View source for Władysław Turowicz

{{Short description|Pakistani-Polish Aviator (1908–1980)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name             = Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz
| image            = Gen. W.J.M.Turowicz.jpg
| caption          = Turowicz's photo at Monument of Air Cdre Władysław Turowicz in Karachi
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|df=yes|1908|04|23}}
| birth_place      = Wadziejewsko, [[Siberia]], [[Russian Empire]]<ref>{{ cite web|url=http://blogbiszopa.pl/2010/11/z-raf-do-rpaf-polscy-lotnicy-na-niebie-pakistanu/|title=Z RAF do RPAF – polscy lotnicy na niebie Pakistanu|date=16 November 2010|access-date=16 December 2010|language=pl}}</ref>
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1980|1|08|1908|04|23}}
| death_place      = [[Karachi]], Pakistan
| nationality      = Poland, Pakistan (1956–1980)
| field            = [[Aeronautical Engineering]]
| work_institution = [[Polish Air Force Academy]]<br />[[Royal Air Force College Cranwell]]<br />[[Pakistan Air Force Academy]]
<br />[[Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission]]
| alma_mater       = [[Warsaw Polytechnic]], Poland
| doctoral_advisor = Dr. [[Antoni Kocjan]]
| notable_students = [[Abdul Majid (physicist)]]
| known_for        = [[SUPARCO|Pakistan's Space Program]]<br />[[Pakistan Air Force|Pakistan Air Force pioneer]]<br />Missile and Rocket Technology
| prizes           = [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]]<br />[[Sitara-e-Pakistan]]<br />[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]<br />[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Tamgha-e-Pakistan]]<br />[[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland|Order of Merit of Poland]]<br />[[Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland)|Cross of Merit of Poland]]<br />[[Sitara-e-Pakistan]] (1965)<br />[[Tamgha-i-Pakistan]] (1967)<br />[[Sitara-i-Khidmat]] (1967)<br /> [[Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]] (1971)<br />[[Sitara-i-Imtiaz]] (Mil) (1972) <br />[[Abdus Salam|Abdus Salam Award in Aeronautical Engineering]] (1978)<br />[[ICTP|ICTP Award in Space Physics]] (1979)
}}

[[Air Commodore]] '''Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz''' ({{langx|ur|ولادیسلاو جوزف مارئین تورووچ|translit=Vladislav Joseph Torovich}}; {{IPA|pl|vwaˈdɨs.waf ˈju.zɛf ˈma.rjan tuˈrɔ.vit͡ʂ}} 23 April 1908 – 8 January 1980), usually referred to as '''W. J. M. Turowicz''', was a Polish-Pakistani aviator, military scientist and aeronautical engineer.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://secondtononepaf.com/2020/07/26/turowicz-a-pole-star-of-paf/|date=26 July 2020|title=Turowicz – A Pole Star of PAF|magazine=Second to None PAF Magazine|author=Air Cdre (R) Muhammad Ali}}</ref>

He was one of forty five Polish officers and airmen who joined RPAF on contract in the early fifties. After completion of his initial contract, Turowicz opted to stay on in Pakistan and continued to serve in the [[Pakistan Air Force]]. Turowicz was the administrator of Pakistan's [[Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission]] (SUPARCO) from 1967 to 1970. 

Turowicz made significant contributions to Pakistan's missile/rocket program as a chief [[aeronautical engineer]]. In Pakistan, he remains highly respected as a scientist and noted aeronautical engineer.

==Early life and education==
Turowicz was born to an aristocratic family in the village of Wadziejewsko in [[Siberia]] (Russia) in 1908, where he graduated from high school. The Polish name of the village may suggest it was inhabited by [[Polish people|Poles]] who were [[Sybirak|exiled or imprisoned]] by the [[Tsar]], as it was unusual for Polish aristocrats to live in Siberia for non-political reasons.<ref name="Dawn">{{Cite web |last=Hali |first=Natalia Laskowska {{!}} S. M. |date=2016-10-02 |title=Pakistan’s Polish Patriot |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1287122 |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> 

From an early age on, Turowicz was fascinated by aviation technology and had collected different models of aircraft. Due to this passion, he moved to [[Warsaw]] where he attended the most prestigious engineering institute, the [[Warsaw University of Technology]] (WTU) in 1930, majoring in [[aeronautical engineering]]; upon graduation, he received his PhD with [[Dean's List|honours]] in 1936.<ref name="paf">{{cite web |date=6 January 2007 |title=Life Sketch of Air Commodore Wladyslaw Turowicz of Pakistan Air Force |url=http://www.pakistaniaviationforum.com/index.php?showtopic=1464 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090819002220/http://www.pakistaniaviationforum.com/index.php?showtopic=1464 |archive-date=2009-08-19 |access-date=3 August 2009 |publisher=Pakistani Aviation Forum}}</ref> He completed an MSc in [[astrodynamics]] in 1937 from the same institution.<ref name="paf" /> 

