Janina Lewandowska reached a milestone in aviation at age 20, becoming the first European woman to parachute from an altitude exceeding five kilometers. As a Polish military officer and skilled aviator, she navigated the professional constraints of her era before her life was cut short by state-sanctioned violence during the onset of the Second World War.
Early Development and Aviation Training
Born in Kharkiv on 22 April 1908, Lewandowska was the daughter of General Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki. After the family moved to Lusowo, Poland, she attended high school in Poznań. Although she initially studied at the Music Academy in Poznań, her interest turned to flight. She gained practical experience at Ławica Airport, joined the Poznań Flying Club, and eventually earned a motor pilot diploma at the Air Force Academy in Ławica. In addition to her flying credentials, she held a parachutist certificate and underwent training in telegraphy at the Communication Training Center in Zegrze.
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In August 1939, Lewandowska married instructor-pilot Mieczyslaw Lewandowski. That same month, she was drafted into the 3rd Military Aviation Regiment. Following the German invasion of Poland, she traveled toward the eastern border. After the Soviet invasion, her unit was captured near Husiatyn on 22 September 1939. As one of the few female officers in the group, she was transferred to the POW camp for Polish officers at Ostashkov and later moved to the camp in Kozelsk.
Death and Posthumous Recognition
Lewandowska departed Kozelsk in April 1940 as part of a deportation of prisoners. On 22 April 1940, her 32nd birthday, she was executed in the Katyn forest by a shot to the back of the head. Her remains were later identified from mass graves exhumed by the Germans in 1943. Her skull was identified in 1997, and she was laid to rest in her family grave in Lusowo in 2005. Minister of National Defence Aleksander Szczygło later promoted her to the rank of lieutenant.
Fast facts
- Born: 22 April 1908, Kharkiv
- Died: 22 April 1940, Katyn
- Citizenship: Second Polish Republic
- Occupations: Military officer, aircraft pilot
- Rank: Sub-lieutenant (posthumously lieutenant)
- Notable feat: First European woman to parachute from over 5,000 meters
Questions readers ask
Was Janina Lewandowska the only woman killed at Katyn?
Yes, she is recorded as the only female victim of the Katyn massacre.
How was her identity confirmed after her death?
Her remains were identified in 1997 after researchers confirmed a skull from the 1943 exhumations belonged to her.
Achievements
- Worked as military officer and aircraft pilot
