He was appointed to perform military service in the 40th Infantry Regiment. In 1935, he volunteered to become a pilot to the 6th Pułk Lotniczy in Lviv. From 1936-39 he served in the 6th Aviation Regiment, where he trained as a corpsman. On September 9, together with the staff of the Regiment, he moved to Łuck and Kleań, and on September 12 to Kuty. On September 17, he crossed the border of Romania. He was interned there, but escaped and boarded a ship bound for Syria. At the beginning of 1940, he swam to Marseilles. He arrived in Great Britain in February. He trained at RAF Blackpool Center, assigned to the British 111 Fighter Squadron. On September 4, 1940, he shot down his first plane. During the Battle of Britain he shot down three German planes, and probably damaged one. He fought in the British 249 Fighter Squadron. After training in the 52nd OTU, he was assigned to the 317 Fighter Squadron. He also fought in the 316 Fighter Squadron.