While at Warsaw University of Technology, Turowicz joined and became a pioneering member of a ''Aeroklub Polski''  (better known as [[Polish Aero Club]]) where he worked and studied with noted [[:Category:Polish aerospace engineers|Polish engineers]] to the field of aerospace engineering. As a member of Polski Club, he had an opportunity to study and work with [[Ryszard Bartel]], [[Jerzy Drzewiecki]] and [[Henry Millicer]], amongst others. It was at the Aero Club that Turowicz met his future wife, Zofia Turowicz<ref>{{Cite web
  | last =Hyatt
  | first =Ishrat
  | title =BRAVEHEART
  | work =All Voices. Com
  | publisher =Ishrat Hyaat
  | date = 24 July 2009
  | url =http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3753848-braveheart
  }}
</ref> with whom he would have 4 children. He completed an MSc in [[astrodynamics]] in 1937 from the same institution.<ref name="paf" /> 

He joined the [[Polish Air Force]] as an [[aeronautical engineer]] and fighter pilot, but later emigrated to United Kingdom where he joined the [[Royal Air Force]] in 1939 as a reservist Polish pilot.<ref name="paf" />

==World War II and RAF career==

Though initially joining the Polish Air Force, Turowicz enlisted as a Royal Air Force reservist during [[World War II]]. He was immediately sent to Great Britain where he flew the British-built [[Handley Page Halifax]] during the war. Later, he was transferred into the Royal Air Force Aeronautics division where he served as Technical Inspector, and was put in charge of aircraft electrical and system information, organising, testing, and evaluating aircraft. After World War II, Turowicz did not return to Communist Poland due to the official negative attitude towards those who had served with the Western Allies during the war.

==Career with the Pakistan Air Force==

As the political situation in Poland got worse, many Polish Air Force officers began to move to the United States, Australia, Norway and Canada. Turowicz and 45 of his colleagues opted to move to Pakistan in 1948 on a three-year contract.

Turowicz set up technical institutes in Karachi. He taught at and revitalised the [[Pakistan Air Force Academy]], where he worked as a chief scientist. He initially led the technical training in the airbase and a part of the Polish specialists in the technical section in Karachi.

In 1952, Turowicz was promoted to the rank of [[Wing Commander (rank)|wing commander]]. In 1959, Turowicz was promoted in the rank of [[group captain]]. In 1960, he became an [[air commodore]] and an assistant chief of air staff, in charge of PAF's Maintenance Branch.
{{Infobox military person
| name         = Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz
| nickname     = [[Air Cdre]] Wlady
| image        = 
| caption      = 
| branch       = {{ubl|[[Polish Air Force]] (1927–1939)|[[Royal Air Force]] (1939–1947)|[[Pakistan Air Force]] (1947–1980)}}
| allegiance   = Poland, United Kingdom, Pakistan
| serviceyears = 1927–1980
| rank         = [[Air Commodore]]
| battles      = [[World War II]]
| laterwork    = Administrator at [[SUPARCO]]
}}

==Pakistan's space program==
In 1966, the Government of Pakistan transferred him to [[Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission]], Pakistan's national space agency, where he worked as the SUPARCO administrator.

== Family ==
Zofia, Turowicz's wife, and his two daughters joined him in Karachi in 1949, where a third daughter was born. Between 1950 and 1954, Zofia taught gliding to the Shaheen Air Cadets in Karachi and Rawalpindi. Two of his daughters married Pakistanis while the third daughter married a Bangladeshi. His widow, [[Zofia Turowicz]], who died in 2012, was awarded the [[Pride of Performance]] and [[Sitara-i-Imtiaz]], and taught [[applied mathematics]] and [[particle physics]] at the [[Karachi University]]. Turowicz's son is currently working at the SUPARCO as an [[aerospace engineer]] and chief scientist.<ref>[http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3753848-braveheart Bravehart]. {{Archive url|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808033603/http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/3753848-braveheart|date=2009-08-08}}</ref> Turowicz's grandson has completed a PhD in quantum physics from [[Brown University]] and is currently running the AI statistical modelling division at [[JPMorgan Chase|JP Morgan]].

==Death and legacy==

Air. Cdre. Turowicz was involved in a car accident on 8 January 1980 along with his driver. He was quickly taken to the [[military hospital]] where he was pronounced dead. He was buried in the [[Gora Qabaristan, Karachi|Christian Cemetery]] in Karachi with full military honours. Both Polish, including the Consul-General of Poland in Karachi Mr. [[Kazimierz Maurer]], and Pakistani military and civilian personnel attended his funeral in Karachi. The Government of Pakistan issued a condolence letter to his family, stating that Turowicz was an outstanding Air Force officer.

