{"id":1578345,"date":"2019-05-16T09:55:22","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T07:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/?p=1578345"},"modified":"2024-07-10T12:19:26","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T10:19:26","slug":"p-11c-70017-turkey-marked-pzl-over-the-borderlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/en\/blog\/2019\/05\/16\/p-11c-70017-turkey-marked-pzl-over-the-borderlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkey-marked PZL over the Borderlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

When in 1937 border squadrons were formed, they had to deal with many problems, both organizational and hardware. Pilot training and assigned tasks of defence of the eastern border were quite a challenge for new units. Nevertheless, in a short time, they were well prepared to fulfil their duty. One of the pilots of the 161st Fighter Squadron from Lw\u00f3w was Lieutenant Jan Dzwonek, the author of the unique insignia of the squadron. This is the history of the squadron, the insignia and the pilot, over the years of war and peace.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Start<\/a><\/p>\n

Ppor Jan Dzwonek P.11c’s from 161 Eskadra (squadron) scrambles to intercept German air raid, 2 September 1939. Artwork by Marcin G\u00f3recki.<\/em><\/p>\n

III\/6 fighter wing over the Borderlands<\/h2>\n

One of the key elements of the Polish military aviation development in late \u201830s was creation of the fighter wings in all six aviation regiments. The last Fighter Wing, III\/6, was formed in Lw\u00f3w\u2019s 6. Regiment. 161. and 162. Squadrons of the Wing were ordered to patrol the eastern border of the country. Their duty on the Kresy (Eastern Borderlands) was performed during most tense period before the war. It included Munich Crisis and more and more numerous Soviet attempts to infiltrate Polish territory in order to spy the military installations. Earlier, the Wing, with many other Polish aviation units, took part in great military exercises in east areas of Wo\u0142y\u0144 (Volhynia, now Ukraine). In that period the airplanes of the 161. Squadron had their fuselages behind the cockpits painted with white distemper paint. The tactical numbers and unit markings remained visible under the layer of white.<\/p>\n

\"Wo\u0142y\u0144ski<\/a><\/p>\n

P.11c from 161 EM during Volhynia Field Exercises, August 1938. Photo from dr Tomasz Kopa\u0144ski collection.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"P.11c<\/a><\/p>\n

PZL P.11c from 161 Lvov Fighter Squadron during Volhynia Field Exercises, Summer 1938. Part of the fuselage is painted with washable white paint as the temporary recognition insignia. Artwork by Zbyszek Malicki.<\/em><\/p>\n

In March 1939 General Staff ordered the III\/6 Fighter Wing from Lw\u00f3w to secure the sky over eastern border of Poland by providing pilots for Border Protection Corps Squadron (Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, K.O.P.). Initially for duty in the K.O.P. 161. Fighter Squadron has been assigned. On the summer both squadrons of the Wing (161. and 162.) have been moved to the landing ground near borderland city of Sarny, in order to intercept Soviet airplanes spying over Polish territory.<\/p>\n

In the end of August 1939 only three-airplane flight remained at the eastern border in order to screen the area against Soviet infiltration. It was equipped with obsolete PZL P.7a fighters and led by 2nd<\/sup> Lt. Robert Janota. The rest of the III\/6 Wing pilots flew on 31st<\/sup> August to Widzew-Ksawer\u00f3w field landing ground near \u0141\u00f3d\u017a.<\/p>\n\n\t\t