The following is the
order of battleAn order of battle was, in its original form during the European period of Medieval warfare, the order in which troops were positioned relative to the position of the Army commander. Today it refers to a listing of military units, often with equipment, location and other relevant information.It was...
of the Polish Air ForcePolish Air Force is the air force branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until 1 July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
prior to the outbreak of the
Polish Defensive WarThe Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II...
of 1939. During the mobilization waves of March and August of that year, all peace-time units were deployed to airfields throughout the country and attached to respective commands of Air Force, Naval Air Service and squadrons supporting each of the Polish armies. In the last stages of the air campaign, whole units coordinated all actions in the fight against the invaders.
The Polish fighters claimed 134 air victories, including 7 enemy aeroplanes shot down by Polish
PZL P.7The PZL P.7 was the Polish fighter aircraft designed in early-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. Adopted by the Polish Air Force in 1933 as its basic fighter; it was one of the first all-metal monoplane fighters to be mass-produced with state-of-the-art construction...
a fighters, 125 by
PZL P.11The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
fighters of all types (mostly P.11c, several P.11a), and 2 downed by
PZL P.11The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
g.
The following is the
order of battleAn order of battle was, in its original form during the European period of Medieval warfare, the order in which troops were positioned relative to the position of the Army commander. Today it refers to a listing of military units, often with equipment, location and other relevant information.It was...
of the Polish Air ForcePolish Air Force is the air force branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until 1 July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
prior to the outbreak of the
Polish Defensive WarThe Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II...
of 1939. During the mobilization waves of March and August of that year, all peace-time units were deployed to airfields throughout the country and attached to respective commands of Air Force, Naval Air Service and squadrons supporting each of the Polish armies. In the last stages of the air campaign, whole units coordinated all actions in the fight against the invaders.
The Polish fighters claimed 134 air victories, including 7 enemy aeroplanes shot down by Polish
PZL P.7The PZL P.7 was the Polish fighter aircraft designed in early-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. Adopted by the Polish Air Force in 1933 as its basic fighter; it was one of the first all-metal monoplane fighters to be mass-produced with state-of-the-art construction...
a fighters, 125 by
PZL P.11The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
fighters of all types (mostly P.11c, several P.11a), and 2 downed by
PZL P.11The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
g. In addition, the Polish air forces had a number of PZL.37 Łoś and
PZL.23 KaraśThe PZL.23 Karaś was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was the main Polish bomber and reconnaissance aircraft in the Invasion of Poland.-Design and development:...
bombers, as well as a number of non-combat planes used for reconnaissance, observation, communications, army cooperation and transport. Among the latter were
Lublin R-XIIIThe Lublin R-XIII was the Polish army-cooperation plane , designed in the early-1930s in the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin. It was the main army cooperation plane in the Invasion of Poland...
,
LWS-3 MewaThe LWS-3 Mewa was the Polish observation and close reconnaissance aircraft, designed in the late-1930s by the LWS factory. It was ordered by the Polish Air Force, but did not manage to enter service before the outbreak of the World War II....
,
RWD-8The RWD-8 was a Polish trainer aircraft used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and Polish civilian aviation, constructed by the RWD team.-Development:...
,
RWD-14 CzaplaThe RWD-14 Czapla was a Polish observation, close reconnaissance and liaison aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s by the RWD team, and produced in the LWS factory from 1938.-Design and development:...
,
PWS-10The PWS-10 was a Polish fighter aircraft, constructed in the PWS . It was the first Polish-designed fighter to enter serial production.-Design and development:...
and
PWS-26The PWS-26 was a Polish advanced training aircraft, used from 1937 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force, constructed in the PWS...
.
Command structure
The Polish war-time command structure was based on inter-war structure of the air forces. Apart from two air
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
s held in reserve by the Commander in Chief (one of them being the
Bomber BrigadeThe Bomber Brigade was a Polish World War II unit of the Polish Air Force commanded by płk obs. Władysław Heller. It resisted the Invasion of Poland in 1939 as the main aerial reserve of the commander in chief and was used for bombing enemy units in central Poland. It was created just before the...