==Documentary==

A documentary film on the life and scientific work of Air Cdre Władysław Turowicz was completed in 2008. It was directed by [[Anna T. Pietraszek]], a Polish journalist and film-maker with an honorary Pakistani citizenship. The film shows how Air Cdre Turowicz and other Polish officers and technicians had contributed in building the PAF soon after independence.<ref name="Dawn" />

==Honours and recognition==
In 2005, the [[PAF Museum, Karachi]], placed a memorial plaque in the honour of Air. Cdre. Władysław Turowicz where both Polish and Pakistani civilian and military personnel attended. On this occasion the Consul General of the [[Republic of Poland]] in [[Karachi]] [[Ireneusz Makles]] profoundly thanked the [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] and especially [[Air Chief Marshal]] [[Rao Qamar Suleman]] and other officers for their efforts to make this memorial a reality.
* Władysław Turowicz Monument (PAF Museum, Karachi).<ref name="Dawn"/>
*  Władysław Turowicz Space Complex (SUPARCO), Lahore Center.<ref name="Dawn"/>

==Awards and decorations==
* [[Sitara-e-Pakistan]] (1965)
* [[Tamgha-i-Pakistan]] (1967)
* [[Sitara-i-Khidmat]] (1967)
* [[Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]] (1971)
* [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]], (Mil) (1972)
* Abdus Salam Award in Aeronautical Engineering (1978)
* ICTP Award in Space Physics (1979)
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="4" |{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Imtiaz.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Pakistan (SPk) (1957-86).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam (1957-76).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Khidmat (SK) (1957-86).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Sitara-e-Khidmat (SK) (1957-86).png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Republic Medal 1956 (Pakistan).png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=1939–1945 Star.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Defence Medal 1945.png|width=130}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=POL Order Zaslugi PRL kl3 BAR.png|width=130}}
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=POL Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami BAR.svg|width=130}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
| colspan="2" |'''[[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]]'''
''(SI)''
|
|-
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Pakistan]]'''
''(SPk)''
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Quaid-e-Azam]]'''
''(SQA)''
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Khidmat]]'''
''(SK)''
|'''[[Civil decorations of Pakistan|Sitara-e-Khidmat]]'''
''(SK)''
|-
|'''[[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|Tamgha-e-Jang 1965 War]]'''
(''War Medal 1965'')
|'''[[Awards and decorations of the Pakistan Armed Forces|Tamgha-e-Jamhuria]]'''
(''Republic Commemoration Medal'')

'''1956'''
|'''[[1939-1945 Star]]'''
|'''[[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]]'''
|-
|'''[[War Medal 1939–1945|War Medal]]'''
'''[[War Medal 1939–1945|1939-1945]]'''
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Queen Elizabeth II]]'''
'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal|Coronation Medal]]'''

'''(1953)'''
|[[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland|'''Order of''' '''Merit''']]
'''[[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland|Of Poland]]'''

''([[Netherlands|Poland]])''
|'''[[Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland)|Cross of Merit]]'''
'''[[Cross of Merit with Swords (Poland)|with Silver Swords]]'''

''(Poland)''
|}

=== Foreign decorations ===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" style="background:#006400; color:#FFFFFF; text-align:center" |'''Foreign Awards'''
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[1939-1945 Star]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=1939–1945 Star.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Defence Medal 1945.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[War Medal 1939-1945]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Ribbon - War Medal.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|UK}}'''
|'''[[Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=QE II Coronation Medal 1953.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|Netherlands}}'''
|'''[[Order of Orange-Nassau|Order of the Orange Nassau]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=POL Order Zaslugi PRL kl3 BAR.png|width=130}}
|-
!'''{{flag|Lebanon}}'''
|'''[[National Order of the Cedar]]'''
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=POL Srebrny Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami BAR.svg|width=130}}
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Poland|Pakistan|Aviation}}
* [[Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission]]
* [[Sonmiani|Sonmiani Satellite Launch Center]]
* [[Polish Air Force]]
* [[Pakistan Air Force]]
* [[Abdul Majid (physicist)]]
* [[Abdus Salam]]
* [[Polish people in Pakistan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1287122/pakistans-polish-patriot|title=Pakistan's Polish Patriot|work=Dawn|date=2 October 2016|access-date=2 October 2016|first1=Natalia|last1=Laskowska|first2=S. M.|last2=Hali}}
* [http://www.karachikg.polemb.net/ Consulate General of Poland in Karachi IM]
{{Project-706}}
{{Pakistanspaceagency}}
{{Public sector space agencies}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turowicz, Wladyslaw Jozef Marian}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Polish military aviators]]
[[Category:Polish Army officers]]
[[Category:Polish World War II bomber pilots]]
[[Category:Polish aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:Pakistan Air Force air marshals]]
[[Category:Project-706]]
[[Category:People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent]]
[[Category:Pakistani aviators]]
[[Category:20th-century Pakistani engineers]]
[[Category:Warsaw University of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Rocket scientists]]
[[Category:Polish scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish engineers]]
[[Category:People from Zabrze]]
[[Category:Polish military engineers]]
[[Category:Pakistani military engineers]]
[[Category:Pakistani aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission people]]
[[Category:Polish emigrants to Pakistan]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Karachi]]
[[Category:Engineers from Karachi]]
[[Category:Road incident deaths in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Administrators of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sitara-e-Pakistan]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistani Protestants]]
[[Category:Polish Protestants]]