In the early hours of 19 August 1942, the ORP Ślązak embarked from England, bound for Dieppe, France, as a pivotal part of the infamous Dieppe Raid, known as Operation Jubilee. At the helm was the remarkable Polish-born Commander Romuald Nałęcz-Tymiński. He was born on 13 November 1905 in Szenderow, Poland. He graduated from Torun’s Polish Navy Academy in 1928. He was also a very active young man, competing in boxing, fencing and yachting competitions. He was on track to represent Poland in fencing during the 1940 Olympics, but that was not to be.

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Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, followed closely by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939. At the time, he was training aboard the ship Iskra, sailing to Casablanca. Hearing the news, he knew he could not go home, so he sailed for England where he was second-in-command of the Polish destroyer ORP Blykawica – one of only three destroyers that was able to escape the Nazi invasion. Aboard the ship, he fought in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign. Then, in 1942, he was promoted as Commander of the mighty ORP Ślązak with a crew of devoted Polish sailors from Poland and other Allied countries.

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The Dieppe Raid was poised to be his inaugural trial as the destroyer's leader. Commander Nałęcz-Tymiński provided indispensable support to nearly 5,000 Canadian troops seeking to test equipment and to gain experience for a future amphibious assault aimed at liberating Europe from German occupation. However, as they approached Dieppe in the predawn hours of August 19th, a handful of landing craft and their escorts inadvertently encountered a German patrol. Standing on the deck of the ORP Ślązak, Commander Nałęcz-Tymiński initially misinterpreted the lights as emanating from the shore. Following orders to avoid confrontation with the enemy unless absolutely necessary, he stayed his course, unaware of the impending doom.

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An hour later, chaos erupted on land, sea, and sky. ORP Ślązak's mission was to neutralize any Luftwaffe threats and engage coastal artillery to support the landing troops. However, they had lost the element of surprise, and the Germans were prepared. A considerable number of soldiers lost their lives or suffered injuries, and those on the shore encountered immense difficulties advancing.

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Defying orders to maintain a safe distance, Commander Nałęcz-Tymiński issued a daring command to his crew: rescue as many men as possible. He maneuvered the ORP Ślązak perilously close to the shore, offering cover for retreating landing craft. The Luftwaffe took aim at the destroyer, coming so near that sailors could discern the faces of the pilots as they opened fire.

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Unperturbed, Canadian veteran Joe Ryan recalled the sight of mud and rocks hurtling into the air as the destroyer, guns ablaze, steamed toward the shore, its crew gallantly pulling the trapped soldiers aboard. Astoundingly, the crew aboard the ORP Ślązak managed to rescue over 85 soldiers, including 36 from the Royal Regiment of Canada. Initially, many believed they had been taken captive by the Germans, only later discovering that ORP Ślązak was the sole Allied destroyer audacious enough to approach the shore so closely. "Nobody did more than [Romuald Nałęcz-Tymiński] did to get the Canadians out," Ryan later asserted. In the process, they downed five enemy planes but sustained three casualties: Seaman Józef Andrzejewski, Seaman George Głowski, and Royal Navy Petty Officer George O’Shea.

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Although the Dieppe Raid ended in failure, it yielded invaluable lessons instrumental to the successful Normandy landings of 1944. For the men saved by Commander Nałęcz-Tymiński and his intrepid crew, their lives bore an enduring debt to the ORP Ślązak. Among the soldiers from Mississauga, Ontario who participated in the Dieppe Raid, Private Robert Charles Butler of Port Credit perished, Flight Lieutenant John Morrow Godfrey of Port Credit provided aerial support, Captain David Clare of Port Credit was taken captive, Sergeant Thomas Anderson of Clarkson was one of the few surviving members of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, and Lance Corporal Lloyd Garnet Green of Streetsville, was one of the last soldiers to be rescued.

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Commander Romuald Nałęcz-Tymiński and his family immigrated to Canada in 1980. The Royal Regiment of Canada played a pivotal role in assisting their settlement, and he remained closely associated with the Regiment as well as various Polish and Canadian veteran organizations. His life’s calling revolved around preserving the memory of those who had valiantly fought for freedom. Rear Admiral Nałęcz-Tymiński spent his final years in Mississauga at the Wawel Villa Senior's Residence, contributing significantly to the Orlinski Museum before he peacefully passed away in 2003 at the venerable age of 98. His enduring legacy reverberates through the lives he saved, touching both Poland and Canada profoundly.

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Copyright: Nałęcz-Tymiński family

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