{"id":31632160,"date":"2026-11-07T13:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T13:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:35:24","slug":"franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/","title":{"rendered":"Franciszek Jarecki: The MiG-15 Pilot Who Fled to Bornholm"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\r\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\r\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\r\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\r\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\r\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\r\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\r\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\r\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\r\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\r\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\r\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\r\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\r\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\r\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\r\n<script>\r\n(function(){\r\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\r\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\r\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\r\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\r\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\r\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\r\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\r\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\r\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\r\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\r\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\r\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\r\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\r\n  }\r\n  var CH = [\r\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\r\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\r\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\r\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\r\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\r\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\r\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\r\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\r\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\r\n  ];\r\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\r\n  function build(){\r\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\r\n    var img = meta('og:image');\r\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\r\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\r\n    }).join('');\r\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\r\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\r\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\r\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\r\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\r\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\r\n    });\r\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\r\n  }\r\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\r\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\r\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\r\n  function act(ch, btn){\r\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\r\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\r\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\r\n      track(ch, placement);\r\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    if (ch === 'native') {\r\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\r\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    var target = {\r\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\r\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\r\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\r\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\r\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\r\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\r\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\r\n    }[ch];\r\n    track(ch, placement);\r\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\r\n    close();\r\n  }\r\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\r\n  function place(){\r\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\r\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\r\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\r\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\r\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\r\n  }\r\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\r\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\r\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\r\n})();\r\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\r\n<p>On the morning of 5 March 1953, four Polish <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mig-15-fagot\/\">MiG-15<\/a> fighters were flying west along the Baltic coast when one of them simply fell out of the sky. Over Ko\u0142obrzeg, his wingman watched him roll into a dive, punch off his drop tanks and vanish northwards, low over the grey water. Nobody in the formation knew it yet, but the jet was heading for Denmark.<\/p><p>The pilot was Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki, 21 years old. Minutes later he was circling Bornholm, a small Danish island in the middle of the Baltic, looking for an American air base that did not exist. By lunchtime the West had something it had never had before: a MiG-15 in working order, sitting on a grass field in NATO territory.<\/p><p>It happened, by pure coincidence, on the day Joseph Stalin died. And it would not be the last time a Polish MiG came down on Bornholm.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>Pilot:<\/strong> 2nd Lt. Franciszek Jarecki, Polish Air Force<\/li><li><strong>Date:<\/strong> 5 March 1953, the day Stalin died<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> MiG-15bis, No. 346<\/li><li><strong>From:<\/strong> S\u0142upsk, northern Poland<\/li><li><strong>To:<\/strong> R\u00f8nne, Bornholm, Denmark<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft returned:<\/strong> To Poland by ship after Western specialists examined it<\/li><li><strong>Second defector:<\/strong> 2nd Lt. Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski, MiG-15bis, 20 May 1953<\/li><li><strong>Third MiG to Bornholm:<\/strong> Lt. Zygmunt Go\u015bciniak, wheels-up at R\u00f8nne, 25 September 1956<\/li><li><strong>Later life:<\/strong> U.S. citizen, valve manufacturer in Pennsylvania; died 2010<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Fighter the West Had Never Touched<\/h2><p>By early 1953 the MiG-15 had been the most unwelcome surprise of the Korean War for more than two years. Swept-winged, fast-climbing and heavily armed, it had driven American B-29s out of daylight skies over North Korea and was fighting the F-86 Sabre on roughly equal terms. What the West did not have was a flyable airframe to take apart at leisure.<\/p><p>Behind the Iron Curtain, the same fighter was now equipping the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/polish-air-force\/\">Polish Air Force<\/a>, often under Soviet commanding officers. Franciszek Jarecki, born in 1931 near Krak\u00f3w and deported with his family by the Soviets in 1945, had graduated from the air force school at D\u0119blin and was posted to S\u0142upsk, close to the Baltic coast, to fly the new jets.<\/p><p>Escape was not an abstract risk. In 1952, a D\u0119blin instructor named Edward Pytko had tried to flee to West Germany in a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/yak-9\/\">Yak-9<\/a>. Soviet aircraft stopped him over Czechoslovakia, he was handed back to Poland, tried for high treason and executed. Everybody in the Polish Air Force knew how that story ended.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953-1.jpg\" alt=\"Black-and-white portrait of young pilot Franciszek Jarecki with swept-back hair, wearing a flight jacket\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Franciszek Jarecki, as pictured on a U.S. Army leaflet dropped over North Korea in April 1953. Photo: U.S. Army, 8239th Army Unit leaflet, via National Archives \/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Ten Minutes of Circling<\/h2><p>According to Ingenium, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's history channel, Jarecki quietly pocketed a map of the Baltic during a briefing on 4 March, the day the Polish pilots were told Stalin was gravely ill. The next morning he took off with three other MiG-15s on a routine flight towards East Germany. Over Ko\u0142obrzeg, at about 5,500 metres, he broke away.<\/p><p>He jettisoned his external tanks for speed and dived north to around 450 metres, possibly lower, to stay beneath Soviet radar. Alert fighters at his base were scrambled to stop him. The whole flight, Ingenium says, lasted well under half an hour.<\/p><p>Then came the anticlimax. Jarecki had expected to find a large American base on Bornholm. Instead he found a small airfield at R\u00f8nne that matched an old map, with nothing military on it. He circled the island for ten to fifteen minutes, watching his fuel, before committing to land. He touched down, taxied to a clump of trees and tried to hide the jet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/L1lRj5zVojw\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">British Path\u00e9 newsreel from 1953 on the Polish MiG pilot.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The first person he met was a local woman. In broken German, he asked her whether he was in Soviet territory. She told him he was in Denmark. Private pilots, the police and the commander of the local Danish army unit arrived soon after, and Jarecki told them what he had come for: he was defecting. He spent his first night in the West in a R\u00f8nne police cell.<\/p><h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Seven Tons of Iron Under Guard<\/h2><p>Copenhagen moved quickly. Armed Danish troops threw a cordon around the MiG and the press was sent away. Warsaw demanded the aircraft back the same day. The Danes informed their American and British allies first, and a British air attach\u00e9, Wing Commander Francis Russel Jeffs, was among the first Western officers to examine the jet, according to Ingenium.<\/p><p>Jarecki's aircraft, a MiG-15bis numbered 346, was the first airworthy MiG-15 the West could study up close. Wikipedia records that specialists from the United States, called in by the Danish authorities, went over it thoroughly. Then, under international rules, Denmark partly dismantled the fighter and shipped it back to Poland weeks later. Polish and Soviet technicians reportedly found deposits on some parts that suggested moulds had been taken for copies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953-2.jpg\" alt=\"Weathered silver MiG-15 jet with red number 712 and Polish markings displayed outdoors at a museum\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Lim-1, Poland's licence-built version of the original MiG-15, at the Polish Aviation Museum in Krak\u00f3w. Photo: Zala \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The pilot was a different matter. Denmark let Jarecki go west. He spoke to his homeland over Radio Free Europe from Munich, and in London in April 1953 General W\u0142adys\u0142aw Anders, leader of the Polish government in exile, awarded him the Cross of Merit. In the United States he briefed intelligence officers on Soviet aircraft and air tactics, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower shook his hand.<\/p><p>Jarecki's face soon travelled even further. In April 1953, the U.S. Army's leaflet unit in Tokyo printed his photograph and story on leaflets dropped over Korea as part of Operation Moolah, offering Communist pilots a reward for delivering a jet. Wikipedia says Jarecki himself received 50,000 dollars as the first man to hand a MiG-15 to the Americans; Ingenium describes that payment as unconfirmed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953-3.jpg\" alt=\"Two-page Korean-language propaganda leaflet with a drawing of a jet fighter and a small portrait photograph of a pilot\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Leaflet 2508, dated 22 April 1953, offering Communist pilots a reward for delivering a jet. Jarecki's photograph and story appear on the right-hand page. Image: U.S. Army 1st Radio Broadcasting and Leaflet Group, 8239th Army Unit, via National Archives \/ Wikimedia Commons (public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Friend Who Followed<\/h2><p>One of the Polish pilots paying close attention was Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski, 22, who had been in the same year as Jarecki at the officer school in Radom. A Warsaw boy who had run after the insurgents during the 1944 Uprising, he flew MiG-15bis fighters with the 41st Fighter Regiment at Malbork, under Soviet commanders who, he later said, did not speak a word of Polish and did not trust their pilots at all.<\/p><p>On 20 May 1953, according to the Polish History Museum's portal dzieje.pl, he took off at 7:10 on a training interception with another second lieutenant, Roman Lachcik, and told him over the radio to go ahead, he would catch up. He never did.