THE POLISH AIR FORCE AT WAR The Official History Vol.1 1939-1943 JERZY B. CYNK QUEENS BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER FLUSHING BRANCH, 3D 41-17 MAIN STREET FLUSHING, NY. 11355The dust jacket artwork by Piotr Gérka of Krakéw, Poland, was specially commissioned {for these volumes by the Polish Air Force Association. Shown are two pairs of Spitfire VBs, one from No.303 Squadron and the other from No317 Squadron, led by StLdr Jan Zumbach in BMI44 RFeD “Donald Duck,” peel off to attack German Fw 190 fighters over the Dieppe area in early June 1942, Book Design by Robert Biondi Copyright © 1998 by the Polish Air Force Association. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 97-8102 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any forms or by any means ~ graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or information storage and retrieval systems ~ without written permission from the copyright holder. Printed in the United States of Americ ISBN: 0-76413-0559-X We are interested in hearing from authors with book ideas on related topics. Published by Sehitfer Publishing Lid. “HHO Lower Valley Rend ‘Aisle, PA 19310 USA, Phone! (0) 981777 PAX 0) 30-2002 E-mail Sshtfrbk al com, Please writs for fe eto “This book ay be purchased rom the publisher Pease mclnde $355 postage “Ty your bookstore finCONTENTS Foreword : by Air Vie ‘e- Marshal ‘Aleksander Maisner CB. CBE, AFC Editorial Note .. . British Tribute by Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier CB, GCB, DSO Preface Acknowledgmei Abbreviation: Glossary of Terms Ranks, Basic Units, Operations’ Code Names INTRODUCTION ... 1. The Origins of Polish Aviation... : The Birth of the Lotnictwo Wojskowe (Military Aviation) ‘The Fight for Poland's Independence (1918-1920) ‘The Years of Peacetime Expansion (1921-1935) .. Plans and Realities of Polish Aviation Rearmament (1936-1939) PART I, FIRST ENCOUNTERS WITH THE LUFTWAFFE (1939-1940) CHAPTER L, The Lonely Fight with the Luftwaffe ~ September 1939 1. Political Background to the War ... ‘The German “Fall Weiss” and the Polish ‘The Russian Treachery and Political Agitation atthe Eleventh Hour. 3 Strength and Deployment ofthe Polish and German Air Forces in September 1939, Air War over Poland ~ September 1939.. 5 The Soviet Invasion and the Final Act of the Polish Drama Assessments and Conclusions of the Air War over Poland. Plan arn CHAPTER IL. The Polish Air Force Reborn in France |. Formation of the Polish Government in Exile and the Exodus to France 2. Establishment of the Independent Polish Air Force in France-Proposals, Agreements, and Initial Setups 3. Organization and Training of the PAF Units in France The PAF in combat over France A. The All-Polish Fighter Units... (1) 145 Warsaw Fighter Wing. (2) The Fighter Exercise Squadron (GMCP) sien OT wie 101 .. 108 13 5 113) 7B. The Polish Front-Line Flights with the French Fighter Wings..... 17 (1) No.1 “La” Flight (GC 1/2) 7 (2) No.2 “Pe” Flight and the “Ce” (“Kosciuszko's" ) Flight (GC 116) 9 (3) No.3 “Su” Flight and the “Ba” Flight (GC IIN6) arse EDL (4) Nod “Bu” Flight (GC IM/1) - sesmeseee 122 (5) NoS “Br” Flight (GC 1/2) rar 123 (6) No.6 “Go” Flight and the “Jan” Flight (GC M7) so. rn senses LOM (7) No.7 “Wy” Double Flight (GC Hi10) 126 (8) No.8 “Ja” Double Flight (GC IN/1) ee sacs IEF (9) No.10 “Ga” Double Flight (GC IMINO) somsoseiensenseisinsssies sve 127 (10) The “Pa” Flight (GC I8) eos 128 (11) The “Wi" Double Flight (GC IIN'9) 128 C. The Polish Home-Defence Flights with the French Defence Squadrons ( ECD & ELD)..... 128 (1) No.9 “Ko” Local-defence Flight (No.1 Team) ~ Chateaudun (ELD/Chateaudun) ...... 128 (2) The 1. “Kr” Chimney Flight ~ Etampes (ECD 1/55) 129 (3) The Il. “Op” Chimney Flight (No.2 Team) — Romorantin (ELD/Romorantin) 131 (4) The Ill. “Ku’" Chimney Flight (No.3 Team) — Nantes (ECD/Nantes) 131 (5) The IV. “He” Chimney Flight (No4 Team) ~ Chateauroux (ELDIChateauroux) 132 (6) The V. “Kos” Chimney Flight (No.5 Team) ~ Bourges (ELD/Bourges) ssvnnone 132 (7) The VI. “Sa” Chimney Flight (No.6 Team) ~ Toulouse (ELDiToulouse) 133 (8) Jasionowski’s VII. and VII. Chimney Flights (No. 8 and 9 Teams) ~ 1é and 2€ Escadrille Koolhoven/Clermont and Salon eee 134 (9) The IX. “Jan” Chimney Flight (No.7 Team) — Angers (ELD/Angers) .. 136 (10) The X. “Fa” Chimney Flight ~ Cognac (ELDICognac) .. 136 (11) The XI. “Kow” Chimney Flight ~Le Rochelle (ELDiLa Rochelle) sonnees 1ST (12) The “Kol” Chimney Flight ~ Rennes oo. ee sseriards 137 D. Single Polish Pilots in the French Units .. 138 5. Attempts at Air Liaison with Occupied Poland. 138 6. The Polish Technical Contribution to the French Aviation Industry 140 7. Capitulation of France and Evacuation of the PAF to Great Britain... 141 8. Assessments and Conclusions of PAF Operations in France - PART IL. THE PAF’s PART IN THE STRUGGLE FOR AIR SUPREMACY (1940-1943) CHAPTER L. Establishment and Development of the PAF in Great Britain. 1. Arrival and Reception 2. Legal Basis and Status of the PAF (Agreements of 11 June and 5 August, 1940) 3. The PAF Organization, Strength, Training and Equipment. 