The Polish Brygada Poscigowa (Pursuit Brigade).

   For the first six days of the war, the Polish Brygada Poscigowa Pursuit Brigade defended the capital, Warsaw. There were two squadrons in the Brigade, III/1 (111 and 112 Fighter Flights) and IV/1 (113, 114 and 123 Fighter Flights). The Brigade started the war with fifty-three aircraft, twenty-eight PZL P.11c, fifteen PZL P.11a and ten PZL P.7a fighters. By 6 September 1939, there were only thirty-two aircraft remaining in the Brigade. And of that number, only twenty-nine of them was ready to fight.
   Before noon of 6 September 1939, there were a number of fights around Warsaw. Polish pilots got few combats with Luftwaffe aircrafts which wanted to bombed Okecie city, West Station in Warsaw and the bridges over the Vistula river.
   In these aerial combats Polish pilots destroyed two German aircraft. One of these was claimed by Lt. Wojciech Januszewicz, the leader of 111 Fighter Flight. The aircraft was a Ju-87 from IV.(St.)/LG1, and it was Januszewicz's third victory. A few other Luftwaffe aircraft were damaged.
   One Polish P.11 fighter, No 6 from 112 Flight, was destroyed by a Bf-110 from I./ZG76. This aircraft became so consumed in a big fire that it desintegrated in the air. The pilot, Private E-2 Leon Nowak, bailed out and landed unhurt. Another 112 Flight P.11 fighter, aircraft No 2, was piloted by Capt. Tadeusz Opulski, the leader of this unit, was badly damaged but the pilot landed successfully on his own aerodrome.
   At around noon Colonel (Col.) Stefan Pawlikowski, leader of the Pursuit Brigade, received new orders. The Brigade was ordered to make a sweep over the "Lodz" Army, which was blocking the main route of the German attack. Unfortunately, there were only five Polish fighter aircraft remaining to this Army.
   Colonel Pawlikowski decided that for the protection of Warsaw, 111 and 123 Flights should remain behind. The 123 Flight used PZL P.7a fighters, which had no real chance to win in combat with the Luftwaffe. The remainder of the Pursuit Brigade's aircraft, amounting to eighteen P.11s, were sent to sweep between Slesin - Kolo - Uniejow. The assigned leader of this task was Capt. Adam Kowalczyk, the leader of IV/1 Squadron.
   While south-east of Kolo, the Polish Pursuit Brigade met German bombers which were intent on attacking the city of Lodz. The ensuing combat lasted between seven and ten minutes, with the German bombers losing their formation. German loses amounted to four He-111 bombers.
   The Polish victories went to Captain (Capt.) Kowalczyk and Second Lieutenant (Sec. Lt.) Stanislaw Szmejl, with one each. Another one was claimed shared by Lieutenant (Lt.) Waclaw Lapkowski, Cadet Janusz Marciniak and Private E-2 Wladyslaw Wieraszka. The last bomber claimed shared was between Lt. Wienczyslaw Baranski, Sec. Lt. Jan Borowski and Private E-2 Jan Lipinski.
   Polish loses in this combat was two pilots. Cadet Roman Stoga was killed by the bomber's gun-operators, while Plutonowy (Staff Sergeant) Mieczyslaw Kazmierczak bailed out. Unfortunately, Kazmierczak was shot in the air by German airmen. Another two P.11s, piloted by Lt. Baranski and Private E-2 Lipinski, had to make emergency landings. The pilots eventually returned to Warsaw. In this combat one of the Polish pilots from 113 Flight, probably either Cadet Rajmund Kalpas or Cadet Henryk Stefankiewicz, crashed in mid-air with German airman who had bailed out his aircraft.
   When the Polish pilots came back to Warsaw they met Ju-87 dive bombers near Lowicz. Those pilots who had ammunition attacked the Ju-87s. Second Lieutenant Wlodzimierz Klawe, Staff Sergeant Wladyslaw Kiedrzynski and Private E-2 Mieczyslaw Adamek shared a claimed one between them. Near Warsaw Sec. Lt. Tadeusz Sawicz, Coporal Andrzej Niewiara and Private E-2 Jerzy Zielinski got another aircraft shared, it was a Do-17Z bomber from KG3.
   In the evening General Jozef Zajac, the Chief of the Polish Air Force, sent out a new order. The Pursuit Brigade had to change its aerodromes. The next day at morning, the unit went east near Lublin. So, 6 September 1939 was the last day that Warsaw had an air defense. After this date the Luftwaffe's aircraft could bomb the city without fear of aerial opposition, there would be only be ground fire from Polish anti-aircraft batteries.

   The author Grzegorz Slizewski can be reached at his e-mail address.

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