Strana 42
EN951, S/Ldr Jan Zumbach, CO of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Kirton in Lindsey,
Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, September 1942
EN824, F/Lt John Yarra, No. 453 Squadron RAAF, RAF Ipswich, Suffolk,
United Kingdom, December 1942
Jan Zumbach, a grandson of a Swiss emigrant,
Swiss citizen himself, served with No. 111 Fighter
Squadron of the Polish Air Force from 1938.
After Poland was defeated he fought in the
ranks of the French GCD I/55. On August 2, 1940,
he joined No. 303 (Polish) Squadron with
which he scored eight kills during the Battle
of Britain. On May 17, 1942, he was given
command of No. 303 (Polish) Squadron. From
the end of September till December 1942 he flew
Spitfire EN951, the former personal mount of
Don Blakeslee from the USAAF 336th FS, 4th FG.
The aircraft sported Zumbach’s personal
emblem in the form of Donald the Duck nose
art, known in several versions from several
Zumbach’s Spitfires. During the war, in which
end he was shot down and briefly imprisoned,
Jan Zumbach’s total score was thirteen
confirmed kills and five probables. His life after
the war is no less colorful than during wartime.
He engaged in the international arm dealing,
often illegal, and fought as a mercenary in
Africa, in the service of the insurgent forces in
Katanga and later Biafra. He died under unclear
circumstances in Paris on January 3, 1986.
Nicknamed “Slim”, Yarra was one of the most
successful pilots defending the island of Malta
during the hot summer of 1942. During the tough
battles for Malta he scored 12 kills. In September
1942 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and
assigned to the Australian No. 453 Squadron,
part of the Hornchurch Wing, flying offensive
raids over France. F/Lt Yarra’s fateful date came
on December 10, 1942, when during the attack
on a shipping at the Holland coast, his Spitfire
EN824 was hit by AA fire and crashed into the
sea. He tried to bail out of the damaged aircraft
but was hit by the tail surfaces damaging his
parachute, which did not fully deploy. Pilot’s
body hit the sea surface falling from 300 meters.
His brother Robert Ernest, fighter pilot as well,
was also shot down by the AA fire and killed on
April 14, 1944, while attacking the V-1 missiles
launching pads at Ligescourt (operation Ramrod
735).
KITS 01/2026
INFO Eduard42
January 2026