The aircraft crew initially thought the brakes had jammed, so the brake lines were cut, but two further attempts to move failed. The commanders of the operation decided to evacuate the passengers and burn the aircraft — all of this was happening at night in Nazi-occupied Lesser Poland… The aircraft was not burned. Thanks to the presence of mind and courage of local heroes, it managed to take off from the “Motyl” landing strip and smuggle fragments of the V2 rocket to Great Britain.
The V2 was a ballistic missile with a warhead weighing 980 kg, designed by Wernher von Braun, with an engine designed by Dr. Eng. Walter Thiel, which used ethyl alcohol as fuel. The rocket had a range of approximately 280 km. Due to its supersonic speed and high flight altitude, there was no defence against it, and combating these rockets on the ground was extremely difficult because they were launched from easily camouflaged mobile launchers.
On 20 May 1944, a V2 rocket fell near the village of Klimczyce near Sarnaki. It did not explode and was captured by soldiers of the Home Army (AK). The most important components of the rocket and a report containing analyses by Polish engineers (including Antoni Kocjan) were to be sent by air to Great Britain. For this purpose, Operation “Most III” (Bridge III) was planned. As part of this operation, not without obstacles, on the night of 25/26 July 1944, from the “Motyl” landing strip in the village of Wał-Ruda near Tarnów, a Dakota Mk III aircraft transported the priceless “find” to Brindisi in Italy. From there, it was sent to Great Britain.
The analysis of the German V2 rocket tests, the capture of a specimen, its documentation, and the shipment of its components to Great Britain was one of the greatest achievements of the Polish resistance movement during World War II. Although it did not spare London and other Allied cities from attacks by these rockets, it significantly delayed their deployment, preventing them from becoming the “wonder weapon” that would tip the balance of victory in Germany’s favour.
The exhibition featured remnants of V2 rockets, photographs, and educational panels. The exhibits came from the Museum of Operation Most III in Zabawa, established by Fr. Zbigniew Szostak, Custodian of the Sanctuary of Bl. Karolina Kózkówna in Zabawa.
The exhibition was part of the series “Home Museums. Reviving Identity in Local Communities of Małopolska”.
Exhibition curator: Jarosław Dobrzyński
Task team: Jarosław Dobrzyński, Szymon Placha, Błażej Młudzik, Aleksandra Blachnicka
Graphic design: Marcin Kralka
