How a Jewish fighter pilot from Poland, became a Pakistani hero?
Air commodore Wladyslaw Josef Marian Turowicz: A Pakistani by choice!
Wladyslaw Turowicz and his 30 Polish colleagues made the Pakistan airforce one of the most admirable force in Asia in the days when Pakistan Airforce itself seemed to have been abondoned by the British pilots and airmen after the independence. These Polish pilots in fact continued the legacy left behind by the RAF.
Not only that, Turowicz, popularily known as Toro, was the man, who was Godfather of Pakistan's space and missile program. He was also the core member of Pakistan's nuclear project. Would you believe?
Early life:
Wladyslaw Turowicz was born on 23th April 1908 into a small village of polish labourers "Wadziejewsko" situated in Siberia Russia. His father was working as a imprisoned labourer to build the Trans- Siberian railway line for the Russian empire under Tsar.
In 1922 after communist revolution, his family slipped away back to Warsaw, Poland. Where after matriculation he went to the prestigeous Warsaw University of Technology (WUT). In 1936 he did his Phd with honors in aeronautical engineering. He then Joined "Aeroklub Polski". Where he got his master's degree in Astrophysics. At the same club he also met his Future wife "Zofia" who was at the age of just 20, already famous as a gliding pilot.
Career:
Turowicz joined Polish airforce in 1938 as a fighter pilot. Next year in Sept 1939, World War-II broke out. He was posted in the south west of country. Where he was ordered to disable his aircraft and leave for neighbouring Romania. In the Autum of 1940, Zofia somehow came all the way there to find him and the couple got married there. Meanwhile foreseeing the German outrage against the Jews, they sneaked to the Britain via Hungary and France. Turowicz joined RAF and was given a "Halifax" to fly. After the war was over, he was no more needed along with 8,000 other polish airmen. They were all grounded and abandoned.
Carrier with PAF:
Like many Polish pilots, Turowicz didn't want to go back to "after war Communist Poland" due to fear of being arrested. That moment Turowicz and Zofia, having two daughters already, were left in the middle of nowhere facing hardships of life. Meanwhile in 1948, Pakistan high commission in London announced a need for few trained pilots to replace the British pilots, who left after the independence. Capitalizing this oppertunity, Turowicz, Zofia along with 30 other Polish pilots joined the RPAF.
They were all given a 3 year contract with a handsome salary to begin with. Turowicz was posted at Drigh Road base while Zofia was assigned to train the gliding to PAF cadets.
In 1952, Turowicz was promoted as wing commander and posted as station commander of Chaklala. Meanwhile two more children were born to them. A boy and a girl. For the sake of education of their children and also some financial constraints, Zofia decided to stay back at Karachi. She left the PAF and started teaching applied Matematics and Astrophysics at Karachi American school and Karachi University. Most of the other polish pilots returned back after the completion of their 3 year contract, few of them joined Orient Airways which later became PIA.
In 1957 Turowicz was posted back to Karachi and in 1959 he was promoted as group captain and in 1960 he became Air Commodore and joined the head quarters as Assistant Chief of Airstaff. In 1961 Turowicz and his family was granted Pakistani citizenship.
During the war against India in 1965, USA stopped the supply of spare parts. Turowicz ensured the supply by locally produced spare parts. For this effort he was honored with Tamgha e Pakistan and later Sitara e Pakistan and Sitara e Quaid e Azam.
Association with Space and missile program:
After the Russian space endevours of Sputnik, Turowicz along with Dr. Abdus Salam (Nobel prize fame) went to President Ayub Khan and convinced him for the need of country's space program. Which he agreed. Sooner, on 7th June 1962, Turowicz and his men launched Pakistan's first rocket Rahbar-1 into the space from Sonmiyani launching pad. The same duo, Turowicz and Dr.Abdus Salam visited USA for the next assignment and persuaded the US authorities to transfer rocket technology to Pakistan. Amazingly! it was agreed. Many Pakistani scientists were trained for the same.
In 1967, Turowicz left PAF and was appointed as executive director of SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission). During his days with SUPARCO, he led the country take a big leap into missile technology along with bringing modern space technology.
He finally retired in 1970.
Last years of life:
His last years were shadowed by pain and disability resulting from a motor bike accident in his youth back in Poland. Which affected his spine badly. He was confined to a wheel chair. On 8th January 1980, Air commodore Wladyslaw Turowicz was killed during a road accident in Karachi along with his driver. He was burried with full millitary protocol and honor in the Christian Cemetery of Karachi. Madam Zofia stayed alive longer inq Karachi. Her grand children were source of joy for her. She died on 28th Feb 2012 at the age of 96 peacefully. She was also burried along side her husband at the Christian Cemetery, Karachi.
Family:
Turowicz and Zofia had four children. Their two daughters are married to Pakistanis and are living in Karachi. The third one is married to a Bangladeshi. Their worthy son also became the excecutive director of SUPARCO. One of their grand son has just completed his Phd. in astrophysics in USA.
Attempts to engage Turowicz as a spy?:
Natalia Laskowska, a Polish journalist had written a detailed article on this topic which was also published in DAWN on 20 oct 2016. The classified documents open to public, revealed by Polish inteligence agency "Sluzba Bezpieczestwa" (SB) of the communist era indicate that numerous attempts were made in this regard through the polish diplomates, particularly after his engagement with Pakistan's space and nuclear programs, but all went unsuccessful and "SB" files were stamped as closed. Once Turowicz was asked about it after his retirement. What he replied was: "Yes many times. But they are slimy worthless people. why would I? I and my family belong to this country Pakistan".
In 2008, a 60 mnt documentary was made in Poland with the title of "Eaglets flying over Pakistan", depiciting Turowicz and other Polish pilots serving for PAF. It was for the first time in history acknowledging them as their own people.
We salute you Air Commodore Wladyslaw Turowicz! for all you did for our beloved country Pakistan.
(Written by: Dr. Munir Pitafi)