1940-43 4. The Polish Air Force Colors sneceanvanes CHAPTER IL, Polish Fighter Operations 1940-1943 sn 1, Formation and Deployment of the First Polish Fighter Squadrons (1) No.302 “Poznari” Fighter Squadron (2) No.303 “Warsaw Koscius: Fighter Squadron (3) No.306 “Tori” Fighter Squadron(4) No.308 “Krakow” Fighter Squadron... 167 (5) No.307 “Lwdw Eagle-Owls” Night-Fighter Squadron ... 168 2. The Polish Contribution to Victory in the Battle of Britain staat 170 (1) Ist phase ~ 10 July to 7 August 171 (2) 2nd phase ~ 8 to 23 August eee 171 (3) 3rd phase ~24 August to 6 September ss cad 174 (4) Ath phase — 7 10 30 September srccrnsesenisneininnere sagen 179 (5) 5th phase ~ I t0 31 October i 189 (6) Assessments and Conclusions is ser 19D. 3. After-the-Battle Operations, November-December 1940 ... 195 4, Expansion and Operations of the Polish Fighter Force 1941-1943. 199 (1) Formation of New Polish Fighter Squadrons Nos.315 “Deblin’ 316 “Warsaw” and 317 “Wilno” 200 (2) Fighter Offensive over France and the Dieppe Expedition faecateaamoinune US (3) Maintaining the Offensive in the Quest for Air Superiority. 238 (4) Operational Activities of No.307 “Lwéw Eagle-Owls” } 251 (5) The Polish Fighting Team of the Desert Air Force ..... 261 (6) Assessments and Conclusions 266 CHAPTER IIL Polish Army Cooperation Activities . 267 1. No. 309 “Czerwieriska Land” Army Cooperation Squadron ............. sie 267 CHAPTER LY. Polish Bomber Operations 1940-1943... 274 1. Formation and Deployment of the Polish Bomber Squadrons ....... 214 (1) No. 300 “Mazovian” Bomber Squadron 274 (2) No. 301 “Pomeranian” Bomber Squadron... Sent 276 (3) No. 304 “Silesian” Bomber Squadron... 228 (4) No. 305 “Wielkopolan” Bomber Squadron 1... 280 2. The Polish Contribution to the Bomber Offensive (1) Harassing the Invasion Fleet (the Autumn of 1940) (2) Lending Strength to the Thrust into Germany (December 1940-February 1942). 281 (3) Great Achievements and Decline in Strength (March-December 1942) ... nen DST (4) Aiding the Destruction of Germany with a Slimmer Force (January-August 1943) 31 (5) With Coastal Command in the Battle of the Atlantic (May 1942-June 1943) 318, (6) Assessments and Conclusions .....0 326FOREWORD by Air Vice-Marshal Aleksander Maisner CB, CBE, AFC, President of the Polish Air Force Association in Great Britain ‘This comprehensive and detailed book is meant t act asa reminder of the contribution of the Polish Air Force to the Allied victory and to epito- mize its entire war record, The highlights, such as the crucial part played by Polish fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain, have been covered in many works, but several other aspects have been sadly neglected up to now. ‘The campaign of September 1939 is important, as the Polish Air Force's highly creditable performance strengthened its faith in itself and gave it some- thing to build on, Their extraordinary achievement of evacuating the over- whelming majority of the force’s effectives to France and then to Britain provided the continuity and the experience that were to tur the Polish Air Force intoa formidable force of 15 oper I squadrons. This unprecedented renaissance of a complete Polish Air Force at the side of the Royal Air Force, \¢ Minister and also required the leadership and foresight of Poland's P ‘Commander-in-Chief General Wladyslaw Sikorski. It demanded and received alevel of discipline and determination rarely met with, and it assured Poland an important place in the ranks of the Allies during the early stages of the war. The Poles carried this spirit into many theaters of war and fought with unflagging determination and dedication to the very end of the war. Although the work puts its main emphasis on the operational aspect of the Polish Air Force’s activities and on its links with the Polish underground forces which provided the Allies with invaluable intelligence ~ notably on the V 1 flying bomb and V 2 ballistic rocket — the vast input of Polish air and ground crews into ferry and transport duties, maintenance, repair and air- field construction and into training, is given its due. The Polish effort on the Eastern front is also covered. The war ended, and Poland was free of German occupation. The West- em Allies, however, under pressure from Stalin, withdrew their recognition of the Polish Government in London, and with their consent, Poland was left under the yoke of Soviet Communism for the following 45 years. On Stalin’s insistence the Polish Armed Forces were not allowed to take part in the Vic~ tory parade in 1946, The Polish Government in Exile remained in Londonuntil 1990, but without diplomatic status. The majority of Poles decided not to return to their Fatherland. The 1947 Polish Resettlement Corps Bill was passed, enabling them and their immediate dependents to remain in freedom with basic rights in the United Kingdom, or to emigrate to the USA, Canada and other countries of the free world. Finally, itis fitting that the work of the Polish Air Force Asso