Insurgent Troops

The Greater Poland Air Force 1919-1920

Mariusz Niestrawski

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These veteran officers of German aircraft lacked the relevant experience to occupy the most important posts in the Greater Poland Air Force.

 

 

A bird’s eye view of the castle in Kórnik. Photo taken from a height of 50m on 24 July 1919 by Sergeant Pilot

Władysław (?) Bartkowiak and Second Lieutenant Observer Stefan Korcz. From the collections of the “Polona” Digital National Library

 

 

The support for Poles from other partitions became necessary. Because of the commander-in-chief of the Polish armed forces in the former Prussian Partition - General J. Dowbor-Muśnicki – numerous veterans of Russian aircraft were particularly represented in Greater Poland. During the Greater Poland Uprising, in regional air forces, there were, among others: Rittmeister Pilot T. Grochowalski, Second Lieutenant Colonel Jan Jasiewicz and Second Lieutenant Henryk Rybka. Despite the official end of military operations, the Command (Inspectorate) of the Air Forces recruited more and more officers: Second Lieutenant Pilot E. Norwid-Kudło, Artillery Second Lieutenant Feliks Ciechomski, Lieutenant Colonel Pilot M. Krzyczkowski, Captain Observer Leon Raden, Second Lieutenant Pilot Roman Bejm, Lieutenant Włodzimierz Kurganowicz, Infantry Second Lieutenant Ksawery Macewicz, Second Lieutenant Pilot Kazimierz Ziembiński, Major Pilot Jerzy Syrokomla-Syrokomski, Cavalry Lieutenant Bohdan Baczyński, Second Lieutenant Engineer Mieczysław Pietraszek and Second Lieutenant Observer Lucjan Kulikowski.

 

Also a few former officers of the Imperial and Royal Air Forces appeared in Greater Poland. On 5 June 1919, the Polish Armed Forces of the Former Prussian Partition were joined by Lieutenant Pilot W. Lang, and on 30 August, Lieutenant Erwin Sarkotić was included in the ordinance of the Air Force Inspectorate.


 

 

 

Despite the help from the other partitions, the number of flying and auxiliary staff in Greater Poland was still not satisfactory. Only the organisation of aviation training could improve this state of affairs. The training was held either from scratch or any training previously started in the German army was finalised. From the middle of January 1919, these tasks were performed in the 1st Aviation Company which, as time passed by, was transformed into an aviation school. At the beginning of June 1919, the existing commander, Second Lieutenant Pilot J. Mańczak together with the 3rd Air Force Squadron went to the front – initially, the Greater Poland Front, and then the Galician Front. The newly appointed commandant was Second Lieutenant Pilot L. Piechowiak.

 

Above all, there were the veterans of World War I, especially those from aviation units, who could apply to the Aviation School as a priority. By September, 24 first pilots were properly trained and by the end of the year, another 25. The German simplified (wartime) training programme was adopted. The training was divided into two courses: preliminary flight manoeuvres (about 100 flights with an instructor using a dual control aeroplane with an engine power of 100 hp) and the advanced course (about 50 independent flights), this all ended with an exam. After the preliminary course, the student had performed a number of tasks: tight turns, single and double spirals, an ascent to a height of 2000m and a 60 km long flight. A graduate of the advanced course should be able to fly 4-6 types of aeroplanes, and the final chord of the training was a 450 km flight.

 

The most important instructor in the Aviation School was Adam Haber-Włyński, who came from the Kielce region and who arrived in Poznań in the middle of March 1919. Future pilots were also trained by: Second Lieutenant Pilot F. Jach, Second Lieutenant Pilot J. Hendricks, Sergeant Pilot Czesław Wawrzyniak and Lieutenant Pilot W. Lang. In addition to good instructors, the wide access to flying equipment had a positive impact on the training level. On average, in the period between March and August 1919, there were about 20-30 aeroplanes on the Aviation School register. These were aeroplanes captured at the airport in Ławica, assembled from the airframes and engines found in the airship hall at the beginning of the Greater Poland Uprising or purchased in Germany. Aeroplanes with dual and single steering wheels for training purposes, reconnaissance aircraft and fighter planes were all at the school's disposal. The following types of aeroplanes were represented: Albatros B.II, C.I i C.VII, Rumpler C.I, AEG C.IV, Halberstadt Cl.II, Albatros D.III, Fokker D.VII and E.V.