, the other -
Pursuit BrigadeThe Pursuit Brigade was a Polish World War II unit of the Polish Air Force. It took part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939 as the main aerial reserve of the commander in chief and was used for air cover of the Polish capital of Warsaw. It was similar in shape to the Bomber Brigade...
), Polish forces were divided onto the following units:
- Air regiment (usually 4 squadrons or 8 escadrilles)
- Air squadron (usually 2 escadrilles)
- Air escadrille (usually 8 to 12 planes)
Each escadrille was given a respective number and a proper name, depending on its main tasks. Hence the escadrilles were divided onto:
- Bombing escadrille
- Fighter escadrille
- Observation escadrille
- Reconnaissance escadrille
- Staff escadrille
The second number in the name of each of the fighter squadrons shows part of which air regiment the unit was part of, prior to mobilisation. For example the
III/1 dywizjon myśliwski (composed of
111 eskadra myśliwska and
112 eskadra myśliwska) was part of the
1st Air Regiment located in Warsaw.
Reserve of the Commander in Chief
The strategic reserve of the commander in chief of the Polish Army consisted of two air brigades stationed around Warsaw and additional communications squadrons used for easier handling of orders from the headquarters to respective armies. Altogether, on 1 September 1939 Edward Rydz-Śmigły had 146 combat aeroplanes and 60 non-combat planes at his disposal.
HQ units
- Communications platoon No. 1 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 1)
- Communications platoon No. 2 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 2)
- Polish 16th Observation Escadrille
The 16th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was under direct command of the Polish HQ.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
- Staff Escadrille
Pursuit Brigade
- Polish 1st Fighter Squadron of the 3rd Air Regiment (III/1. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 111th Fighter Escadrille
The 111th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army. Created in 1921, immediately after the end of the Polish-Soviet War, the unit inherited the traditions of the famous war-time Polish 7th Air Escadrille , in which both Polish and American...
(111 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 112th Fighter Escadrille
The 112th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army.-History:The Escadrille was created in 1919 by a merger of the earlier 18th Reconnaissance Escadrille and the 19th Fighter Escadrille.In September 1939 the 112th Fighter Escadrille was incorporated...
(112 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 1st Fighter Squadron of the 4th Air Regiment (IV/1 Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 113th Fighter Escadrille
The 113th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of the WW2.- Crew and equipment :On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: 5 PZL P.11c and 5 PZL P.11a....
(113 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 114th Fighter Escadrille
The 113th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of the WW2.- Crew and equipment :On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: 6 PZL P.11c and 4 PZL P.11a....
(114 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 123rd Fighter Escadrille
The 123rd Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.-Crew and equipment:On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.7a airplanes.The air crew consisted of:...
(123 Eskadra Myśliwska)
Bomber Brigade
- Polish 10th Bomber Squadron (X Dywizjon Bombowy)
- Polish 211th Bomber Escadrille (211. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 212th Bomber Escadrille (212. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 15th Bomber Squadron (XV Dywizjon Bombowy)
- Polish 216th Bomber Escadrille (216. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 217th Bomber Escadrille (217. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 2nd Bomber Squadron (II Dywizjon Bombowy)
- Polish 21st Bomber Escadrille (21. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 22nd Bomber Escadrille (22. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 6th Bomber Squadron (VI Dywizjon Bombowy)
- Polish 64th Bomber Escadrille (64. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 65th Bomber Escadrille (65. Eskadra Bombowa)
- Polish 55th Independent Bomber Escadrille (55. Samodzielna Eskadra Bombowa)
- Communications platoon No. 4 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 4)
- Communications platoon No. 12 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 12)
Army aviation
In addition to the above mentioned units, the gros of the Polish aviation was attached to land units of corps- and army-size. They were to provide necessary support in all roles. In all, various units of the Polish Army had 288 planes at their disposal, including 246 combat planes and 42 support planes.
Aviation of the Modlin Army
- Communications platoon No. 11 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 11)
- Polish 41st Reconnaissance Escadrille (41. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- III/5. Fighter Squadron (III/5. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 152nd Fighter Escadrille
The 152. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war. In 1939 the unit was attached to the Modlin Army.-Air Crew:Commanding officer: kpt. pil...
