Flights Over the Heart of Africa

Organisation and route

The Royal Air Force Command (RAF) then asked the chief command of the Polish troops in the United Kingdom to choice Polish flying personnel who could take up work in a formed transportation unit in Africa. They had to be physically and mentally resilient, capable of coping with African climate, steel nerves, iron endurance and much experience.

The Polish branch was formed in the fall of 1940. His commander was Colonel Mateusz Iżycki de Notto. Major Franciszek Ratajczak, an excellent organizer and an experienced pilot with a large authority, was appointed commander and direct head of flying staff. Among the remaining staff were Communist pilots, flyers and instructors who trained later London's defensive heroes.

The pilots assigned to the African unit were assigned on October 25, 1940 to training on combat aircraft in the combat training unit at Kemble Base. It lasted respective days, after which due to haste they were put distant at Northolt Airport close London, where he based 302 Hunting Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mieczysław Mümler. Here they were uniformed and exhibited in tropical equipment. The essential vaccinations were besides carried out.

On October 30, 1940, the pilots took a train to Gourock Port, Scotland, and the following day they embarked on a passenger ship called Warwick Castle. On the night of 1 on 2 November, along with a convoy of 28 ships and ships, they sailed into the unknown.

On 14 November 1940, "Warwick Castle" entered the port of Freetown in Sierra Leone. Here, the Polish troops were reloaded to the ship "Ormonde", which left alone on 18 November, without the protection of warships, along the African shore. On 20 November, he entered the port of Takoradi on the Gold Coast (now Ghana) where the branch base was located.

The first 22 Polish airmen assigned to the No. 1 Aircraft transportation Unit (ADU, Aircraft Supply Branch) were located in buildings by the sea itself. The rooms were neat and very comfortable. due to the humidity reaching 95%, there was inactive a drying lamp in all closet. There were constantly functioning showers available. A fewer kilometres away, the airport was inactive under organisation and expansion and had only 1 runway.

Poles from No. 1 ADU first flights over the Black Land performed on 23 November 1940. At first, there were small flying, but many lectures on the conditions and difficulties of African flights. The way from West Africa to Egypt was about 6,000 km. At the airports along it, conditions were terrible: tiny airports, narrow and short runways with mediocre approaches, not adapted to combat machines, which became the origin of accidents. There were besides no landmarks, and weather conditions proved hard for both humans and machines. Without the essential method devices, pilots were affected at all turn. On the basis of the experience gained and the guidance provided in the detailed reports drawn up after each arrival of the convoy to Egypt, the way was reorganized after 2 years and most of the deficiencies were removed.

The truncating inherent tube mjr pil. Edward Peterek based on the reling on board a walking ship called Warwick Castle. In the background, the remaining convoy ships headed from the Scottish Gourock to the Golden Coast. Robert Gretchen’s Collections

The first stage, to Nigerian Lagos, led by the sea, as on the way of Dahomej as a French colony he was subject to the pro-German government of Vichy. The way then led to the north of Nigeria, to airports in Kano and Maiduguri. Then you had to fly over the French free side French Equatorial Africa with a landing at Fort Lama (ob. Njamena) on the Shari River south of Lake Chad. The road continued to lead to Sudan with landings in Al-Dujnajna, Khartoum capital and Wadi Halfa nad Nile in the northern part of the country. The last landing had already taken place in Egypt at 1 of the many desert airports in the vicinity of Cairo.

Ants Work

Airmen of another nationalities were besides included in the transport service outside of Poland: French, Greeks, Canadians, Australians, fresh Zealanders, South Africans, people of Yugoslavia, but Polish squad in No. 1 ADU was the most numerous. The second group of Polish airmen (36 people) arrived in Takoradi on 8 January 1941.

