy plant and machinery. However, the crew battled heroically, keeping the planes aloft with the ship’s powerful cannons, thus turning it into a floating ack-ack battery.

Cowes Blitz

That night, almost two hundred tonnes of explosives were dropped on Cowes, and if not for the brave fight by the Captain and his men, the town’s inhabitants would have suffered far more.

• http://www.blyskawica-cowes.org.uk/History

• http://www.blyskawica-cowes.org.uk/History