 

At the end of 1919, the activity of the Aviation School came to an end and it became part of the Higher School of Pilots. By that time it had provided education to 49 aviators. The most well-known graduates of this institution were as follows: A. Katarzyński, W. Bartkowiak and Bolesław Gallus. From June, the pilot candidates were moved to schools in Warsaw and Cracow. Only those students who were able to perform a single ascent on their own were left in Ławica. During the school’s activity, only one accident took place: On 4 June 1919, Lance Corporal Bohdan Daszkiewicz was fatally injured.

 

In late spring 1919, after the arrival of General Józef Haller’s Army to Poland, several French instructors and French aeroplanes joined the Air Base. This gave rise to the French Transformation School.

 

However, it was the training of observers which was a much more serious problem than the training of pilots. In Greater Poland, a significant shortage of aviators with this specialisation was observed. The lack of a greater number of observers made the establishment of an officer school of observers impossible. Thus, instead of training observer officers, the decision was taken in Greater Poland to train aircraft gunners to perform the work of observers. The School of Observers was established on the basis of the 4th Recruit Company, with Second Lieutenant Observer F. Górnicki appointed as its commandant.

 

Another serious difficulty was finding competent instructors who would convey the suitable knowledge to the candidates for air force observers. This task was dealt with by Sergeant Pilot Józef Jakubowski and Sergeant Observer J. Klicze. The following courses were taught at the school: photography, map reading, radio operation and shooting from the observer’s machine gun. In the period between March and June 1919, 20 observers graduated from the school. Also 20 aircraft gunners were trained in the role of observers. At that time, the candidates for observers carried out a relatively small number of flights, hardly 112, spending only 22 hours in the air. The most well-known graduates of the observers’ course in Ławica are as follows: Z. Bilażewski, Kazimierz Szczepański, J. Klicze, Wiktor Czysz and Adam Bińkowski.

 

Despite quite a large number of highly qualified foremen in Greater Poland, training for mechanics was also organised. As early as in the middle of January, based on the 2nd Workshop Company, a workshop school was organised in Ławica. On 1 May 1920 its name was changed to the Air Personnel School. It was actually at this time that Sergeant F. Gruszkiewicz handed command over to Second Lieutenant Władysław Popiela. In the year 1920 alone, 132 mechanics were trained by this institution.

 

The Greater Poland Air Force also needed auxiliary personnel soldiers. Radio-telegraphers (both equipment installers and soldiers who could operate radio stations) were trained in the command of the telegraphic battalion in Winiary near Poznań. Other specialists were sought by the Air Force among the Polish Armed Forces of the Former Prussian Partition.

 

The Greater Poland Air Force became part of the Polish Air Force at the end of September 1919, and on 24 September, the current supreme commander of the Greater Poland Air Force, General G. Macewicz was nominated by J. Piłsudski for the post of air force inspector of the Ministry of Military Affairs. Macewicz did not form a new staff - the officers from Poznań went with him to Warsaw. One day later, the squadrons which arrived in Poland together with the “Blue” Army of General Józef Haller and the Greater Poland Air Force went under his command.

The contribution of Greater Poland in the building of the Air Force of the Second Republic of Poland turned out to be very considerable. In September 1919, Greater Poland residents could provide the authorities in Warsaw with: an Air Force Inspectorate, command of the 1st Greater Poland Air Group, four well provided air force squadrons and the Air Base in Ławica. Before this, about 30 aircraft were sent from Greater Poland to Warsaw and Galicia. Despite its submission to the authorities in Warsaw, Greater Poland still had a significant influence on the process of the building of the Polish Air Force and Ławica was still one of the most important airports in the Polish territories.

 

Bréguet XIVB2 aircraft. Note the markings of two countries: the Polish air force checkerboard on the tail and the French cockades on the upper airfoil. The photo was taken on 14 July 1919 over Greater Poland from another Bréguet aircraft (this was probably a propaganda flight – the day marked the 130th anniversary of the destruction of Bastille and a military parade was organised in Poznań). Photo from the collections of the “Polona” Digital National Library

 

 

The air displays which took place on 28 September 1919 in Ławica were a symbolic closure of the period of independence of the Greater Poland Air Force. These were the first competitions of this type on Polish territory, and their initiator was General G. Macewicz and the editorial staff of ”Polska Flota Napowietrzna”. The first contest was a spot landing with a still propeller. From among the 10 participants, Second Lieutenant Pilot S. Mierzejewski landed closest to the designated site. To achieve this, he flew an Albatros B.II. Then, an aerobatic show took place. Among the five best Greater Poland pilots, Lieutenant Colonel T. Grochowalski flying a Fokker D.VII was the winner, though A. Haber-Włyński flying an Albatros D.III was the favourite. Seven pilots challenged each other to win first prize in the fighter pilot contest. This contest consisted of shooting down small balloons with machine guns. The contest ended the next day and its winner was Master Corporal Pilot A. Bartkowiak who flew a Spad S.VIIC1.

