Polish Auster Squadrons

Hello,

Can someone please confirm what Polish squadrons flew Austers during the war?

Also, does anyone have any photographs of Austers with the Polish insignia on the side that they could please share with me?

Many thanks
927

I saw a photo on display at Aeroventure of an Auster with a Polish insignia on the port-side engine cowling.

I’ve seen at least one picture of an Auster III with the polish checked square on it, i’ve put my military Auster book away as i’m moving shortly but i’ll try and find it again before I forget

There was a Polish website with some photos but it seems to have been taken down recently.

It turns out it has moved. This afternoon I managed to find it. Photos here:

http://www.polishairforce.pl/dyw663zdj.html

Thank you both for your replies. I’m very greatfull.

Antoni, I have sent you an e-mail!

Regards
927

E-mail me for photos, I only have them in pdf files. [email]Alachetta@aol.com[/email]

There was a Polish website with some photos butr it seems to have been taken down recently.

663 (Polish) Air Observation Post Squadron.

In 1944 when the Polish 2nd Corps move to the Monte Cassino sector of the Italian Front, General Anders asked the British for aircraft for the direction of artillery fire by Polish artillery officers. A decision was made to form a Polish AOP squadron for the Corps and, until it became operational, 651 and 654 AOP Squadrons flying Auster IIIs were ordered to put their flights at the disposal of the Corps’ command. These two squadrons assisted the Corps during the Battle of Monte Cassino and the Adriatic campaign in recognition of which General Anders gave them the right to bear the Corps’ ensign, the Warsaw Siren on a red shield, called by British personnel “the Maiden of Warsaw”. 651 and 654 Squadrons of the Army Air Corps still carry (or carried) this emblem on their Lynx and Gazelle helicopters.

HQ 8th Army helped with the organization of the Polish AOP Squadron making arrangements with the American 5th Army to have five Polish officers trained in artillery spotting and ranging work. Three British officers under the command of Cpt W.E. Wright from 651 AOP Squadron acted as AOP pilots for them using American Piper Cub aircraft. (From which the Polish nickname for the AOP Squadron, “Kubusie”, was derived.) This temporary unit was referred to as the Polish AOP Flight. The five Poles were posted to the 5th Army and arrived at Venafro airfield on the 7th May 1944 to support the artillery of the 2nd Corps in the Battle for Monte Casino. On the afternoon of the 11th May during an artillery spotting mission Cpt Wright’s Cub was hit by fire from the monastery and crashed into a mountain. Lt Kijowski flying with him was wounded. The flight was disbanded in early June.

The Air Ministry approved the formation of a Polish AOP squadron in the Mediterranean Area Air Force (MAAF) on the 31st May 1944. It was to be called 663 (Polish) AOP Squadron with only one flight to formed initially. Six Auster IIIs for training and eight Auster IVs for operations were to be dispatched in the summer, with one replacement Auster IV per month to follow. MAAF were to inform the AM when further aircraft were required for the second flight. Training of Polish officers was to take place in South Africa and a few Polish Elementary Flying Instructors were to be sent to South Africa from the UK after completing a ten-week course at No. 43 OTU.

In the middle of June 22 Polish artillery officers (two from each 2nd Corps regiment) left Bari for Cairo and then Pretoria. There three were rejected by a medical board while the remaining 19 went on to 62 Air School at Bloemfontein on the 5th July to attend a basic flying course which lasted from the 24th July until 5th October. 18 officers passed satisfactorily. They flew about 100 hours each on Tiger Moth and Taylorcraft trainers. Not a single aircraft was damaged and the standard of the pilots was regarded as unusually high.

Fifteen of the pilots returned to Italy, the other three having fallen ill followed later, reaching Eboli on 28th October where the AOP Training Team Polish Forces was set up under the command W.E. Wright now a Major. The course on Auster IIIs, IVs and Vs lasted from 28th October until 14th December. Replacement pilots were to be trained in England at the rate of two per month.

The order to form 663 Dyon Powietrznych Punktów Observacyjnych (Air Observation Post Squadron) was issued by HQ 2nd Polish Corps on 8th September 1944. Artillery Cpt Edward Pawlikowski was appointed C.O. effective on his return from an elementary flying course. Its establishment strength was 19 Polish artillery officers and 101 other ranks, plus technical support from the Polish Air Force, two officers and 43 other ranks. The aircraft establishment was 12 Austers as Initial Equipment and four as Initial Reserve. Operational Command was the Officer Commanding 2nd Polish Corps artillery and its PAF technical personnel under control of 318 Squadron. The formation of the squadron was ordered to be completed at San Basilio on 20th September and then to move to Eboli. This was delayed until the return of Polish officers from South Africa eventually taking place on 2nd November. The first four Auster IVs were received in October and two Auster Vs in November but there were great problems in getting other necessary equipment for the squadron.

Things began to improve with the arrival of the Adjutant, F/Lt Bronisław Reicher and Equipment (Technical) Officer F/O Roman Truch from England on the 21st November. Three days later the Polish title of the squadron was changed to “Dywizjon Samolotów Artylerii (Artillery Aircraft Squadron).

