Today’s Polish Armed Forces Day was established to commemorate Poland’s victory in the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. This is common knowledge, but not everyone realises that in this battle, whose outcome decided the fate not only of Poland but of all of Europe — aviation played a very important role.
In the Battle of Warsaw, the air squadrons of the Polish Army supported the operations of the Northern Front Army. Aircraft assigned to the Central Front Army also fought in the defence of the capital. In the decisive phase of the Battle of Warsaw, five reconnaissance squadrons were stationed at Mokotów Airfield: the 1st, 8th, 9th, 16th and 17th, as well as the 19th Fighter Squadron, while at Siekierki: the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 13th Fighter Squadron, assigned to the air force of the 5th Army.
Initially, the airmen only conducted long-range reconnaissance, but after the front line shortened, the aircraft were also engaged in combat operations — including the bombing of barracks in Ostrów Mazowiecka-Komorowo and strafing Red Army soldiers on the roads.
Today we remember the heroes of those events and extend our warmest wishes to all soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces who bravely and proudly guard the borders of our homeland.
Photographs and information about the participation of air forces in the Battle of Warsaw are taken from the article by Janusz Ledwoch “The Battle of Warsaw 1920. Operations of Polish Aviation”, “Wojsko i Technika. Historia” 4/2020
