A deputy commander of the Polish 121st Fighter Escadrille, he scored his first aerial victory on the very first day of World War II (a Henschel Hs 126, shared with Corporal Paweł Kowala).

During the German invasion of that country he shot down two enemy bombers (Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17) and a probable kill of another Do 17.

Altogether during the war Wacław Król flew 286 missions, is credited with 8.5 or 9 confirmed shootdowns of enemy planes with 3 additional probable kills.

After the end of Stalinism he was allowed to join the Polish Army and eventually rose to the rank of Colonel.

Retired, he became a successful author of over 30 books documenting the history of Polish World War II air units.