 

The Greater Poland Air Force Inspectorate had finished its activities, but the air group command remained in Poznań. Operation-wise, it was subordinated to the Central Command of the Polish Armies of the Former Prussian Partition and in all other respects it was subordinated to the Air Force Inspectorate in Warsaw. The officers from Central Command were aware of the most important problem of the Greater Poland squadron - the shortage of observer officers, therefore, they encouraged officers of other types of units, especially former artillery soldiers, to join the Air Force.

 

At the beginning of November, an aerial mapping unit was established at the air group command. In order to fill vacancies, specialists (draughtsmen, lithographers and photographers) were sought in other formations located in Greater Poland.

 

On 15 November 1919, the Central Command of the Polish Armies of the Former Prussian Partition was renamed as the Greater Poland Command. On the same day, the composition of the officer corps of the front command was announced. The Head of Department III (Aviation) was Colonel Lieutenant Pilot T. Grochowalski. He died in December, when he was on holiday in Łuck. Therefore, at the beginning of January next year, the duties of the Head of Department III were assigned to Colonel Lieutenant Pilot Jan Kieżun, however, as early as after a month, Captain Pilot Jan Wierzejski was appointed as the Head of Department III of the Greater Poland Command. On the other hand, in January 1920, Captain Pilot W. Pniewski returned to take the post of commandant of the Air Base in Ławica .

 

At the end of 1919, the Aviation School was merged with the French Transformation School, thus establishing the Higher School of Pilots. The purpose of its existence was the standardisation of the level of the education of Polish pilots. The personnel of the school consisted of Poles and French. At the beginning of 1920, the commandant of the school was Lieutenant Pilot Ludomił Rayski, and when he left for the front at the end of April, he was replaced by Lieutenant Pilot L. Piechowiak. After Piechowiak's accident, Second Lieutenant Pilot Antoni Wroniecki was appointed as the next commander. The French personnel were commanded by Major Raymond Pons de Pierre de Bernis, the head of the Polish training team was Second Lieutenant Pilot Cz. Wawrzyniak, and the head of the French team – Captain Marceli Terrasson. Among the most famous instructors, it is possible to mention A. Haber-Włyński and the French flying ace from the period of World War I, Lieutenant Marcel Émile Haegelen.

 

The trainees were the graduates of lower flight schools who were supposed to undergo training using the largest possible types of aircraft. Flying was commenced using German two-seater aeroplanes. The training was started in an Albatros B.II, then the trainees went to Albatros aeroplanes: C.I, C.III, C.V, C.X, C.XII, then they flew in the Rumpler C.I and C.IV. Finally the pilot candidates underwent training using modern reconnaissance aircraft: LVG C.V and C.VI. They could also fly Aviatics, AEG C.IV and Halberstadts. After the training with German aircraft was completed, the trainees would then go to the French Bréguets XIV and Morane-Saulnier MS.30E1.


After the preliminary course, the trainees were qualified as reconnaissance pilots, who were immediately sent to a squadron, and then as candidates for fighter pilots they learned aerobatics and aerial warfare under the supervision of A. Haber-Włyński for another month. The following types of fighter planes were used: the Albatros D.III, D.V and D.Va, Fokker E.V and D. VII and also the Spad S.VIIC1 and S.XIIIC1. The training was completed with a flight to the airport in Toruń. School graduates received the diploma of a pilot, but the pilot's badge was awarded to the aviators only after carrying out 10 front-line flights.

 

In the critical months of the summer of 1920, the chief aviation authorities treated the Higher School of Pilots as a reservoir of aircraft which could be assigned to squadrons. At the end of the aforementioned year, the school was moved to Grudziądz. By that time 115 pilots had carried out 17300 practice flights and spent 2325 hours in the air. During the training, three fatal accidents took place.

 

After several months, this group of trained pilots left the Higher School of Pilots and the commander of the institution, Lieutenant Pilot L. Rayski, returned to the previous idea of forming another combat squadron. In spring 1920, he presented his proposal to the central aviation military authorities, which agreed to the formation of the new squadron which was to be called the 21st Destroyer squadron. The unit was led to the front by Lieutenant Rayski, who selected his pilots from the best graduates of the School of Pilots. However, they had no front-line experience. The equipment of the squadron consisted of one Gotha G.IV bomber and six AEG C.IV. reconnaissance aircraft. On 30 April, the 21st Destroyer Squadron took off from Ławica for Ukraine.

