On 14 February we observe the National Day of Remembrance of Home Army Soldiers — a holiday established on 9 January 2025 by a resolution of the Polish Parliament in tribute to the heroes of the largest underground army in occupied Europe and their heroic fight against the German and Soviet occupiers in 1939–1945.
Polish aviators, pilots, instructors and aircraft designers also fought in the ranks of the Home Army. Their knowledge, courage and patriotism contributed to the armed effort for Poland’s independence. Among them were:
Another outstanding figure linking the history of the Home Army with Polish aviation was Ryszard Witkowski (1926–2022), code names “Romuald”, “Orliński”.
During the occupation he was a soldier of the NOW and the Home Army, a participant in airdrop operations and a distributor of the underground press. Together with his mother Felicja and sister Aniela, he was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations for helping Jews — the family hid escapees from the Warsaw Ghetto, insurgents from the concentration camp at Gęsiówka, and forged documents.
After the war he became one of the pioneers of Polish helicopter aviation. As a test pilot at the Institute of Aviation, he flew helicopters including the BŻ-1 Gil, BŻ-4 Żuk and SM-1, which are now exhibits in our Museum. Moreover, in 1973 he personally flew an SM-1 helicopter to the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków and donated the machine to the Museum’s collection.
Ryszard Witkowski was the author of valued books and aviation publications, including “Budowa i pilotaż śmigłowców” (Helicopter Construction and Piloting), “Sześć stopni swobody” (Six Degrees of Freedom) and “Dzieje śmigłowca” (The History of the Helicopter). He translated into Polish the memoirs of two outstanding fighter aces: the American pilot of Polish descent Francis Gabreski and the fighter pilot of the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain Jan Zumbach. He was also a laureate of the FAI Gold Rotorcraft Medal — a prestigious distinction in helicopter aviation, for contributions to the development of rotorcraft. The medal can today be seen at the permanent exhibition “With the Wind and Against the Wind: Civil Aviation” in Hangar No. 5.