mentioned. This organization did sterling work in helping the members of the disbanded Polish Air Force to start a new life. At the same tim deeds, through the erection of memorials and the publication of books, of which this is the ultimate. It also carried on the fight for a free Poland by denouncing the post-war settlement and reminding people of the injustice done to Poland in 1945. More than fifty years have passed since the events here recorded. Judg- ing by the generous public response to our appeals, and by the many moving letters of appreciation we continue to receive, the wartime achievements and s jon is it strove to keep alive the memory of their heroic \crifices of the Polish Air Force still enjoy worldwide recognition. In- deed, support for Poland in present-day political activities, especially in Europe and in the USA, often stems from the recognition of Poland's war- time record in the air over half a century ago. With our wartime brothers arms, the Royal Air Force, we continue to maintain a very close and friendly relationship. Yet too many volumes of history, which have appeared in the West since int regard to the distinguished contribution of the Polish Aii Force to the Allied victory in the air. To do it full justice, this task must be left to historians who are better able to place our story in its true settings, and to the Editorial Committee comprising wartime members of the Polish Ait Force, whose painstaking, careful and critical scrutiny of the entire text, ty and authenticity of the the war, pay s based on their own experience, ensured the vali events recorded in these volumes London, January 1997EDITORIAL NOTE Tre Polish Air Force Association has, since its inception, considered itself to be in duty bound to produce a history of the Polish Air Force in the Second World War. In response to this commitment a history was published a mere four years after the end of the war, under the title “Destiny Can Wait.” The Committee responsible for the production of that history were fully aware of its shortcomings due to scarcity of documentation, inacs cies, and the lack of a proper perspective. However, as they made clear in their Editorial Note, the Committee did not intend it to be “the final history of the Polish Air Force in the Second World War. It has been rather de- signed as a preliminary account embodying first hand source material for those who will some day write a full history of the Polish Air Force during this period.” Despite its shortcomings, “Destiny Can Wait” was a very suc- cessful publication; its many personalized accounts of events, and the prox- ra imity of those events to its publication, made a very readable and popular book. Its second edition, published in the USA in the late 1980s, was sold out within a year. A great deal has happened in the 50 years or so since the publication of “Destiny Can Wait,” which has had a considerable impact on the writing of this much more detailed history. Extensive official records relating to operations during the Second World War have become accessible. Numer- ous books, memoirs, and articles on this and related subjects have been pub- lished; contentious issues and events have been subjected to detailed scru- tiny and discussion, and judgments pronounced by vat Accordingly, we have been most fortunate to be able to entrust the writ- ing of this history to an experienced aviation historian, Mr. Jerzy B. Cynk, whose knowledge of the subject, painstaking research, and sound judge- ous historians. ment enabled him to deal with this mass of material and to condense it in a very readable, and most informative manner. ‘The Editorial Committee appointed by the Council of the Polish Air Force Association, responsible for the production of this work, wishes to cknowledge the usual proviso concerning author's rights and its apprecia- 10tion of his hard work and outstanding cooperation during the past seven years. The Committee also wishes to record its thanks to Mr. T.C.G. James, CMG, MA who, having made a major contribution to the production of “Destiny Can Wait", has also very kindly and most effectively brought his experience to bear on this work. ALEKSANDER MAISNER ~ P.A.F.A. President TADEUSZ ANDERSZ ~ Chairman of the Committee ANDRZEJ F.K. JEZIORSKI- Vice Chairman STANISLAW WANDZILAK - Secretary THOMAS C.G. JAMES — Literary Consultant ALICJA W. KALINIECKA TADEUSZ Z. KWIATKOWSKI LUDWIK A. MARTEL, JERZY A. POSZAJSKL MIECZYSLAW J. STACHIEWICZ, WnBRITISH TRIBUTE by Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rosier GCB, CBE, DSO Tiisarriviege ove tee invite by the drial Commie to give a Bris view of meres f the Polish Air Force who came o this country to continue hei ight against Germany in Word War I and wh joined forces with te Royal Ai Force They wer the descendants of people who times enjoyed a lang poston n Eu ny. Yet thoughout ital identity as Poles. rope and at others endured great hardships, oppression and ty they retained their language, their culture and the Many of these men were born whilst their