(152. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 53rd Observation Escadrille
The 53rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Modlin Army.-Equipment:7 RWD-14b Czapla airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(53. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Pomorze Army
- Communications platoon No. 7 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 7)
- Communications platoon No. 8 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 8)
- Polish 42nd Reconnaissance Escadrille
The 42nd Reconnaissance Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the II World War. The unit was attached to the Pomorze Army.-Pilots:* Por. pil. Mieczysław Lewandowski* Por. pil. Romuald Suliński* Sierż. pil. Władysław Zołnowski...
(42. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- (III/4. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 141st Fighter Escadrille
141. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Pomorze Army.Equipment:10 PZL P.11c airplanes....
(141. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 142nd Fighter Escadrille
142. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war.The unit was attached to the Pomorze Army.-Air Crew:Commanding officer: kpt. pil. Mirosław Leśniewski
Deputy Commander: por. Wacław WilczewskiPilots...
(142. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 43rd Observation Escadrille
The 43rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Pomorze Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(43. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
- Polish 46th Observation Escadrille
The 46th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Pomorze Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID and Lublin R-XIIIC airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(46. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Poznań Army
- Communications platoon No. 6 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 6)
- Polish 34th Reconnaissance Escadrille (34. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- (III/3. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 131st Fighter Escadrille
131. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Poznan Army.-Air Crew:Commanding officer: kpt. pil. Jerzy ZarembaDeputy Commander: por. pil. Zbigniew MoszyńskiPilots:...
(131. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 132nd Fighter Escadrille
The 132nd Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939. It was attached to the Army Poznań.-Crew and equipment:On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.11c airplanes....
(132. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 33rd Observation Escadrille
The 33rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Poznań Army.-Equipment:7 RWD-14b Czapla airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(33. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
- Polish 36th Observation Escadrille
The 36th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Poznań Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(36. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Łódź Army
- Communications platoon No.10 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 10)
- Polish 32nd Reconnaissance Escadrille (32. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- (III/6. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 161st Fighter Escadrille
161. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Łódź Army.-Air crew:commander of the unit: kpt. pil...
(161. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 162nd Fighter Escadrille
162. Fighter Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the start of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Łódź Army....
(162. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 63rd Observation Escadrille
The 63rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Łódź Army.-Air crew:commanding officers:* kpt. obs. Jan Schram * kpt. pil. Kazimierz Wianecki...
(63. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
- Polish 66th Observation Escadrille
The 66th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Łódź Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(66. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Kraków Army
- Communications platoon No.3 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 3)
- Polish 24th Reconnaissance Escadrille (24. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- (III/2. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 121st Fighter Escadrille
The 121st Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.-Crew and equipment:On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.11c airplanes.The air crew consisted of:...
(121. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 122nd Fighter Escadrille
The 122nd Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.-Crew and equipment:On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.11c airplanes.The air crew consisted of:...
(122. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 23rd Observation Escadrille
The 23rd Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Krakow Army.-Equipment:7 RWD-14b Czapla airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(23. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
- Polish 26th Observation Escadrille
The 26th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Kraków Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(26. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Karpaty Army
- Communications platoon No.5 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 5)
- Polish 31st Reconnaissance Escadrille (31. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- Polish 56th Observation Escadrille
The 56th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the Karpaty Army.-Equipment:7 Lublin R-XIIID airplanes and 2 RWD-8.source: Polish wikipedia....
(56. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Aviation of the Narew Independent Operational Group
- Communications platoon No.9 (Pluton łącznikowy nr 9)
- Polish 51st Reconnaissance Escadrille (51. Eskadra Rozpoznawcza)
- Polish 151st Fighter Escadrille
The 151st Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.-History:In September 1939 the 121st Fighter Escadrille was attached to the Operational Group Narew....
(151. Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 13th Observation Escadrille
The 13th Observation Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Air Force at the beginning of the second world war. The unit was attached to the SGO Narew.-Equipment:7 RWD-14b Czapla and 2 RWD-8 airplanes.source: Polish wikipedia....
(13. Eskadra Obserwacyjna)
Naval aviation
- Naval Air Squadron (Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy)
- Long Range Reconnaissance Escadrille
Long Range Reconnaissance Escadrille was a unit of the Naval Air Squadron at the beginning of world war 2....