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;When I had got far enough from the airfield that they couldn't see me, I dived down and, right over the treetops, raced straight for Bornholm. I flew low, under the radars.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski<\/strong> &mdash; Polish MiG-15 pilot who defected on 20 May 1953, speaking to journalist Jacek Hugo-Bader, quoted by dzieje.pl (Polish History Museum); translated from Polish by Afterburner<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Pursuit fighters were launched at 7:40, but by then Ja\u017awi\u0144ski was over the sea. Like Jarecki, he expected to find an American airfield on Bornholm. Like Jarecki, he found nothing of the sort, and with his fuel running out he had no option but to put the jet down where he could.<\/p><p>Dzieje.pl says he chose a field near the Almeg\u00e5rd barracks at R\u00f8nne. The MiG hit a stone, tore off a wing, spun round and stopped with its nose in a wall. Ja\u017awi\u0144ski climbed out barely alive. This time the Danes, alarmed at a second Polish jet in eleven weeks, jailed him before sending him to Copenhagen, where British and American diplomats offered him asylum. He chose America, because it would let him keep flying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;A MiG-15 is seven tons of iron that lands on three wheels at 180 kilometres an hour.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski<\/strong> &mdash; Quoted by dzieje.pl (Polish History Museum); translated from Polish by Afterburner<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Price at Home<\/h2><p>Both men paid for their freedom with their families. Ingenium reports that the Polish authorities jailed Jarecki's mother, his only close relative, from 1953 to 1956 and refused her requests to see him. Ja\u017awi\u0144ski's parents were arrested and sentenced to two years in a labour camp, and three officers of his regiment were imprisoned, two of them for 12 years, accused of treason and of planning their own escapes. He never saw his parents again, and did not return to Poland until 1997.<\/p><p>The defections did not stop either. On 25 September 1956, Lieutenant Zygmunt Go\u015bciniak landed a third Polish MiG-15bis at R\u00f8nne, this time without lowering his landing gear. That same year four D\u0119blin cadets escaped across Czechoslovakia to Austria in two <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/yak-18\/\">Yak-18<\/a> trainers, and in November 1957 another Polish pilot crash-landed a licence-built Lim-2 in Sweden.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qQNWum8tpmw\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">British Path\u00e9 footage of the escaped Polish flyer arriving in the United States in 1953.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Jarecki built a quiet American life. He studied at Alliance College in Pennsylvania, earned a private pilot licence, and in 1969 founded a valve-making company. Wikipedia records that he owned a factory in Fairview, Pennsylvania, and a horse-racing track, Commodore Downs. Someone fired at his car in 1954, Ingenium reports, but he was unhurt. The flight suit he wore on 5 March 1953 is now at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.<\/p><p>Ja\u017awi\u0144ski became Jerry Jazwinski, worked as a consultant to the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1959 and then spent 22 years as an airline pilot, steering well clear of Warsaw Pact countries. Jarecki died in Pennsylvania on 24 October 2010, aged 79.<\/p><p>Bornholm, meanwhile, keeps an odd distinction. For a few years in the 1950s, this sleepy Danish island was the closest thing the Baltic had to a back door in the Iron Curtain, and the young men who found it came through at 180 kilometres an hour.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Franciszek Jarecki, List of Cold War pilot defections), Ingenium \/ Canada Aviation and Space Museum, dzieje.pl (Polish History Museum), U.S. National Archives (8239th Army Unit leaflet), British Path\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Who was Franciszek Jarecki?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Franciszek Jarecki was a Polish Air Force second lieutenant who defected to the West on 5 March 1953 by flying a MiG-15bis from S\u0142upsk in northern Poland to R\u00f8nne on the Danish island of Bornholm. He later settled in the United States, became a citizen, ran a valve manufacturing business in Pennsylvania and died in 2010.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the Jarecki MiG-15 defection so important?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Franciszek Jarecki's MiG-15bis was the first airworthy example of the Soviet jet that Western specialists could examine. The fighter had been a serious problem for UN pilots over Korea since 1950. Experts studied the aircraft on Bornholm before Denmark shipped it back to Poland, and Jarecki himself briefed the Americans on Soviet aircraft and tactics.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did Denmark give the MiG-15 back to Poland?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Denmark returned Franciszek Jarecki's MiG-15bis to Poland by ship after Western specialists had examined it. Wikipedia says the return came a few weeks later, while the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's Ingenium account says the jet was partly dismantled first. Jarecki himself was not returned and was allowed to go on to the West.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many Polish pilots flew MiG-15s to Bornholm?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Three Polish pilots brought MiG-15bis fighters to Bornholm in the 1950s. Franciszek Jarecki landed on 5 March 1953 and Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski on 20 May 1953. Lieutenant Zygmunt Go\u015bciniak followed on 25 September 1956, landing at R\u00f8nne without lowering his landing gear. A fourth pilot crash-landed a Lim-2 in Sweden in 1957.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was Franciszek Jarecki paid a reward for the MiG-15?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Wikipedia says Franciszek Jarecki received a 50,000 dollar prize for being the first to deliver a MiG-15 to the Americans, but the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's Ingenium article calls that payment unconfirmed. Jarecki's photograph did appear on U.S. Army leaflets dropped over Korea in April 1953 promising rewards to defecting MiG pilots.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in a MiG-15?