country was still under foreign domination: ‘domination which lasted over 120 years, Not until 1918 did Poland again becon pendent In 1939 the Polish Armed Forces had neither the strength, the equipment, nor the tr —an independence which was to last only 21 years. inched their attacks ing, 10 counter major aggression, Nevertheless, when the Germans li ‘onthe Ist of September the Poles resisted valiantly at ing force and then stabbed in the back by Russia, fi Polish Air Force, with their limited numbers of obsolete aircraft, had fought bravely, but the odds against them were so great thatthe fight did not last long. AAs Sir Arthur Bryant put it “Poland chose to resist, and by resisting to be destroyed. Only a very great people would have done so under such circumstances, but the Poles, for ‘cost, but faced with overwhelm: ier defence was impossible. The all their political faults an failures In the 17th ‘again by their heroic sacrifice in the 20th Century.” In that autumn of 1939 great numbers of Poles, including experienced air and ground crews determined to continue the fight, made their way to France and to this country. AS a ‘wartime publication put it “They skied across Carpathians, they had been through the pris: ons of Hungary, they hael stolen boats and rowed down the Drave river to Yugoslavia, they hhad come by steamer to Marseilles.” In France very few of the Polish pilots were given the opportunity 10 fight, and so it wave proven again and again that they are a very great people.” He went on * sntury they saved European civilization: they did so ‘was that when their Commander in Chief, General Sikorski, called on them to get 10 this country by all possible means they obeyed with alacrty. They were warmly welcomed. In the meantime about 2,000 who had arrived earlier in this country were undergoing training, the pilots amongst them being destined for bombers. However, as it became clear that more and more fighter pilots would be needed for the air defence of this count decided thatthe Poles originally trained as fighter pilots would continue in their specializa: tion, What a wise decision this was, for in the air war that followed, later to be known as ‘The Battle of Britain, the Polish contribution was invaluable, Indeed, the margin between ‘vietory and defeat was so narrow that their contribution might be regarded as crucial RIt was put to me recently that a similarity exists between a military action which took place in Poland in 1920 and the Battle of Britain 20 years later. In the Polish action an nder Marshal Pilsuelski launched a daring flank attack on a Russian Bolshevik Army which had over-run much of Poland and was at that time laying siege 10 ‘Warsaw. The Russians were soundly defeated and withdrew. Had it not been for this vi tory all Poland and probably much of Central and Baste Europe would have come under outnumbered force Russian domination, with untold consequences for Westem civilization, The outcome of The Miracle on the Vistula.” Similarly, in the Battle of Britain, a comparatively small force stopped a much larger German force from achieving the air supetio lost — had the miracle over this Island not occurred ~ Europe would have entered a long dark sage and the consequences for Westem civilization would have been grave indeed. Yes, there are similarities, that battle on 15 August 1920 is known a xy essential fora successful invasion. Had we t-was not only in Fighter Command that the Poles were active. As early as September 1940 1wo of their bomber squadrons were operating against the invasion ports and by early 1941 the force had expanded to four squadrons flying Wellingtons. T1-was said that there was a general rush to be posted to these squadrons. As one writer put it, “At the Polish depot in Blackpool a special notice was issued stating that all posts in these squadrons had been filled: there were no vacancies: Sorry, perhaps if someone dies. This did not help. Everybody wished to fly. Technical officers wanted to be pilots, skilled navigators were willing to go as air gunners, the blind recovered their sight, the deaf their hearing. Such was the determination of these men to get to grips with the enemy. twas no flash in the pan, Time and casualties did not weaken their resolve. There were times when news of Poland! or of what was likely to happen to Poland made them depressed ‘and angry, and it would have been understandable had there been a slack effort, But there was not. [know this was so in the fighter force for I was involved in it, of their nd from all accounts it was the same in Polish units in other Commands, As the war went on and more Poles arrived, having been freed from concentration ‘camps in Russia, the force grew to strength of 17,000 Polish units or individuals who were involved in most of the activities of the RAF: in Coastal Command, in the Tactical Air Force: in Special Duties supporting underground units in Europe (incidentally, during the ‘Warsaw rising in 1944 the bravery of the aircrews was outstanding whilst their losses in this ‘unit were appalling); and Poles were also in Training Command, in the Transport fore (Overseas Commands as well asin Fighter and Bomber Commands Out of that 17,000 of whom a large proportion were air crew, 1,900 lost their lives, over 1,200 of them in the Bomber Force alone. Unfortunately, when the end of the war came and the free world rejoiced, the sacrifices of these men and their contribution to Vietory did not bring to them what for so long they hhad fought for and longed for ~ to return to a free and independent Poland, So, rather than submit to Russian domination a majority decided to remain here in freedom. They and their families have been an asset to this country, ‘The events in Poland over the past few years must have given these men great satisfac~ tion, for they showed that the desire for freedom was not dead and thatthe need to fight for it was not forgotten. The Poles led the way. Yes, they are a very great people. ‘This comprehensive historical work provides a full record of Poland's part in the final and complete Allied Air Victory in Europe in 1945, Its publication isin itself tribute to the nembers ofthe Polish Air Force Asso to the heritage of the Polish nation, tion, for it will represent a most valuable additionPREFACE "Titnicst emedine compl ieny ate Delta air Force under one cover equied by te synopai stout bythe Edltrial Commies — was very challenging coe. A ‘most every chapter of this work could be easily expanded into 2 full volume. A balance had to be struck to produce a book of erence. combined with a narrative which would be a fitting if vemento of the exploits of Polish airmen in the last wa also had to appeal to a wider readership, including young avi fon enthusiasts seeking information on specific combat en- eagements, and on camouflage, markings and serial numbers, f aircraft lown by their Polish heroes. Incorporation of the political background was deemed essential 10 enable every -ader to understand Polish attitudes and concerns, Space limi- tations made it necessary to concentrate the narrative on op: rations of the PAF and to teat other aspects of its widespread, activities more briefly The te My prime source material was the original documentation held nthe Aviation Archives of the Instytut Polski i Muzeum Sikorshiego (IPMS, or Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum) o London, withthe vast Air Files of the Publie Records Office at Kew in Richmond serving as the invaluable complementary took me seven years to write and eross-check. The IPMS Aviation Archives included materials which began to be gathered by the Aviation Historical Commission, formed in Paris on 20 March 1940 under Col Franciszek Wiedes, 1x association with the Polish Military Historical Bureau. Steps {© maintain the historical and archival record of the PAF in, Great Britain were taken by S-Col Kazimierz G, Winicki in Blackpool towards the end of 1940, leading to the formation, ‘of small Aviation Historical Office on 1 July 1941. This be- came the custodian of the aviation documentation evacuated from France, The orderly organization and coordination of his ‘orical and archival activities was undertaken by the HQ, Pol: ‘sh Armed Forces, in Great Britain in December 1941. This, resulted in the expansion of the Aviation Historical Offic headed by 8-Col Franciszek Haberek into a self-contained unit, ‘with an establishment of four staf? in the spring of 1942, later named the Historical Office ofthe PAP. S-Col Stanistaw Nazar- kkiewicz succeeded Haberek in October 1944, ‘The Office laid great stress on recreating the detailed records of operational activities of LW units in September 1939, ‘which involved seeking personal accounts from the participants in order to fil large gaps in the surviving original documenta tion. Painstaking collation and scrutiny of all these materials by S-Col Haberck, S-Col Wajda, Mjr Pawlowski and MjrZacz- kiewicz led to the compilation and publication ofthe first com: prehensive list and statistics of Polish air victories and losses ‘and of war diaries of LW combat squadrons and formations in the September Campaign, Similar treatment was extended 10 the PAF activities in France, The official PAF documentation gathered by the Office provided rich source material relating to Polish air operations from Great Britain. Among the most important of these were the Operational Records Books (ORB) of individual squad- rons, each consisting of two kinds of forms: RAF Form S40 ~ «daily record of operational activities (missions flown, results achieved, claims and losses) of the squadron, and RAF Form 541 — a complete record of all daily aireraft movements, in- cluding damage, loss, etc. The ORBs were supplemented by individual combat reports of aircrews given to the squadron intelligence officer immediately after a sorte, who wrote them down and made a preliminary assessment of the claims, Daily (Orders, Authorization Books (oficial authority for every flight), squadrons” diaries, monthly reports, other periodical summa- ries of operations, and usually