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The course of the briefing on the Markowo airfield we know from several accounts, including 141. Squadron commander Cpt. Tadeusz Rolski’s official report and memoirs of Polish top-scoring ace Stanis\u0142aw Skalski, then pilot of 142. Squadron, published in his fascinating book Czarne krzy\u017ce nad Polsk\u0105 (\u201cBlack Crosses over Poland\u201d). <\/em><\/p>\n – Who of you will volunteer to attack against the armoured coumns?<\/em> – asked Cpt. Laskowski the squadron commanders. The only answer was silence. So Captain decided to draw the tasks for the squadrons. 141. Squadron picked the ground attack, and the 142. – air cover. Finally Laskowski announced: – The 141. for strafing the ground forces I will lead myself, 142. under Cpt. Le\u015bniewski’s command will fly for sweep.<\/em> Heroic commander of the Wing, fully understanding how risky the task was, has decided to take full responsibility for his decision and lead subordinate pilots by example<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A few minutes before 3 p.m.\u00a0 we were sitting in the airplanes, waiting for the 141. Squadron take-off \u2013 writes Skalski in his memoirs. – First was Cpt. Laskowski’s flight. When they took-off, the second flight led by Cpt. Rolski has started. The third flight was led by 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Pisarek. Whole squadron flew low over our heads in combat formation heading to the target. We\u00a0 were looking at them till they dissapeared behind the horizon. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n They have seen his commander and some of the friends for the last time. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n After take-off the squadron led by Cpt. Laskowski met low-flying Dornier Do 17, but decided to ignore it, following the main order. Already on Polish side of the frontline the low-flying fighters have been shot from the ground. On German side shooting was even more intense. The squadron has begun the attack. We know its course from accounts of those, who survived.<\/p>\n After reaching the city of Gruta by low-level flight we met the enemy forces and started strafing along the Gruta-\u0141asin road <\/em>\u2013 wrote in his report Cpr. J\u00f3zef Jeka, who flew in three-airplane flight led by Laskowski. After flying some distance I have noticed that the commander has been shot down and crashed into ground.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Polish and German ground units were spreaded in lines and small groups \u2013 <\/em>reported Cpt. Rolski, who led the second flight. There were small groups of enemy cars and single tanks. No organized column has been seen. Attacking such scattered targets was difficult. I have not seen any effect of our shooting. Cpt. Laskowski’s flight turned to the north and west <\/em>[to the left]. I, with my flight after flying over the enemy and shooting at them turned to the south<\/em> [to the right]. I found quiet area and turned back to attack ordered area again.<\/em>[…] The ground fire during second attack was as dense as previously. Lt. Pisarek’s flight followed flight of Cpt. Laskowski. During the return to base I have seen no friendly airplanes except my flight. <\/em>Rolski’s decision of turning to the south, while most probably spontaneous, turned out to be right. His whole flight has returned safely, contrary to the 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Pisarek’s flight.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n – After reaching Osa river I turned left and left again so I was heading south-west<\/em> \u2013 reports 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Pisarek. – I was constantly shooting at the groups of enemy horses and cars. Suddenly I have noticed that one of my wingmen dived to the ground. After crossing the front I made two circles, but none of my two wingmen appear. I came back to the Markowo airfield alone. After landing I found bullet hole in my propeller, in one of the engine cyllinders, and more than a dozen holes in the wings and fuselage. My second wingman has probably been shot down too, as the enemy fire was very dense. <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As a result the Polish losses were very high: Cpt. Laskowski and two 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Pisarek’s wingmen (2nd<\/sup> Lt. W\u0142adys\u0142aw Urban and Cpr. Benedykt Mielczy\u0144ski) have been killed. Also one of the Laskowski’s wingmen, 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Jankowski, flew into heavy fire and had to force-land the damaged airplane on Polish side, and was able to come back to the squadron only after two days. Some of these \u201ckills\u201d should be attributed to the German Flak-Kompanie (AA-company) of the Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 21 (motorized antitank battalion of the 21. Infantry Division) equipped with the automatic 20 mm Flak 30 cannons. German unit defended the Osa river crossing near the Rog\u00f3\u017ano castle and reported shooting down three of four Polish fighters flying over them. In fact only two of the shot down Poles may be attributed to this unit (Urban and Mielczy\u0144ski), while Laskowski was shot down near Gruta, 10 km to the south.<\/p>\n German 20 mm anti-aicraft Flak 30 cannon, of the type which was used by Flak-Kompanie of the Panzerabwehr-Abteilung 21 in 1939 (photo from 1944). Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-301-1953-24 \/ Kurth \/ CC-BY-SA 3.0<\/em><\/p>\n For many decades of communism the 141. Squadron’s ground attack has been often interpreted in literature as an example of incompetence of pre-war Polish generals. Does the death of Cpt. Laskowski and his pilots had any justified reason?<\/p>\n Since first day of the war Polish forces in Pomorze region (northern part of Poland near the Baltic Sea) were in extremely difficult situation. Due to specific shape of Polish territory the \u201cPomorze\u201d Army was outflanked by German forces already before the war. On 1st<\/sup> September German 3rd<\/sup> Army attacked from the East Prussia, and Army Group North from the west, in order to cut Poland from the sea and obtain land connection between separated East Prussia and German mainland. For that important task German General Staff delegated elite motorised and armoured units, including XIX. Corps led by creator of the Panzerwaffe, General Heinz Guderian, supported by numerous air units.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201dPomorze\u201d Army on 1st<\/sup> Spetember between German 3rd<\/sup> and 4th<\/sup> Armies. The green arrow shows the route from the airfield in Markowo near Toru\u0144 to the crossing of Osa river at Rogo\u017ano.<\/span> Developed on the basis of the German map – the public domain<\/span><\/span> link<\/a>. After day of heavy fights and sleepless night used for march and replacements, Polish units were under attack from ground and air since very morning of 2nd<\/sup> September. So came the critical moment of the battle \u2013 morale of the defenders started to drop. Blocking the line of the Osa river, last obstacle on approaches to the important city of Grudzi\u0105dz, units of the Polish 16th<\/sup> Division have started spontaneous retreat about 2nd<\/sup> September noon.<\/p>\n![\"PZL](\"http:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/ah-70015-profile-04.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nCharge against Germans<\/h3>\n
Cpr. J\u00f3zef Jeka:<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nCpt. Tadeusz Rolski:<\/h3>\n
2nd<\/sup> Lt. Marian Pisarek:<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nPomorze outflanked<\/h3>\n
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