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug offers MiG-15 jet flights in the Czech Republic, so you can experience the early swept-wing Soviet fighter that Franciszek Jarecki flew to Bornholm from the cockpit, alongside an experienced pilot. Details, dates and prices are on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/mig-15\/\">MiG-15 flight page<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who was Franciszek Jarecki?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Franciszek Jarecki was a Polish Air Force second lieutenant who defected to the West on 5 March 1953 by flying a MiG-15bis from S\u0142upsk in northern Poland to R\u00f8nne on the Danish island of Bornholm. He later settled in the United States, became a citizen, ran a valve manufacturing business in Pennsylvania and died in 2010.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the Jarecki MiG-15 defection so important?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Franciszek Jarecki's MiG-15bis was the first airworthy example of the Soviet jet that Western specialists could examine. The fighter had been a serious problem for UN pilots over Korea since 1950. Experts studied the aircraft on Bornholm before Denmark shipped it back to Poland, and Jarecki himself briefed the Americans on Soviet aircraft and tactics.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did Denmark give the MiG-15 back to Poland?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Denmark returned Franciszek Jarecki's MiG-15bis to Poland by ship after Western specialists had examined it. Wikipedia says the return came a few weeks later, while the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's Ingenium account says the jet was partly dismantled first. Jarecki himself was not returned and was allowed to go on to the West.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many Polish pilots flew MiG-15s to Bornholm?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Three Polish pilots brought MiG-15bis fighters to Bornholm in the 1950s. Franciszek Jarecki landed on 5 March 1953 and Zdzis\u0142aw Ja\u017awi\u0144ski on 20 May 1953. Lieutenant Zygmunt Go\u015bciniak followed on 25 September 1956, landing at R\u00f8nne without lowering his landing gear. A fourth pilot crash-landed a Lim-2 in Sweden in 1957.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was Franciszek Jarecki paid a reward for the MiG-15?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Wikipedia says Franciszek Jarecki received a 50,000 dollar prize for being the first to deliver a MiG-15 to the Americans, but the Canada Aviation and Space Museum's Ingenium article calls that payment unconfirmed. Jarecki's photograph did appear on U.S. Army leaflets dropped over Korea in April 1953 promising rewards to defecting MiG pilots.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I fly in a MiG-15?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. MiGFlug offers MiG-15 jet flights in the Czech Republic, so you can experience the early swept-wing Soviet fighter that Franciszek Jarecki flew to Bornholm from the cockpit, alongside an experienced pilot. Details, dates and prices are on the MiG-15 flight page.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/no-kum-sok-mig-15-defection-1953\/\">The Communist Pilot Who Handed America a MiG<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-pilot-who-stole-a-mig-25-to-defect\/\">The Pilot Who Stole a MiG-25 to Defect<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/swept-wings-explained-critical-mach-busemann-mig-15-f-86\/\">Swept Wings Explained: How Sweep Pushed Jets Toward Mach 1<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/buzz-aldrin-korea-f-86-sabre-mig-15-gun-camera-1953\/\">Buzz Aldrin in MiG Alley: The Sabre Pilot Who Filmed a MiG Pilot Ejecting<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the morning Stalin died, a 21-year-old Polish lieutenant dived his MiG-15 out of formation and landed on a Danish island, handing the West its first intact example of the jet. Two months later, a friend did the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":31632050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31632160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"Franciszek Jarecki: The MiG-15 Pilot Who Fled to Bornholm\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2139,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/\",\"name\":\"Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Photo: Zala \\\/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Franciszek Jarecki: The MiG-15 Pilot Who Fled to Bornholm\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\",\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\"},\"description\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/author\\\/fortuneleroy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug","description":"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug","og_description":"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/"},"author":{"name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3"},"headline":"Franciszek Jarecki: The MiG-15 Pilot Who Fled to Bornholm","datePublished":"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/"},"wordCount":2139,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/","name":"Franciszek Jarecki: MiG-15 Flight to Bornholm | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-07T12:35:02+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-07T12:35:24+00:00","description":"Franciszek Jarecki flew a Polish MiG-15 to Bornholm on the day Stalin died in 1953, giving the West its first intact MiG. Then a friend did the same.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Photo: Zala \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/franciszek-jarecki-mig-15-defection-bornholm-1953\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Franciszek Jarecki: The MiG-15 Pilot Who Fled to Bornholm"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3","name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy"},"description":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/author\/fortuneleroy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31632160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31632160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31632160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31632273,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31632160\/revisions\/31632273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31632050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31632160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31632160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31632160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}