very well kept commemorative chronicles and histories ofthe units, furnished complementary documentation, However, none of these documents, taken in isolation, could be regarded as absolutely reliable. Not all ORBs were ‘completed and kept exactly as requested by RAF directives (his applying equally to the RAF and Allied units), and en- tries on Form $40 could not be taken as infallible. Fighter pi- lots’ victory reports were forwarded — with supporting evidence, 15The Polish Air Force at War such as samera-gun films — to HQ Fighter Command, for final scrutiny and approval (which sometimes took several months. to arrive), and on occasion the classification of the claim was changed from “destroyed to “probable” or vice versa, oF, more frequently from “probable” to “damaged” or vice versa. De tailed vietory scores ofthe fighter pilots, as ultimately approved by Fighter Command and the PAF, were recorded individually oon the Form A/I “Register of Flights, Victories and Decora tions.” ‘Similar re-assessments applied to various other data. In the early stages of the war considerable confusion existed be- tween the terms “operational” and “combat” with reference 10 sorties flown, The same flights were in some instances described tas “combat” or “operational” in the same documents, making. the two terms effectively synonymous (and largely used in my textas such), Laterall flights made over the sea or over land in connection with operations which did not involve any encoun. ters with the enemy were defined as “operational:” all flights. over enemy-held territories or along the enemy coastline within. 10 miles from the coast, and all flights made over the sea or over land involving a contact with the enemy, were defined as “combat.” Retrospective application of this ruling was in sev eral cases virtually impossible, and some sorties, such as sea rescue searches, still remained difficult to classify. A sub- tion of some sorties, after analysis of the sequent reclassifi courses flown, resulted in small discrepancies between the rhumbers of combat flights and hours flown as recorded in squadrons’ monthly reports. those in the ORBs (on Forms 540) and later, final summaries of the units” overall efforts. AAs the war approached its end, the PAF took steps aimed at reconciling inconsistencies and producing the ultimate au: thoritative records and sets of statistical data, to cover all its ‘operational activities, Special commissions were instituted, headed by the Polish Liaison Officers at the HQ’s of various. RAF Commands. The most important ofthese was the Fighter Claims Commission, under Col Jerzy Bajan, the Polish Liai son Olfiver at Fighter Command, which issued the final PAF fighter score tables, “Polish Fighter Pilots’ Achievements dur- ing the Second World War (1.9-1939 ~ 6,5.1945)" in March 1946, “The main task of preparing material for an official history ‘of the PAF, which was to be the PA's “Repon to the Nation’ was entrusted before the disbandment of the PAF to the Hi torical Commission under Col Olgierd Tuskiewiez. The Com- mission itself was able to complete only a scant preliminary script. which was issued in the form of a duplicated typescript in 1947 with only some 100 copies printed’, but included the PAF final operational statistics and data of fundamental im- portance to all future historians and facilitated the appearance ‘of an initial history of the PAF, entitled “Destiny Can Wi ‘ovo years later, During the liquidation ofthe PA, all the source This published in slghlyakered form Col Franciszek Kalinowski (former member of Tuskewice’ commission), unde his mame, in Pais in 1968, 16 ‘materials gathered by its Aviation Historical Office and spe~ ial commissions were deposited in the IPMS, forming the nucleus of the present Aviation Archives, Historians in Poland had litle opportunity to access the IPMS Archives in London before the collapse of the commu- nist regime. At first the rigorous state censorship put great con- siraints on all publications relating to the PAF. As restrictions were gradually eased, numerous books began to appear on the subject, but these unavoidably relied on personal reminiscences ‘and secondary rather than prime historical documentation. This led to the growth of some preconceived ideas and myths, which might now be difficult to eradicate. It is only in recent years that some outstanding works of great historical interest have ‘emerged, which I have leaned on, as indicated by the refer- ences in this volume. Some specific problems, arising from the peculiarity of the PAF situation in Great Britain, were encountered during the writing ofthis book. Adoption of the most appropriate ter ‘minology in translation of operational and organizational terms from one language to the other posed a particular difficulty Another was the question of ranks. Polish officers and NCOs were given new RAF ranks upon their recruitment to the ser- Vice, which in most cases bore no relation to their Polish ranks. Although they were allowed to keep their Polish ranks as a ‘matter of