Several experienced pilots were selected from the flight crew to become convoy leaders. To get a close look at the route, each of them made a passenger flight on civilian lines to Egypt and back. Among another things, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Peterek wrote about the preparations to start his work: “On December 17, I am ready for my return flight. I met Cairo and I learned the way over the heart of Africa, this regular road that we had to carry out from phase to phase costly equipment. The front was waiting for this equipment, and the triumph of England's air forces in the mediate East was mostly dependent on it. This triumph was followed by further war and the destiny of Europe. I knew jungles, steppes and deserts from the air. I've met all the landing sites on the route. I've learned about and any of the Black Land requirements. I was about to meet the first avant-garde of the hostile elements that this land sent to our meeting. First African illness – malaria. It started in Cairo on the eve of the departure. Feeling unwell, no appetite, and tired. I flew to the Belgian Congo, Stanleyville, where I was blown up with a fever of 40°, and it was only after 10 days that I managed to return to my base. [...] Our most dangerous enemy was malaria caused by a bite by a malaria mosquito. Despite complying with all authoritative preventive orders, specified as taking quinine permanently before each meal, wearing long trousers after sunset, peculiar anti-moskit shoes, long sleeve sweatshirts and sleeping under a mosquito net, 50% of our staff gained malaria. More immune patients have suffered this illness comparatively lightly, but any have been very hard. She frequently returned and decomposed them so that the sick had to be sent to Europe by the closest transports. Also, but to a much lesser extent, we were affected by annoying flies, poisonous spiders—scorpions and flying cockroaches, disgusting in their superficiality, whose bites caused ulcers and eczema."

In the early months of 1941, appropriate ant work began at Takoradi Base. Air transports were arriving at the close port. The number of staff were increased and method staff were increased. Hangars and buildings grew like mushrooms after the rain. The airport area was enlarged, the runway expanded. A car column in continuous traffic carried immense crates from port to airport. The crates were stripped and rapidly assembled, engines were tried, and aircraft were flown. The first transports included Bristol Blenheim bombers and Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. They were then hunting Curtissy Mohawk, Tomahawk and Kittyhawk, Supermarine Spitfire, and multitasking Bristol Beaufighter machines.

On the eve of the departure, an order came out with the convoy's registered depot. Time was then utilized to fly machines, check engine, radio and any another instruments. The mechanics painted tail ends and lime faults so that, in case of forced landing, it would be easier to find a plane in the field. Before leaving the convoy, the pilots were each undergoing medical examinations and were withdrawn from the flight if malaria was detected. Emphasis was placed on controlling the water supply, rations and handheld first aid kit on the plane. The convoy manager conducted a briefing with the departure personnel – meteo conditions, take-off order, any particulars related to convoy collection, formations in the air and behaviour in the event of forced landing were given. It became very crucial to give details of the convenient airports and landing sites at a given stage.

The number of convoys leaving Takoradi depended on the pace of mechanical assembly. During the hot seasons, up to 5 convoys made up of 7 to 9 aircraft were flown daily.

Due to the planned increase in U.S. aircraft supplies in 1941, the Americans built and set up a second base on the Gold Coast close Accra, the country's capital. Air equipment from the United States came both by sea and by air across the Atlantic. It was primarily supplied with US bomber and transport aircraft Martin Maryland, Martin Baltimore, Martin Marauder, Lockheed Ventura, Douglas Dakota and Consolidated Liberator. In close cooperation with the Americans, many Polish pilots were trained on these aircraft and carried out a search of this equipment for bases in Sudan and Egypt, and even the Far East.

Air accidents

The return from Egypt to the start of the convoy was not the most pleasant. The exception was the first part of the journey – south of Sudan, along the Nile – which was held on board the luxury large passenger boats of Short. Lieutenant pilot Jan Rusin recalled: “After a fewer days of waiting, we were taken as passengers on military or civilian aircraft from BOAC or Pan American, and sometimes they were warplanes. We were driven back to Takoradi, along different routes. For example, we flew through the Congo — to Stanleyville, Leopoldville, Brazzaville, and so on, and sometimes a shortened road. We came to Takoradi and waited again for the formation of a fresh convoy."

In the past of the Polish branch, the capital of Sudan recorded a sad story. Six Polish pilots were buried in Khartoum, who died as passengers of Hudson aircraft returning to Takoradi. These were: plutonium Leon Stankowiak, Ensign Cyprian Marian Tomczak, Sergeant Edward Tetnowski, elder Sergeant Stanisław Wojciech Grochowski, plutonium Walerian Wiktor Misiąg and Captain Józef Wojciechowski. The first 4 died on June 16 and 2 more died on June 30, 1943.