 

When analysing the contribution of Greater Poland to the building of the Polish Air Force, one should not neglect the activities of the workshops of the Air Base in Ławica. In the year 1920 alone, 215 aircraft were assembled and another 97 were repaired there. The Greater Poland residents delivered, above all, aeroplanes to the Polish Army through purchases made in Germany. In the years 1919-1920 Greater Poland acquired about 20 Fokker D.VII fighter planes, as well as several dozen reconnaissance aircraft of various types (AEG C.IV, DFW C.V, LVG C.V).

 

During the months in which the final settlements in the Polish-Bolshevik war were made, Greater Poland was often the place where squadrons underwent reorganisation. The order to withdraw to Poznań was received on 10 July by the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron (referred to as the 3rd Greater Poland Air Force Squadron until April 1920). At the end of August, the Toruń Reconnaissance Squadron was sent to the airport in Ławica in order to have new equipment supplied to it.

 

In October 1920, the armistice which ended the military operations on the Polish-Soviet Front was signed in Riga. This allowed for more attention to be paid to the western border of the state. On 8 November, the 15th Fighter Squadron (previously the 4th Greater Poland Combat Squadron) was moved to the airport in Ostrów Wielkopolski. From there, the unit was to supervise the situation along the border between Greater Poland and Upper Silesia which were still part of Germany.

 

Greater Poland turned out to have a significant contribution to the building of the Polish Air Force. In the period of the autonomy of the region, four strong squadrons were prepared. At the same time the organisation of the 21st Destroyer Squadron in Ławica in Spring 1920 was possible owing to the aeroplanes taken over in the aircraft hangar in Winiary (AEG C.IV). Furthermore, the equipment captured in Ławica and Winiary allowed for the provision of supplies to combat units organised in the other partitions of Poland. Additionally, the Greater Poland aviators served in more than just the five above-mentioned squadrons. The graduates of the Aviation School, the Observers School and the Higher School of Pilots and Air Personnel School also joined the ranks of air units in other areas of the country. The Greater Poland Air Force came into existence too late to play a significant role during the Greater Poland Uprising, however, three Greater Poland reconnaissance squadrons flew over the Polish-German demarcation line. The 1st Greater Air Force Squadron played an important role in the impressive history of the Polish air force during the battles on the Ukrainian Front, and all the units formed at the airport in Ławica displayed their value during the Polish-Bolshevik war. Provided with numerous, and above all, valuable aeroplanes, they were counted among the most outstanding Polish air units. The ground staff and flying staff were characterised by considerable experience and rare skill. In the years 1919-1920, the 1st Greater Poland Air Force Squadron (renamed as the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron) carried out 515 combat flights, spending 756 hours in the air. Even more, i.e. as many as 547 flights, were carried out during 793 hours by the personnel of the 2nd Air Force Squadron (subsequently the 13th Fighter Squadron). The other squadrons from Greater Poland were not involved so much in military efforts. The staff of the 3rd Air Force Squadron (the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron) spent 353 hours over enemy territory during 191 flights, the staff of the 4th Greater Poland Combat Squadron (the 15th Fighter Squadron) – 346 hours in 277 flights, and the staff of the 21st Destroyer Squadron – 270 hours in 117 flights.

 

After the fighting for the borders of the Second Republic of Poland had come to an end, the connections of the region with the air force were changed. The Greater Poland squadrons were deployed in different parts of Poland. The 12th Squadron reached Warsaw, and the 14th Squadron merged with the 21st Squadron and was moved to Cracow. Only the 13th Squadron and 15th Squadron returned to the airport in Ławica, also the 1st, 5th and 10th Reconnaissance Units were moved to the airport in Ławica. The airport near Poznań was left by the Higher School of Pilots, and the 3rd air regiment was formed in Ławica instead. This unit, while remaining ready for another war, was supposed to train auxiliary personnel and bring the skills of pilots and observers to perfection.

 

Sources

Archives Poznań State Archives, Orders of the Greater Poland Front Command. Orders of the General District Command in Poznań, Day Orders of the Central Command of Armed Forces in the former Prussian Partition and General District Command in Poznań; * Central Military Archives in Warsaw, Air Force Inspectorate of the Ministry of Military Affairs, Armed Forces of the Former Prussian Partition and Greater Poland Front, Leaders of Aviation of the Supreme Command of Polish Army. Source publications: G. Łukomski, B. Polak, Powstanie Wielkopolskie 1918-1919. Działania bojowe – aspekty polityczne – kalendarium, Koszalin–Warszawa 1995; * O niepodległą i granice. Komunikaty Oddziału III Naczelnego Dowództwa Wojska Polskiego 1919-1921, compiled by M. Jabłonowski and A. Koseski, Warszawa–Pułtusk 1999; * Powstanie Wielkopolskie 1918-1919. Wybórźródeł, selected and developed by A. Czubińskii B. Polak, Poznań 1983;