courtesy, these were not officially recognized by the British, Furthermore, RAF and PAF promotions were made ately, notin parallel. It was therefore agreed by the Edi- torial Committee that both ranks (RAF and PAF) should be given (if known) when names are first mentioned, and also \when important references, such as casualties, occurin the As a rule the PAF ranks are shown second and in brackets (Uhese are not, however, the equivalent ranks). In certain cir cumstances, generally with reference to the organization of the Inspectorate General of the PAF and other PAF Command structures, only Polish ranks are given, partly to indicate the hierarchy, and partly because the current RAF ranks of the of ficers involved were difficult to establish Dates in this work are given in the day-month-year order. This arrangement was adopted for the sake of consistency. as all original war documents quoted in the text were edited in such a manner. Dates of formation of units, command and airfield changes and of rearmament with new equipment, frequently vary in official documents. I made an effort to apply constant criteria to these dates, as quoted in the book. The accepted date for the formation of a squadron is that on which the relevant order was issued by the HQ of an appropriate Group to the RAF Station concermed. The dates of command changes are those fon which the actual takeover of a squadron by the new Com= ‘manding Officer took place. ‘The dates of airfield changes are ‘generally those on which the main air party ofa squadron landed (or arrived by surface) at the new aerodrome. In the case of night arrivals, usually the following day’s date is given. As far as rearmament is concemed, the data of delivery of the firstPreface fnew alreraft (as distinct from single aircraft) is usu- ted (on occasion a lengthy period elapsed before a unit rational on a new type). There are some exceptions ral rules when dates could not be precisely estab- he readers might find the numerous abbreviations used pout the text tiresome and perhaps confusing; unfortu- hese are unavoidable. A full list of abbreviations ap- rier the Preface and Acknowledgments. 7 A conscious effort was made on my part to present an objective and truthful historical work on the subject of the PAF’s contribution to the Allied air victory in Europe, pre- dominantly based on my own researches and free from any pressures, sentiments and established notions. I leave it to the readers to judge if Ihave achieved this goal Jerzy B. Cynk London, January 1997ACKNOWL Many individuals contributed to this book in a variety of ‘ways and I wish to acknowledge my debt to them. Towe sin- cere thanks to my colleagues under the chairmanship of Tadeusz Andersz from the Editorial Committee for suppor, enlighten- ing discourse and constructive advice, and to Cecil James in particular, for his careful reading and correcting of the manu- script 1am deeply obliged to the staff of the IPMS: Ryszard Dembifski, Chairman, Krzysztof Barbarski, Honourary Cu tor, and Wactaw Milewski and Andrzej Sucheitz, Keepers of Archives. and to the Polish Underground Movement Archives in London, for their invaluable help; also to the distinguished air historians and my longstanding friends in Poland: Krzysatof CChotoniewski, who provided me with his complete file of air craft serial numbers, Andrzej Glass, Tomasz Kopaiski and ‘Wojtek Matusiak, a leading member of the "Skrzydlata Polska’ Egitorial Team, and to MJ. Ingham in Lincoln, who made avait- able to me his unpublished manuscript “History of No.300 squadron.” I should like t0 express my gratitude to The Trust- cees of the Imperial War Museum and the Royal Air Force ‘Museum, Hendon, for the permission to publish their photo ‘graphs, and the same applies to Roy Grinnel, great American aviation artist, and Wolf Print Press, for allowing me to use the “First Kill” painting. 1am indebted to authors and correspondents who have assisted me by providing illusive pieces of information and rare photographs, including British historians: Chaz Bowyer, Charles W. Cain, Malcolm Passingham, Alfred Price and Chris- EDGMENTS {opher Shores: Jan Koniarek and James F, Lansdale in the USA: Jézef Gatliiski, Tomasz Drecki, Waclaw Klepacki, Wiktoria, Puszezafiska, and T. E, Willis in the UK; Volker Koos in Ger- many; Waclaw Holys, Marian Krzyzan. Michal Mucha. Lechostaw Musiatkowski, Witold Szewczyk and Tadeusz ‘Zychiewicz in Poland; and ex-PAF personnel: Wojciech Kolaczkowski, late Marek J. Mazyfiski and late Witold Urbanowicz in the USA, Wladystaw Gnys in Canada, and late Stanistaw Cwynar, ate Bolestaw Drobifski the late Aleksander Gabszewiez, Wactaw Giermer, Jerzy Kaliniecki, Bolestaw Klecha, Franciszek Kornicki, Witold Korzeniewicz-Kay ‘Tadeusz Kumiega, late Mieczyslaw Miimler, Borys Rune. Jézet Rutkiewiez, Tadeusz Rybak, Mieczystaw Sawicki, Mirostaw Szelestowski-Shelton and Waclaw Wasik in the UK. All pho- tographs are acknowledged individually in the captions, ex cept for those from my own Polish Aviation Archives which appear without credits. Ido