Polish pilot Wladek Gnys was credited with shooting down the first two German aircraft of World War II on September 1, 1939. During the invasion of Poland that same morning, as Gnys' squadron took off near Kraków to intercept the German invaders, German Stuka pilot Frank Neubert attacked, killing the captain. Wladek, who barely survived himself, evaded the pursuing Stukas and went on to make the first Allied kills, while Neubert was credited with the first aerial kill of the war.
An experienced fighter pilot, Gnys fought in the Battle of Poland with the Polish Air Force, the Battle of France with the French Air Force and the Battle of Britain and beyond with the Royal Air Force. During Operation Overlord of June 1944, Wladek was shot down over France and crash landed. Wounded, he was taken prisoner but then escaped, his life spared by the enemy on more than one occasion.