The 121st Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force (Polish: 121. Eskadra Myśliwska) was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.

121st Fighter Escadrille
121st Squadron Insignia
Active1925-1939
DisbandedSeptember 1939
CountryPoland Second Polish Republic
BranchPolish Air Force
Size11 Pilots
Part of2nd Air Regiment
AircraftPZL P.11
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Tadeusz Sędzielowski

History

In the spring of 1925, the 113th Fighter Squadron was formed as a part of the 11th Fighter Regimenet in the Mokotów Airport. It was equipped with 13 Ansaldo A.1 Balilla fighter planes. The squadron soon received Blériot SPAD 61C1 fighter planes. At the end of 1925 the squadron was transferred to Lida Airport.[1] In 1926, Lieutenant Pil, Bolesław Orliński and aircraft mechanic Leonard Kubiak of the squadron flew from Warsaw to Tokyo and back to Warsaw in 121 hours, covering 22,600 kilometres (14,000 mi) in a Bréguet 19 B.2.[1] In 1928, the 11th Air Regiment was disbanded and 113th Fighter Squadron was transferred to the 2nd Air Regiment and was redesignated as the 121st Fighter Escadrille.

On July 14, 1928 the Escadrille was transferred from Lida to Kraków. The Escadrille often took part in air shows, where it often competed against the 122nd Fighter Escadrille. In 1930, the escadrille began to receive Avia BH-33 fighter planes, along with Wibault 70 C1 fighter planes as training aircraft.[1] In August and September 1932, the Escadrille participated in air parades celebrating Poland's victory in the Challenge International de Tourisme 1932. In 1933, the escadrille was equipped with PZL P.7a fighter planes. It participated in another air parade, celebrating Poland's victory in the Challenge International de Tourisme 1934. In 1936, the escadrille received the new PZL P.11a fighter plane. In 1938, the escadrille received the PZL P.11c.

In September 1939 the 121st Fighter Escadrille was attached to the Army Kraków.

Crew and equipment

Bolesław Orliński after the Warsaw-Tokyo-Warsaw flight
The breguet 19 B.2 flown by Bolesław Orliński.
The 121st Fighter Escadrille at an airshow in Katowice, October 1931.

On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.11c airplanes.

The air crew consisted of: commanding officer kpt. pil. Tadeusz Sędzielowski

his deputy ppor. pil. Wacław Król

and 11 other pilots:

  1. ppor. Tadeusz Kowalewski
  2. ppor. Tadeusz Nowak
  3. ppor. Władysław Gnyś
  4. pchor.Władysław Chciuk
  5. pchor. Ryszard Koczor
  6. pchor. Franciszek Surma
  7. plut. Leopold Flanek
  8. kpr. Jan Kremski
  9. kpr. Piotr Zaniewski
  10. st.szer. Tadeusz Arabski
  11. st.szer. Marian Futro

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pawlak, Jerzy (1989). Polskie eskadry w latach 1918-1939 (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Komunikacji i Łączności. ISBN 83-206-0760-4.
  • Jerzy Pawlak (1982). Polskie eskadry w Wojnie Obronnej 1939 (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Komunikacji i Łączności. ISBN 83-206-0281-5.


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