Born on 30 March 1908 in Olszanka, near Augustow. Having graduated from the Cadets Corps, in 1930 he joined the Air Force Cadet Officers School in Deblin. On 15 August 1932 he was promoted to pilot officer observer. He was assigned to a night bomber squadron of 1 Air Wing in Warsaw. In 1933 he completed flying training and the Advanced Flying Training Course at Grudziadz. He flew as a pilot in 113 and 111 Fighter Flights. At the end of 1936 he returned to the Air Force Cadet Officers School as a flying training instructor. In September 1939 he fought in the Deblin Group, then was evacuated with other NCOs. He commanded a group of NCOs who crossed the Romanian border, and led it through harbours: Balcic, Beirut, and Marseilles to France and then to Great Britain. He arrived in Great Britain on 27 January 1940. After conversion training in British equipment, on 4 August 1940 he was assigned to No. 145 RAF Fighter Squadron in which he fought in the Battle of Britain. On 8 August 1940 he shot down a Bf 110, four days later a Ju 88. On 21 August 1940 he was transferred to No. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron T. Kosciuszko to the post of a flight commander.
On 6 September 1940 he shot down a Bf 109. On 7 September 1940 he shot down a Do 17. On that day he took over the command from the commander S/Ldr Zdzislaw Krasnodebski wounded in air combat (W. Urbanowicz commanded the
squadron until 21 October 1940). On 15 September 1940 he shot down two Do 17s and on 26 September a He 111. On 27 September 1940 he shot down two Bf 110 fighters, and two Ju 88 bombers. Also on 30 September 1940 he achieved
fourfold success; he shot down three Bf 109s and one Do 17. Witold Urbanowicz was the most successful Polish pilot in Battle of Britain; he was credited with 15 kills. On 21 October 1940 he was transferred to 11 Fighter Group HQ to staff work. On 23 December 1940 he was awarded Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari War Order No. 08820, and on 1 February 1941 Cross of Valour and three bars. From 15 April until 1 June 1941 he was one of the organizers and at the same time the commander of 1 (Polish) Fighter Wing at Northolt.In June 1941 he left for the USA, where he held a series of lectures on tactics of fighter aviation. He encouraged Americans of Polish origin to join the Polish Air Force. Upon his return to Great Britain, on 27 July 1942 he was posted for an instructor course to the Flying Training Instructors School No. 2 at Montrose, and then to the (Polish) Flying Training School No. 16. On 3 November 1942 he was appointed to the post of a deputy attache at the Polish Embassy in Washington. In September 1943 he resigned from this post on his own request, being invited by the commander of 14 USAAF Army Gen. Chennault to the Chinese-Japanese front-line. From 23 October
until 15 December 1943 he flew combat sorties in No. 75 Fighter Squadron based at Hengyang. On 11 December 1943, while flying in a Curtiss P-40 he shot down two Japanese fighters Zero. After his service in diplomacy he returned to Great Britain (at the beginning of 1944). He worked in a staff. In August 1944 he became an air attache in Washington. He remained at that post until July 1945 and then he returned to the Great Britain. After demobilization in 1946 he left for the United States. He lived in New York. He described his experiences in books: Fighter Pilots, Fire over China, and
The Beginning of Tomorrow. In 1995 he was promoted to Brigadier General. Died on 17 August 1996. His combat merits were appreciated and awarded by the allies. Already on 24 October 1940 he was decorated with Distinguished Flying Cross (as the first among Polish pilots). The Americans also awarded him Distinguished Flying Cross, as well as the Chinese Air Cross.