Out of 145 Polish airmen from the African shipping division, 23 died in full by 1946. Accidents occurred most frequently during hard weather conditions or due to deficiencies in operation of aircraft, due to the strength of work during periods of large request at the front, erstwhile 20–40 aircraft were released regular from Takoradi.

Captain Feliks Kulesza was the first of the Polish personnel to be killed: he flew Hawker Hurricane IIB No. BD918 on October 25, 1941 and crashed close Oshogbo, confederate Nigeria. He was buried there, too. On 30 November 1941, Captain Stanislaw Pietrasiewicz killed himself at Oshogbo Airport, unfortunately for his own fault: before the start of Bristol Blenheim IV, No. Z7632 made a mistake in piloting, resulting in the plane falling in a corkscrew, and the full crew died.

On 9 December 1941, an experienced pilot – a pilot and pre-war instructor, Ensign Antoni Żurawski, died in the aftermath of the injuries. The origin of the accident was the ignition of the Hawker Hurricane IIB aircraft engine No. BD932 above Maiduguri Airport in northeastern Nigeria. The pilot failed to land, managed to leave the plane's compartment and slipped off the wing. However, he fell so unfortunately that he was struck with a horizontal ballast to the head.

In the Curtiss Kittyhawk I plane crash No. AK856 in Port Sudan lost the life of a pilot who scored his first credits during planet War I, a forty-six-year-old elder sergeant Joseph Viktor Piasecki. His plane caught fire in the air after taking off on March 1, 1942.

Cf. pil. Antoni Kleniewski in the cab of Hawker Hurricane II airplane – on the back of the photograph was a note "The Last Hurricane of Takoradi". A moving African was painted on the side of the plane. Robert Gretchen’s Collections

Sergeant Ignacy Mikołajczak took off on May 9, 1942 on the Curtiss Kittyhawk I fighter plane No. ET242 from the Port of Sudan on the Red Sea with the intention of searching the aircraft for Egypt. On the way he hit a strong sandstorm. Under current orders, the pilot decided to land in the desert, assuming the storm would pass by the next day, after which he would be able to proceed his flight to Egypt. He stayed on the plane, but the next day it turned out that the battery was out. The pilot wrote in a later notepad: “12.45 p.m. It's so hot... I drink, or actually lick my inexpensive sweat... I endure terribly... I can hear the plane. It's flying south to my right... My last hope... I can't get up to see... My last minutes... Lord, have mercy on me... at 16, 10 May 1942... Amen’. Immediately after receiving the news that Sergeant Major Nicholasczak had not arrived in Egypt, a search was initiated. His plane was only found in the desert after 12 days by Ensign Władysław Szulczewski. The first diary was handed to the pilot's family.

On the Hawker Hurricane IIC aircraft No. HV819, Lieutenant Stanisław Krakowski burned down on November 7, 1942, close Ibadan, Nigeria.
On December 12, 1942, Lieutenant Tadeusz Łukasiewicz died in Accra. At the start of the US aircraft Martin Baltimore III No. FA148 hit buildings.

In total, in 1942 – which was sometimes the most intensive work – 5 died in 50 cases involving Polish airmen on the route. On March 31, 1943, elder Sergeant Felix Murzinowski died in an air collision with another machine.

Let's go.

The ambition of most transport pilots was to join combat units. However, individual requests to be assigned to combat were not accepted kindly. Col. Mateusz Iżycki of his unit noted: “Officers and enlisted officers were jealous of the participation of the Carpathian firearm Brigade in the Libyan run and the siege of Tobruk. At that time, most of the wards applied for allocation to combat units.’ The Aviation Inspectorate in September 1941 decided to make a Polish fighter squadron at 1 of the RAF squadrons. A group of eleven volunteers were selected for training for the 112th Squadron, operating on the Libya front. In the end, 9 Polish pilots were directed to the "Shark Division", so called due to the characteristic painting of sharks' mouth planes on the bow. But that's a full different story.