apologize for any omissions. which, if occurred are unintentional ‘My special thanks are due to Piotr Gérka, the outstanding, Polish aviation artist from Krak6w, who prepared the painting for the dust jacket; to Robert Gretzyngier from Warsaw, who drew and re-drew all the maps and color profiles of the air craft; and {0 Mike Gains from London, friend photographer who produced splendid prints from faded photographs and pri Vale tiny snapshots for the use in this volume. Lastly, and most importantly, 1 wish to express my heart- felt gratitude to my wife, Wiesia, for puting up wit {engrossment in this project for so long. 18\DGB ADU \EAF APS Al AK soc Asp, ATA Are BOAC 60. wh cw DEC DEM DIAP, ETS ELD EMMA ABBREVIATIONS Anti-Aircraft Airfield Construction Squadron Aircrew Training Centre Air Defensce of Great Britain (reformed from Fighter Command 15 November 1943, returned to the former name 15 October 1944) Aircraft Delivery Unit Allied Expeditionary Air Force ‘Advanced Flying School ‘Airborne Interception ‘Armia Krajowa (Home Army), (reformed from ZWZ 14 February 1942) ‘Air Officer Commanding, Air Store Park Air Transport Auxiliary Air Training Corps British Overseas Airways Corporation, ‘Commander-in-Chief ‘construction number ‘Commanding Officer Centrum Wyszkolenia Lotnictwa (Aviation ‘Training Centre). Also (earlier) Centralne Warsetaty Lotnicze (Central Aviation Work- shops) (reformed into PZL 1 January 1928) Centrum Wyszkolenia Ziemnego (Groundcrew Training Centers) Distinguished Flying Cross (officers only) Distinguished Flying Medal (other ranks only) Depot d'Instruction de I'Aviation Polonaise (Training Establishment of the Polish Aviation ~ the French equivalent to Aviation Training Centre) L'Escadfrille de Chasse de Defense (French Home Defence Fighter Squadron) Elementary Flying Training School L'Escaadrille Legers de Defense (French - Light Defence Squadron) Etat-Major de I’Armee de I’Air (French General Staff of the Army of the Air) FAL GAO oc GMcP HcU HQ IE IPMS IR IT iw Ksus KU Lw LWP Lws MAAF MDL MsU MTLRU MU NCO 19 Federation Aeronautique Internationale Flying Training School Le Groupe Acrien d’Observation (French Aerial Observation Wing) Groupe de Chasse (French -Fighter Wing) Le Groupe de Marche de Chasse Polonaise (French-Mobile Polish Fighter Wing) Heavy Conversion Unit Headquarters Initial Equipment Instytut Polski i Muzeum Sikorskiego (Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum), London Initial Reserve Instytut Techniceny Lotnictwa (Technical [Aviation Institute), before 1936 known as [BTL Initial Training Wing, Komitet do Spraw Uzbrojenia i Spretu (Committee for Armament and Equipment Affairs) Komenda Uzupetniesi (Clearing Military Office) Lotnictwo Wojskowe (Military Aviation), ation force of the Polish Army, December 1918 - February 1940) Lotnictwo Wojsk Polskich (Aviation of Polish Forces), aviation of the Polish Army of the Polish Peoples" Republic, organized in the Soviet Union, 7 July 1943 Lubelska Wytwérnia Samolot6w (Lublinian Aeroplane Plant) Mediterranean Allied Air Force Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy (Maritime Aviation Wing), aviation formation of the Polish Navy, March 1923-September 1939 Motor Signals Unit Motor Transport Light Re Maintenance Unit ir Unit navigator Non-commissioned officerNKVD O.deB. oKW op., ops. Op Gr ORB oru PAF PAFA pil PLLLOT. Pow Pow PRC PRU PsP pws: PAL The Polish Air Force at War Narodny Komissariat Vnutrennich Dyel (Russian ‘State Department of Internal Affairs) observer Ordre de Bataille (Order of Battle) Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (German- General Staff of the Armed Forces) ‘operator, operation/operations Operational Group Operational Records Book Operational Training Unit Polish Air Force (the name officially applied to the Polish air arm of the Polish Armed Forces in Exile, March 1940 - January 1947) Polish Air Force Association pilot Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT (Polish Airlines FLIGHT) Polska Organizacja Wojskowa (Polish Military Organization), 1914-1918 Prisoner of War Polish Resettlement Corps Photographic Reconnaissance Unit Polskie Sily Powietrzne (Polish Air Force) Podlaska Wytwémia Samolot6w (Podlasian Aeroplane Plant) Pafistwowe Zaklady Lotnicze (National Aviation Establishments) RAAF RAE RAFVR RCAF rece RSU RT RWD SAAF sp SE SFTS 20 Royal Australian Air Force Royal Aircraft Establishment Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Royal Canadian Air Force reconnaissance Repair and Salvage Unit Receiving/Transmitting Rogalski-Wigura-Drzewiecki design team South African Air Force Special Duties Servicing Echelon Service Flying Training School Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force towarzyszenie Lotnik6w Polskich (Polish Air Force Association) Special Operations Executive squadron Tactical Air Force tajne (secret) United States Army Air Force Women’s Auxiliary Ait Force Very Important Person Zwsiqeek Walki Zorojne| (Union for Armed Struggle), formed in occupied Poland November 1939; reformed into AK.