Polish veterans & Polish Spitfire on Polish soil

S/Ldr Franciszek Kornicki and F/Lt Jerzy Mencel were reunited with Spitfire VB BM597 at Warsaw-Babice airfield last Sunday.
This was the Spitfire’s first ever visit to Poland. BM597 was used by Polish Nos. 315 and 317 Squadrons during 1942-1943 in Britain.
S/Ldr Kornicki flew BM597 with No. 315 and F/Lt Mencel with No. 317 Squadron during the war. Now they have both signed the cockpit door of ‘their’ Spitfire.
The veterans were guests of honour of the 15th International Air Picnic at Goraszka near Warsaw, where HAC’s Spitfire BM597 and Hurricane ‘Z5140’ were stars of the air display. For technical reasons the aircraft were based at Babice rather than at Goraszka itself.