On Friday morning (19 July), at Tarnów City Hall, a cooperation agreement was signed during a press conference between the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków, the Museum of the Tarnów Region and the Mościce Arts Centre. All three institutions are co-organising the Winged Tarnów event, which will take place on 26–28 July 2024 as part of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Operation Bridge III.
The documents were signed by:
Anna Chmura, Director of the Mościce Arts Centre
Kazimierz Kurczab, Director of the Museum of the Tarnów Region
Tomasz Kosecki, Director of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków
During the conference, the directors presented the programme of the upcoming event.
The inspiration for organising Winged Tarnów is the 80th anniversary of Operation Bridge III, which falls this year. The success of this operation, which took place on the night of 25–26 July 1944 at the Motyl landing strip located north-west of Tarnów, influenced the events of World War II and contributed to the ultimate Allied victory. Thanks to the involvement of Home Army soldiers, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain from 267 Squadron RAF, flying from Brindisi in Italy, managed to land between the villages of Jadowniki Mokre and Wał Ruda in order to take off again under dramatic circumstances, carrying couriers and fragments of the German superweapon — the V2 rocket — along with its documentation, to the West.
During the celebrations, you will be able to admire our Museum’s flying exhibits: the Yak-18 and Piper Cub aircraft.
We also invite you to our stand, where the following will be available:
There will also be an opportunity to purchase interesting publications, including a guide to places of aviation heritage in our region: Following the Aviation Traditions of Małopolska, which contains detailed information and locations of all drop zones and landing strips of Operation Bridge.
Detailed event programme:
26 July — TARNÓW, ul. Traugutta 1
17:30 — opening of the Winged Tarnów exhibition
18:00 — lecture The Winged History of Tarnów and the Region — Jakub Nowak
18:30 — lecture Glider Training as the Foundation of Polish Aviation Development 1930–39 and screening of the 1936 archival film A Training Glider in Construction and Flight — Tomasz Kosecki, Director of the Polish Aviation Museum
19:00 — lecture Mościce Aviation Threads 1927–1939. Free (and not only) Impressions on Flying over Mościce — Marek Smoła
19:30 — screening of the film The Courier, which tells the story of Operation Bridge III
21:30 — night balloon launch
27 July — TARNÓW, ul. Traugutta 1
14:00–22:00 — animations, workshops, artistic performances, competitions, re-enactment groups, Mościce Balloon Club, outdoor shooting range, food zone, wooden model-building workshops — Polish Aviation Museum tent
16:00 — demonstration flyover of aircraft, including flying exhibits of the Polish Aviation Museum: Yak-18 and Piper Cub
20:30 — outdoor cinema The Boy in the Clouds
28 July — Wał-Ruda / Zabawa — celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Operation Bridge III
9:30 — Wał-Ruda — ceremony at the monument to the participants of Operation Bridge III
11:00 — Zabawa — Holy Mass for the participants of Operation Bridge III
12:00 — Zabawa — presentation of the book The Moth Watches at Night. By Dakota to Freedom, Dr hab. Andrzej Olejko; presentation of armaments produced by the Tarnów Mechanical Works; presentation of historical re-enactment groups.
