Thanks for all kind comments!
Slightly delayed by the problems with Majhost, here starts the next chapter of this thread.
(In case somebody thought that there's just text and no point in scrolling down, there are pics below
)
Polish Air Force in France 1939-1940 - introduction
Although combat operations of the Polish Campaign lasted until 5 October 1939, Soviet invasion of 17 September 1939 forced the majority of remaining Polish forces (as well as supreme state authorities), concentrated in then-southeastern Poland (today's western Ukraine), in the so-called Romanian Bridgehead, to cross the borders of Romania and Hungary, where they were placed in internment camps. Among these were some 80% of the pre-war personnel of Polish Military Aviation - most of them in Romania (around 9000) with some 900 in Hungary (900). Additionaly some 600 were interned in Latvia and 250 in Lithunania, while around 1000 were taken POW by Soviets.
Because state authorities - including president Ignacy Mościcki, commander-in-chief marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły, prime minister gen. Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski and foreign minister Józef Beck - were interned in Romania, and lost freedom of action, a government-in-exile was formed in France (and enjoying the support of France and Great Britain). According to 1935 constitution, Mościcki appointed Władysław Raczkiewicz as his succesor (on 30 september), while the post of prime minister, minister of military affairs and commander-in-chief of the armed forces was taken by general Władysław Sikorski (already a prime-minister 1922-1923, and since 1926 major opponent of the then-ruling
sanacja regime).
Most important task of the government-in-exile was a creation of
Polish Armed Forces in the West (
Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Zachodzie, shortly:
PSZ). They were to be based mostly on cadre soldiers kept in Romania (and Hungary), with rank-and-file being largely made both from those interned in Romania, as well as Polish expatriates from Western Europe and America. Soldiers interned in Romania and Hungary were able to flee en masse with help of Polish diplomatic posts - either via Yugoslavia and Italy or by sea - because of the traditionally friendly relations of these countries and Poland, leading the authorities to deliberately turn the blind eye. Priority in the transit had soldiers of technical arms, esp. aviation.
Unfortunately, our western allies were at the time in happy ignorance about the realities of blitzkrieg and real value of Maginot Line, as well as in misguidded contempt of percieved inferiority of Polish soldiers (as one French general put it: "we're not some Poland, here something like that
(blitzkrieg) simply couldn't happen") and weren't in a hurry to support meaningful efforts of creating
PSZ - nor even to fully supply quarters and most basic supplies for arriving Polish soldiers. Negotiations and planning dragged on, and by late october only the basic plan was made that army would be formed in France, navy in Great Britain and air force in both these countries (Polish Air Force in Great Britain will be described later).
Only in early 1940 process of forming
PSZ in France started to gain meaningful progress, after signing on 4 January 1940 two major Polish-French treaties:
-general military treaty (
Accords Militaires Condus entre la Pologne et la France) about legal basis of forming Polish Armed Forces in France,
-treaty about Polish Air Force (
Accord Relatif aux Forces Aeriennes Polonaises).
These two treaties allowed to start training of Polish air personnel in Lyon-Bron and Montpellier, and later in various other training centres, both in Metropolitan France and in French North Africa. Additional document was signed on 17 February 1940, that specified organization of the Polish Air Force (
Polskie Siły Powietrzne, PSP), organizational base of training, aircraft markings and the like. According to it,
PSP in France was to be comprised initially of 2 fighter
Groupes, 1 or 2 army co-operation
escadrilles and support units. Additionaly certain amount of Polish personnel was to be attached to French operational units. Also, on 22 February 1940, by order of the commander-in-chief, air force become a separate arm of the military, on par with army and navy (instead of being subordinate element of these).
By late April 1940
PSP in France numbered around 6600 personnel (additional ca. 2000 were in Great Britain), which shortly after allowed a revision of the planned strenght. It was decided that ultimate strength would be of either of two options:
-variant I: 4 fighter groups, 3 bomber groups (incl. 1 in Syria), 3 army co-operation groups (incl. 1 in Syria),
-variant II: 6 fighter groups, 2 bomber groups, 4 army co-operation groups (all of them in Metropolitan France);
In the subsequent weeks forming of additional units, according to that plan, followed, by rapid defeat of France meant that they generally didn't participated in combat operations.
By 1 June 1940
PSP in France numbered 6863 personnel (with additional 2164 in Great Britain), plus 1103 personnel of anti-aircraft artillery and 385 of air force signals troops.
In the second half of June 1940, on the eve of the fall of France,
PSP in France comprised of:
-4 fighter groups (2 operational, incl. 1 divided into detachments spread among French units, 1 awaiting delivery of combat planes and 1 during training),
-1 bomber group (1 escadrille operational, 1 awaiting delivery of planes),
-2 army co-operation groups (1 awaiting delivery of planes, 1 during training),
-independent fighter flights attached to French units, territorial air defence units and small groups of airmen attached to French units.
-training establishments - Lyon-Bron training centre and Polish escadrilles in French training units,
-support and maintenance units, mostly around Montpellier.
Willingnes to sign armistice with Germany, declared by marshal Petain on 17 June 1940 led to decision to evacuate Polish military personnel to great Britain. Until 25 June these were mostly large groups using ships sailing officialy from French ports. Smaller-scale evacuation, mostly through North Africa, lasted until 15 July. By this time it was possible to evacuate to Great Britain 4203 personnel of Air Force.
Between 27 march and 20 june 1940
PSP in France has made the following combat effort:
-714 combat missions with 1916 sorties in 2238 hours of flight,
-51 9/10 aircraft destroyed, 3 destroyed probably, 6 3/5 damaged (nearly 8% of the allied air victories in the French Campaign),
-11 airmed KIA, 2 WIA, 5 MIA, 44 aircraft lost.
Notes:
1) Pre-war organization of French Air Force corresponds quite well with the contemporary organization of Polish Military Aviation, but rather poorly with Royal Air Force. Lowest basic organizational element was
escadrille of 6 (bombers) to 12 (fighters) aircraft (so basically equivalent of Polish
eskadra, and roughly of RAF bomber flight or fighter squadron).
Escadrilles inherited traditions of WW1 units, and practically rarely operated separately. Most important level of organization was
groupe of 13 to 26 aircraft (basically equivalent of Polish
dywizjon, and roughly of RAF bomber squadron or small fighter wing, but practically being on par simply with squadron - Free French squadrons of RAF in French were called
groupes).
Groupes in turn were grouped into
Escadres, basically equivalent of Polish
pułk, and arguably corresponding with RAF wings.
2) During the inter-war period most French aircraft had three-digit type designations, although actually only first two of them referred to separate type, and third one was essentialy describing variant of the type.