{"id":1582876,"date":"2020-12-29T12:33:28","date_gmt":"2020-12-29T11:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/?p=1582876"},"modified":"2024-07-08T15:01:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T13:01:50","slug":"p-11c-the-salamander-the-112th-fighter-squadron-insignia-in-1939-40001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/armahobbynews.pl\/en\/blog\/2020\/12\/29\/p-11c-the-salamander-the-112th-fighter-squadron-insignia-in-1939-40001\/","title":{"rendered":"The Salamander \u2013 the 112th Fighter Squadron insignia in 1939"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Majority of Polish aviation fans would easily answer a question about the 112th Fighter Squadron insignia – the fighting rooster! But correct answer is not so obvious when we take a bit broader historical context into consideration and this requires some additional historical detective work.<\/p>\n

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Cover picture – 112th Fighter Squadron insignia in 1939r, reconstruction of colours made by the team: Zbyszek Malicki, Marek Rogusz and Grzegorz Mazurowski. Artwork by: Zbyszek Malicki.
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The Polish 112th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron\u2019s origins come from the French SPA 162 Escadrille (162 SPAD Escadrille), which used tiger\u2019s head as its badge. This Escadrille came to Poland in May 1919 in process of repatriation of the Allied Polish Army in France led by General J\u00f3zef Haller (so called \u2018Blue Army\u2019 or \u2018Haller Army\u2019). In August 1919 SPA 162 was re-organized into the Polish 19 Eskadra Lotnicza (19th<\/sup> Aviation Squadron) with F\/Lt pilot Stefan Ciecierski as its first commander. In April 1920 it was renamed as 19 Eskadra My\u015bliwska (19th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron) and was moved to the Lithuanian-Byelorussian Front of Polish-Soviet war.<\/p>\n

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An unique photo of Spad S.VII fighter from the 19th Fighter Squadron with the SPA 69 emblem (cat’s head), photo from the archive of Mieczys\u0142aw Wierzbowski. The aircraft pictured on the photo might be flown Cne Fernand Bonnton, which flew in SPA 69 during WW1, and then became the commander of the French mission of SPA 162 in Poland. He had an accident in Poland and was transferred to France as a result of his injuries in June 1920. The link redirects to web pages of Oral History Archive of the History Meeting House and the KARTA Centre. Link<\/a>.<\/div><\/div>\n

Among the first pilots performing this unit\u2019s combat sorties were F\/O Antoni Mroczkowski (then the unit commander), P\/O Stefan Pawlikowski (he would became the commander of the Pursuit Brigade in 1939) and W\/O W\u0142adys\u0142aw Turowski. In 1920 the Squadron insignia was introduced: a winged reptile. This insignia has not been painted on the SPAD S.VII fighters used by the 19th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron. The metal badge was worn only on the airmen uniforms. After the end of hostilities the unit became part of the 1 Pu\u0142k Lotniczy (1st<\/sup> Aviation Regiment in Warsaw) and after following Air Force reorganizations it has finally been granted the \u2018112\u2019 designation in August 1928, which as 112th<\/sup> Eskadra My\u015bliwska retained till the end of the fights in September 1939.<\/p>\n

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Drawing of the badge of the 19th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron from the book \u201cKu czci poleg\u0142ych lotnik\u00f3w\u201d published in 1933 ( “In Honor of the Fallen Aviators”) \u2013\u00a0 the metallic glow suggests that the image was made on the basis of a metal badge worn by airmen on the uniform. According to pre-war publication, this emblem was not painted on the aircraft of the 19th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The simplified, geometrical squadron insignia were introduced and used in Polish Air Force during the years 1928-1932. SPAD S.51C1 and SPAD S.61C1 fighters of the 112th<\/sup> Squadron were marked with two white horizontal bars on a red square background outlined in white. With introduction of the full metal PZL P.7a fighters in 1933 the allegoric squadron insignia have been reintroduced. The 112th <\/sup>Squadron got a new badge, designed according to the new rules: fighter squadrons adopted usually various birds images drawn on the geometric background (field), assigned to the particular Aviation Regiment (in 1st<\/sup> Aviation Regiment it was an equilateral triangle).Following this rules the 112th Squadron adopted the fighting rooster on a light-blue triangle background. Photographer Henryk Podd\u0119bski, made several photographs of 112th<\/sup> Squadron\u2019s PZL P.11\u2019s \u00a0in the Ok\u0119cie airbase of 1st<\/sup> Aviation Regiment in May 1939. The 112th<\/sup> Squadron\u2019s planes still have the fighting rooster badge painted on fuselage, despite the fact that at that time the 1st<\/sup> Aviation Regiment fighter planes were in the repainting process.<\/p>\n

Above: Geometrical badge of the 112th<\/sup> Fighter Squadron painted on Spad S.61C1 and Spad S.51C1 fighters and probably also on PWS-10 fighters in the period of 1928-1932.<\/em><\/p>\n

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112th Fighter Squadron received the new Polish full metal fighters PZL P.7a in 1933, and PZL P.11a fighters in 1935. These aircraft were adorned with allegoric squadron badges. The photo shows a PZL P.11a fighter with tactical number 7 with the emblem of the 112th Fighter Squadron \u2013 \u2018the fighting rooster\u2019. (M. Rogusz archive)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It was quite puzzling that there were no known photographs depicting PZL P.11 fighters adorned with the fighting rooster badge which were damaged or shot down during September 1939 campaign. Researchers managed to find photos of such rare polish aircrafts like PZL P.50 Jastrz\u0105b, PZL.46 Sum, PWS-35 Ogar, PWS-40 Junak and many more, but not a single aircraft with the fighting rooster badge… There were two likely possibilities: either the markings of 112th Squadron have been overpainted with camouflage paint (which in fact, was sometimes practiced in September 1939) or the 112th Squadron changed its badge.<\/p>\n

Left: The 112th Fighter Squadron badge painted on PZL P.11 fighter aircraft. (M. Rogusz archive)
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Due to intensive research work including on-site verification it has been confirmed that the photo of PZL P.11a with the \u20187\u2019 tactical number made by German soldiers in September 1939, has been taken on the edge of the park near the Zabor\u00f3w Palace, where the 112th Squadron had its field quarters in September 1939. Was the \u20187\u2019 really an aircraft from the 112th Squadron? This had to be confirmed.<\/p>\n

The next puzzle piece was revealed with the discovery of another photo of PZL P.11a marked with \u20187\u2019, showing partly obscured mysterious insignia: a bit like a dragon, a bit like a lizard or a gryphon\u2026 But this mysterious \u2019thing\u2018 was very similar to the badge painted on other PZL P.11a fighter, with the tactical number \u201910\u2019 which was photographed in September 1939. This insignia immediately reminds the historic 19th Fighter Squadron badge. And here comes another obvious association: G\/Cpt Stefan Pawlikowski, commander of the Pursuit Brigade which 112th Squadron was a part of. G\/Cpt Pawlikowski was a member of the initial personnel of the 19th Squadron in 1920.<\/p>\n

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PZL P.11a fighter aircraft \u00a0with tactical no. 10, military serial no. 7.44, black underwing number (so called \u201cpolice number\u201d) 783-N. Aircraft with visible damage caused during capotage. The location of the aircraft was described variously as “near Warsaw”, Babice, Umiast\u00f3w, a photograph taken by German soldiers in September 1939. On the fuselage one can see a bit blurred, but complete the new badge of the 112th Fighter Squadron, (M. Rogusz archive)<\/em><\/p>\n

These discoveries immediately triggered another questions:<\/p>\n