Among the Ferry pilots, Ensign Stanisław Szubka and Lt. Col. Andrzej Płachta were besides born to 157 Maintenance Unit in Baghdad, as crew of General Władysław Anders' individual aircraft.

Far East convoys

The supply bases in Egypt not only stored and prepared equipment for the Allied army offensive in Africa, but supplied and supplemented aircraft units besides in the Far East – India, Burma, Malaya and Ceylon. In late 1941, a fresh way was developed to conduct convoys to the Far East.

Among the Polish staff of the Ferry were selected respective convoy managers to the Far East, including General Ludomilił Rayski, Majors Franciszek Ratajczak, Tadeusz Kurdziel, Stefan Massalski and Edward Peterek. The first convoys led by Poles to the Far East began in January 1942. The way was 7–8,000 km and led from Egypt, through Palestine, Transjordania, Iraq, Arabia, Iran, Balochistan, India, to Burma, and to Ceylon.

In Allahabad, on the sacred Ganges River, the Polish Transport Section was later founded under the direction of Major Eugeniusz Sączewski. The division distributed aircraft only within India, Burma and Siam, and was subject to the visible general Ludomili Rayski in Cairo.

Changes after reorganisation

Due to wellness problems in the department, frequent personnel changes occurred. Not all pilots had African climate conditions, most of whom had malaria. They had to return to Europe, sometimes after a very short stay in Africa.

Since civilian airlines were incapable to handle all passengers during the war, RAF organized peculiar transport units for this service. In the mediate East, there were 216 Squadrons (later 216 Group) stationed in the vicinity of Cairo. In the summertime of 1943, erstwhile the Ferrari aviation was reorganized, the Takoradi airmen were dispersed after respective recently created transport and transportation units, 3 Polish pilots were initially assigned to 216th Division. By the end of 1946, the number of Polish crews increased there to ten. They served routes between Egypt and Malta and Italy. In January 1947, the last transport with personnel from the Polish Transport Branch in Takoradi sailed from Egypt to the UK.

Sources of quotes:

E. Peterek, Nad water, desert and jungle – the pilot's account of the operation of the Polish Transport Aviation Branch in 1940–1947, mps in the author's collections.
E. Peterek, Organization, tasks and activities of the Polish Transport Aviation Branch at RAF in Africa from 1940 to 1947, "Gapa" August 2013, No. 7, pp. 39–57.
J. Rusin, an interview with the archive of Polish Radio preserved in the household collections of Stanisław Rusin.

Bibliography:

• National Archives in Kew: – AIR 28/808-813 – Operations evidence Book RAF Station Takaradi, – AIR 29/454 – Operations evidence Book 1 Aircraft transportation Unit (ADU).
• General Sikorski Institute of Poland and Museum in London: LOT A.V. 30 – Act of Delegates in the mediate East.
• Polish Military Museum in Warsaw: 13815C past of the Polish Branch in Takoradi.

Robert Gretchen is curious in aviation, especially aircraft painting and marking. His first colour drawing was published in “Aviation and Astronautics Technology” (1986). He collaborated with the “AERO Aviation Technology”: he painted colour and black and white illustrations. Co-founder of the magazine "Militaria" (1991). He took part in the reactivation of “Skrzydlata Polska Aviation Magazine”. Inventor and first editor-in-chief of the quarterly “Aeroplan”. He cooperates with “Polish Wing”, “Aircraft”. In 2011, he founded the Historical Foundation of Polish Aviation, which he became president. In 2012 he founded the Polish aviation past aviation historical magazine "Gapa", which was the publisher and editor-in-chief. He is the author and co-author of many books devoted to the past of Polish aviation, including “Poles in defence of large Britain”, “Ass of Polish Aviation”, “Polish airmen in the conflict of England”, “Polish airmen in the West 1939-1947”, “Polish aircraft and colours 1943–2016”. He designed and implemented respective commemorative and peculiar Polish military aircraft, including the task “Warsaw Kosyniers” – the painting of MiG-29 aircraft belonging to the 23rd Transport Aviation Base in Minsk Mazowiecki.