During a mission which took place over German occupied France on 13 March 1942, his plane became damaged and he was forced to make an emergency landing.

[1] After landing Witold was taken prisoner by the Germans and was sent to Stalag Luft III located near Sagan, now Żagań.

The title derives from World War I and was given in the French air force to pilots who shot down five enemy planes.

When he returned to Poland in 1947 he was imprisoned by the Communist authorities, and on release worked as a taxi driver in Warsaw.

He joined the Polish Air Force in 1956 after being accepted into military aviation, rising to a senior rank.

And was given an entry in the honorary book of soldiers by Minister of National Defense, General Florian Siwicki.

In 1989, nearly half a century after the war, when asked what does a fighter feel like while attacking an enemy, Witold replied: "if it's a rather large attack - firstly fear while going through a fire avalanche, then determination and lastly, if enemy gets shot and is coming down in a panache of smoke and fire - great massive satisfaction".