  • Wojskowe aspekty Powstania Wielkopolskiego 1918-1919. Wybór materiałów źródłowych, Poznań 1985. Press: „Kurier Poznański” 1919; * „Polska Flota Napowietrzna” 1919. Memoirs: Z. Harlender, Na podniebnych szlakach (zakochani w maszynach). Wspomnienia z frontu i pierwszej polskiej szkoły pilotów, Warszawa 1935; * J. Meissner, Wspomnienia pilota, t. I: Jak dziś pamiętam, Kraków–Wrocław 1985.

 

Bibliography

Text compilations: K. Hoff, Skrzydła niepodległej. O wielkopolskim lotnictwie w okresie Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej, Poznań 2005; * W.J. Kozak, J. Grzyb, Rodowód i historia 3. Pułku Lotniczego, Poznań 1995; * Księga pamiątkowa 3-go Pułku Lotniczego 1918-1928, Poznań 1928; * Ku czci poległych lotników. Księga pamiątkowa, edited by: M. Romeyko, Warszawa 1933;

  • Lotnictwo polskie w okresie międzywojennym, Warszawa–Suwałki 1993; * H. Mordawski, Polskie lotnictwo wojskowe 1918-1920. Narodziny i walka, Wrocław 2009; * A. Olejko, Działania lotnicze w pasie karpackim 1914-1947, Rzeszów 2005; * J. Pawlak, Polskie eskadry w latach 1918-1939, Warszawa 1989; * K. Sławiński, Dzieje polskich skrzydeł, Warszawa 1974; * tenże, Ławica – poznańskie lotnisko, Warszawa 1975; * K.A. Tarkowski, Lotnictwo polskie w wojnie z Rosją Sowiecką 1919-1920, Warszawa 1991; * A. Zarzycki, Na podniebnych szlakach. Port lotniczy Poznań-Ławica. Tradycja i współczesność, Poznań 2001. Articles: Z. Bulzacki, Lotnictwo Powstania Wielkopolskiego, in: Czyn zbrojny Powstania Wielkopolskiego 1918-1919. Materiały Ogólnopolskiego Seminarium Historyków Powstania Wielkopolskiego 1918-1919, edited by: B. Polak, Koszalin 1984; * B. Polak, Lotnictwo w Powstaniu Wielkopolskim 1918-1919 r., „Kronika Miasta Poznania” 1969 No. 1; * T. Garbacz, Lotnictwo polskie w wojnie polsko-rosyjskiej 1919-1920, „Rocznik Mińsko-Mazowiecki”, 2001 No. 7; * T.J. Kopański, Fokker DVII Bi-Ba-Bo, „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2002 No. 1; * R. Kulczyński, Franciszek Jach – powstaniec wielkopolski, pilot, „Kronika Wielkopolski” 2011 No. 4 (140); * E. Lewandowski, Na marginesie artykułu „Polskie lotnictwo wojskowe w okresie wojny polsko-sowieckiej”, „Przegląd Lotniczy” 1929 No. 7; * tenże, Zarys historji 15-ej eskadry myśliwskiej (obecnie 132-ej), „Przegląd Lotniczy” 1929 No. 5; * Ł. Łydżba, 21. eskadra niszczycielska w wojnie 1920 roku, „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2007 nr 4; * Ł. Łydżba, Fokkery w obronie Lwowa, „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2009 No. 1; * Ł. Łydżba, II Wielkopolska Eskadra Lotnicza (13. Eskadra Myśliwska), „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2003 No. 4; * Ł. Łydżba, Szkolnictwo lotnicze na Ławicy, part I, „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2005 No. 1;

  • A. Morgała, Operacje lotnicze nad Górnym Śląskiem 1919-1921, „Lotnictwo z Szachownicą” 2008 No. 2. Bibliographicdictionaries: Powstańcy wielkopolscy. Biogramy uczestników Powstania Wielkopolskiego 1918-1919, ed. B. Polak, v. I, Poznań 2005; v. II, Poznań 2006; v. IV, Poznań 2008; v. V, Poznań 2008; * Słownik biograficzny powstańców wielkopolskich 1918-1919, ed. A. Czubiński and B. Polak, Poznań 2002; * Wielkopolanie, Kawalerowie Orderu Virtuti Militari 1918-1920, ed. B. Polak and M. Polak, Koszalin 2010.

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