Born on 14 April 1915 in Warsaw. He graduated from a primary school in Bobrowa, and from a secondary school in Brodnica in Pomerania region. In 1936, after he had completed general military training in 27 Infantry Regiment in Czestochowa, he joined the Air Force Cadet Officers School (not disclosing his Swiss citizenship). In 1938, having been promoted to pilot officer, he was assigned to 1 Air Wing in Warsaw. He was flying in 111 Fighter Flight. He failed to fight in September 1939 in the Pursuit Brigade, as he was wounded in August in an air accident. After the September war he reached France, via Romania. He fought in a section led by S/Ldr Zdzislaw Krasnodebski. On 18 June 1940 he arrived in Great Britain. On 2 August 1940, after conversion training, he was posted to No. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron

T. Kosciuszko (the original combat line-up). On 7 September 1940 he shot down two German bombers Do 17. Two days later, on 9 September, he shot down a Bf 109, and probably another Bf 109. He shot down another Bf 109 on 11 September 1940. On 15 September 1940 he shot down yet another Bf 109, and on 26 September 1940 he achieved another double success when he shot down a He 111 bomber, and another Bf 109 fighter. The following day he again destroyed a Bf 109. On 18 September 1940 he was awarded Silver Cross of Virtuti Militari War Order No. 08825, and on 1 February 1941Cross of Valour. On 2 July 1941 he shot down a Bf 109 and another Bf 109 probably. He shot two more Bf 109s, one each, on 13 and 24 October 1941. On 10 September 1941 he received a bar to his Cross of Valour.

In December 1941 he was posted to 58 OTU at Grangemouth as an instructor. On 23 March 1942 he returned to No. 303 Squadron where he became a flight commander, and subsequently the squadron commander. He commanded No. 303 Fighter Squadron T. Kosciuszko between 19 May and 1 December 1942; also during an assault operation near Dieppe in France. On 19 August 1942 he shot down a Fw 190, he shared in destruction of a He 111 (1/3 of a kill), and he probably shot down a Fw 190. On 20 August 1942 he received a second bar to his Cross of Valour, and on 15 November
that year a third one. On 1 December 1942 he was appointed as a liaison officer to 9 Fighter Group HQ. From 15 April 1944 he commanded 3 (Polish) Fighter Wing. He graduated from the Air Academy with the title of a certificate officer. From 3 August 1944 he commanded 133 Fighter Wing (until 30 January 1945). From January 1945 until October 1946 he was an operations officer at 84 Group HQ. On 7 April 1945 flying at night on Auster from a visit at 131 Wing, he mistakenly flew over the front-line and got to German captivity for the last month of WW II. After demobilization he remained in Great Britain. He lived an adventurous and thrilling life: as a smuggler, and thena mercenary in Congo and Biafra. He described his life in the book On Wings of War, which was translated into Polish and published in Poland in 2000. He died on 3 January 1986 in France. He was buried at the Powazki Cemetery in Warsaw.