(I Eskadra Dalekiego Rozpoznania)
- Short Range Reconnaissance Escadrille
Short Range Reconnaissance Escadrille was a unit of the Polish Naval Air Squadron at the beginning of world war 2....
(II Eskadra Bliskiego Rozpoznania)
- (Pluton łącznikowy Dowództwa Lądowej Obrony Wybrzeża)
Combat aircraft
- PZL P.7
The PZL P.7 was the Polish fighter aircraft designed in early-1930s in the PZL factory in Warsaw. Adopted by the Polish Air Force in 1933 as its basic fighter; it was one of the first all-metal monoplane fighters to be mass-produced with state-of-the-art construction...
- PZL P.11
The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
- PZL.23 Karaś
The PZL.23 Karaś was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was the main Polish bomber and reconnaissance aircraft in the Invasion of Poland.-Design and development:...
A/B
- PZL.37 Łoś A/B.
- PZL.43
The PZL.43 was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft designed in the mid-1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was an export development of the PZL.23 Karaś...
- PZL.46 Sum
PZL.46 Sum was a projected light bomber of the Polish Air Force before World War II, that remained a prototype.-Design and development:The PZL.46 Sum was designed by Stanisław Prauss in the PZL works as a successor to standard Polish light bomber and reconnaissance plane, the PZL.23 Karaś, also...
(PZL.46/I protype) (one example)
- Lublin R-XIII
The Lublin R-XIII was the Polish army-cooperation plane , designed in the early-1930s in the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin. It was the main army cooperation plane in the Invasion of Poland...
G
- Lublin R-VIII
The Lublin R-VIII was a Polish bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and seaplane designed in the late-1920s by the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin. It was the first in-house design of Plage i Laśkiewicz, and the first with the name Lublin.-Development:...
bis (for Navy use)
- LWS-3 Mewa
The LWS-3 Mewa was the Polish observation and close reconnaissance aircraft, designed in the late-1930s by the LWS factory. It was ordered by the Polish Air Force, but did not manage to enter service before the outbreak of the World War II....
(two examples)
- RWD-8
The RWD-8 was a Polish trainer aircraft used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and Polish civilian aviation, constructed by the RWD team.-Development:...
- RWD-14 Czapla
The RWD-14 Czapla was a Polish observation, close reconnaissance and liaison aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s by the RWD team, and produced in the LWS factory from 1938.-Design and development:...
Support aircraft
- PWS-26
The PWS-26 was a Polish advanced training aircraft, used from 1937 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force, constructed in the PWS...
- PWS-24
The PWS-24 was a Polish single-engine passenger aircraft for 4 passengers, built in PWS factory, used from 1933 to 1936 by LOT Polish Airlines. In spite of its limited capacity, it was the only series-built airliner of domestic design ever used by LOT...
bis
- PWS-35 Ogar (one example)
- RWD-5
The RWD-5 was a Polish touring and sports plane of 1931, a two-seat high-wing monoplane, constructed by the RWD team. It was made famous by its transatlantic flight, being the smallest aircraft to cross the Atlantic.-Development:...
(one)
- RWD-8
The RWD-8 was a Polish trainer aircraft used from 1934 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and Polish civilian aviation, constructed by the RWD team.-Development:...
- RWD-13
The RWD-13 was a Polish touring plane of 1935, three seater high-wing monoplane, designed by the RWD team. It was the biggest commercial success of the RWD.-Design and development:...
- RWD-17
The RWD-17 was a Polish aerobatics-trainer aircraft of 1937, parasol wing monoplane, constructed by the RWD team.-Development:The aircraft was designed for an order of the LOPP paramilitary organization, as an interim trainer aircraft between primary trainer RWD-8 and single-seater aircraft,...
W
- Bartel BM-4
The Bartel BM-4 was a Polish biplane primary trainer aircraft used from 1929 to 1939 by the Polish Air Force and Polish civilian aviation, manufactured in the Samolot factory in Poznań. It was the first plane of Polish design put into production....
- Lublin R-XVI
The Lublin R-XVI was the Polish passenger and air ambulance aircraft, designed in the 1930s in the Plage i Laśkiewicz factory in Lublin and built in a small series.-Design and development:...
(air ambulances)