Romualdas Marcinkus

Romualdas Marcinkus (22 July 1907 – 29 March 1944) was a Lithuanian pilot who participated in an early Trans-European flight on 25 June 1934.

Earlier, Romualdas Marcinkus had been a football player and coach. Together with other five Lithuanian pilots – Jonas Liorentas, Antanas Gustaitis, Juozas Namikas, Jonas Mikėnas and Kazys Rimkevičius – he planned and executed a circuitous flight around Europe in 1934. The flight started in the temporary capital of Lithuania, Kaunas, because the historic capital Vilnius was occupied by Poland. The flight route extended over some of the major cities of Europe, including Paris, London, Copenhagen, and Moscow. In Rome the pilots were greeted by Mussolini.

At the start of the Second World War, Marcinkus served as pilot in the French Air Force, and later in the Royal Air Force (RAF). While flying for the RAF he flew a Hawker Hurricane with No 1 Squadron, RAF. On 12 March 1942, he participated in a battle over the English Channel and while in pursuit of the German battleship Scharnhorst his plane was shot down. Marcinkus was captured by the Nazis and sent to Stalag Luft III. In 1943, Marcinkus and other 75 prisoners escaped from the prison. After a search operation conducted by the Nazis, Marcinkus together with other three escapees were arrested near Danzig. Marcinkus and 49 other captured prisoners were executed by a firing squad in 1944. These events are depicted in the classic Hollywood movie "The Great Escape" (1963).

In 2001 the British Ambassador in Vilnius gave Romualdas Marcinku's unclaimed war medals to his family, a ceremony at which the RAF provided a fly-past of Harrier jets.

References

* Gražina Sviderskytė. Uragano kapitonas. 2004