On the 17th December the squadron moved to Montecorvno airfield near Eboli with Pawlikowski in command of its entire personnel. The supply of vehicles slightly improved although many were in poor condition and required repairs. Ten more Auster Vs were taken on charge but three were lost in accidents, leaving 13. The squadron was organized into three flights of four aircraft each with five pilots per flight.

At the end of December 663 Squadron were order to move to the Forli operational zone to work with the 15th Army Group, initially under the care of 654 AOP Squadron, which it later relieved. ‘C’ Flight left Montecorvino on 30th Decemeber, ‘A’ Flight on 31st and ‘B’ Flight on 1st January 1945, all for Villa Carpena. Squadron HQ and the Maintenance Flight moved to nearby Castrocaro. Because of bad weather the transfer was not completed until 7th January. On the 10th the whole squadron moved on to Meldola to begin operational working-up process.. Two more Austers were received but one crashed. The squadron, with 11 Auster Vs and three Auster IVs was declared operational on 30th January with two flights and went into service with the 5th (British) Army Corps. It operated in flight detachments from dispersed airstrips in fields and farms close to the ground forces and its HQ was usually based in villages, keeping in touch with the aircraft by radio.

On 31st January ‘B’ Flight moved to Sarna and began to operate with the Polish 5th “Kresowa” Infantry Division. ‘C’ Flight moved to Castrocaro to operate with the Polish Artrillery Group, and ‘A’ Flight which was awaiting replacement aircraft move to Villa Carpena and became operational on the 7th February flying sorties in support of the Italian “Gruppo Friuli.” On the 9th February ‘B’ Flight was transferred to Sarny from where it operated with the Polish 3rd “Karpacka” Fusilier Division. On 14th February the 2nd Polish Corps took over the Senio River sector from the 5th (British) Army Corps and flights of 663 Squadron supported its operations hindered by severe weather and restricted daily artillery ammunition rations. Three aircraft were damaged in accidents including two (RT527 and RT569) which collided on landing on the 19th. Four Auster Vs were received towards the end of the month as replacements.

On 6th March 1945 “Gruppo Friuli” was withdrawn from the front and the following day ‘A’ Flight was transferred to Corletto to support the 5th “Kresowa” Infantry Division. Four days later ‘B’ and ‘C’ Flights joined them. Allied artillery activity intensified before the forthcoming offensive and so did the enemy AA defences. Operational tactics required the Austers to fly between 500 and 2,000ft but for heavy artillery the spotting was usually done from 10,000ft in order to avoid the shell bursts and track of the shells. This exposed the aircraft to much danger. On 10th March Lt Perucki was wounded on his third flight that day by a bullet hitting his right foot. On 22nd March Auster V NJ950, flown by Lt Boguski of ‘C’ Flight was seriously damaged by enemy fire. Boguski was a new pilot who had only arrived from England a few days earlier. Three days later Lt Paśnicki’s MT223 suffered the same fate. Together with RT602 which crashed on landing on 1st March brought the month’s losses to three aircraft. Three Auster Vs were received as replacements.

The allied offensive began on 9th April 1945. All three flights were extremely busy, both in the period proceeding the start, and the offensive itself. After 12 days of heavy fighting it ended with the capture of Bologna by Polish troops on 21st April. On 1st April the squadron was supplemented by a photographic section under the command of F/O (Lt) Włodzimierz Czupryk of the Polish Air Force for the purposes of oblique photography, which was increasingly used to photograph strips of the frontline from different angles. The flights learned to cooperate with friendly armour and hunt down enemy tanks reaching a very high standard of artillery fire direction, to the extent of directing fire from three artillery regiments on different targets simultaneously.

With the advance of the Polish Corps ‘A’ Flight moved to Socarolo on 13th April and Mordano on 14th where it was joined by the squadron’s HQ two days later. On the 14th Lt Grodzicki of ‘B’ Flight was killed when Auster VR621 was shot down immediately after take-off and crashed in flames. With the breach of enemy lines on the 18th April the squadron concentrated mainly on the observation of troop movements. ‘A’ Flight distinguished itself in cooperating with the Polish armour pursuing the enemy. On the afternoon of 21st April the squadron flew its last operational mission, supporting the capture of Corticella by Polish tanks. On the same day HQ moved to Poggio and two days later to Villa Arzana. In addition to Grodzicki’s aircraft two more Austers were lost in April. One hit a tree on the 18th and another crashed on landing on 25th. When organised German resistance ceased on 29th the squadron were left with 12 aircraft. On 1st May ‘A’ Flight was transferred to Villa Pasqualla and ‘C’ Flight to Imola, the squadron’s duties changing to communications/liaison. The squadron arrived in the UK 10th October 1946 and disbanded 29th October 1946 at Burma Camp, Llwyngwril, North Wales.

Known serial numbers:

Auster IV initially MT194, MT215, MT240, MT293;
later MT223;
post-war MT252, MT300, MT308
Auster V end 1944 early 1945 NJ744, NJ789, NJ950, RT527, RT529,
RT531,
RT535, RT536, RT537, RT466, RT569, RT579,
RT595, RT602, RT603, RT606, RT611, RT621,
TJ191, TJ211;
post-war NJ742, NJ743, RT461, RT463, RT522, TJ193,
TJ205, TJ210, TJ359, TJ456, TJ469, TJ470

see

http://www.geocities.com/skrzydla2/663/663Squadron.html