Fifty years ago Germany invaded Poland ignited con flict would become second great war century defense Polish skies fell gull-winged Pllc fighter Obso lete still capable weapon highly maneuverable aircraft loved its pilots affectionately knew Jedenastkathe Eleven EJan P Koniarek SEPTEMBER IN POLAND marks ginning so-called Golden Polish Au tumn season renowned its natural beauty excellent weather autumn 1939 however presented vastly differ ent picture National rivalries Europe intensified point impending disaster seemed almost palpable cloud doom hung over Poland mocking clear idyllic skies Poles Long anticipating German invasion begun advance military preparations last days August German invasion Poland coming September 1 1939 triggered battles develop World War II bloody internecine conflict lasted six years sacrificed millions lives Polands military preparations cluded deploying supplementing air force reserves war finally broke out task defending pure September skies against onslaught German Luftwaffe left entirely small hope lessly obsolete gull-winged fighter known officially P1 lc Pilots dubbed warbird Jedenastka Eleven September 1989 77 Top early prototypes P6/i widely exhibited abroad order attract eign sales Polish pilot Boleslaw Orlinski seen standing next airplane dur ing National Air Races Cleveland OH 1931 Smithsonian Institution photo Above two surviving Pllc planes out 750 P-series craft built airplane preserved Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow Poland view clearly shows characteristic intersection gull-wing roots fuselage Left close-up tail section showing tail skid assembly also shows state preservation aircraft less per fect Several small parts missing including leather tail skid cover access panel Right close-up bomb release under wing outlined national insignia view clearly shows corrugated skin covering wingsthe nemesis model builders Some 150 Jedenastkas thrown initial stage war came known September Campaign aircraft supplemented two earlier less advanced variants about 20 Plla 105 P7a Due obsolescence older aircraft used mainly reconnaissance Polish Air Force also used bombers ob servation aircraft support army coordination between fight ers almost nonexistent rapidly de veloping chaos combat situation Pllc combat Luftwaffe attacked Poland Germanys design destroy Polish Air Force ground striking military targets major popula tion centers invaders hadnt antici pated fierceness Polish resistance however Opposing Luftwaffe Polish fighter strength organized around 10 squadtons assigned various ar mies located throughout country ad dition five squadrons stationed around War saw countrys capital made up spe cially formed Pursuit Brigade initial September 1st Luftwaffe tacks concentrated south against several airfields around Krakow very early morning Near airfields re turning German bombers surprised two P1 ic fighters 12 1st Squadron scram bling reach altitude Jedenast kas shot down Junkers Ju-87 divebomber other piloted Lt WIad yslaw Gnys able avoid attack ers Later day Gnys intercepted followed pair Dornier Do-17 bombers firing long ammuni tion lasted Both Dorniers later crashed surrounding countryside Thus short succession two Jedenastkas became cel ebrated first victim first victor air war still its infancy As day progressed center air war shifted Warsaw Luft waffe carried out devastating attacks de signed break citys will fight battles over Warsaw became fa 78 Model Aviation interior cockpit vestige sim pler times Pllc retained open cock pit primitive windscreen Again note less perfect state preservation Close-up engine cowling Pllc powered 620-hp PZL Mercury VI 9cylinder Polish-made radial engine driving wooden propeller circular exhaust collec tor housed around front cowling author seen unfinished %-scale model P1 ic rare Polish kit models airplane have builtfrom small Free Flight 1/4-scale RC ships DA L El K~ rm iii zzzzL Typical Airfoil C D F B CDE III icr U r 0o0 * u Jettisonable fuel tank 0 FEET 10 September 1989 79 p o2 mous history Polish Air Force Wave after wave German bombers pounded capital intercepted valiant P1 lc fighters Pursuit Brigade During week intense fighting Pursuit Brigade shot down 42 German airplanes losing 37 its own Jedenastkas werent used exclusively defending large cities during Septem ber Campaign put service fighters ground-attack aircraft re connaissance over Poland P1 ics lack speed range compared modern German fighters bombers offset least part superior ma neuverability proved especially use ful aerial combat well excel lent training spirit pilots vast majority 126 aerial victories scored Poles during September Campaign attributed warbirds As early September Campaign too first air aces World War II vaulted prominence Stanislaw Skalski came Polands leading flying ace Jedenastka shot down six German aircraft shared kill another pi lot its grit Polish Air Force suf fered such severe combat losses lack spare parts fuel ammunition middle September begun ap proach extinction Most airplanes destroyed combat Some did fall German hands few managed escape abroad majority pilots survived found way out country going eventually France England training ex perience served well RAF Its short distinguished combat history secured P1 lcs place among fa mous airplanes second great war making national symbol September Campaign Though its combat career ended phase war number close derivatives P1 ic ex ported before hostilities broke out contin ued fight foreign skies November 1940 example Royal Hellenic Air Force succeeded time denying air supremacy enemy em ployed three dozen P24 fighters defend itself against Italian Regia Aeronautica Luftwaffe About one-third en emy airplanes destroyed Greek Air Force fell guns aircraft year later Rumania used P24s Rus sian front brief time though later withdrew combat relegated secondary roles As late 1944 crews US 15th Air Force reported occasional encounters Jedenastka spin-offs History Jedenastka P1 ic evolved family P-series fighters designed Zygmunt Pulawski late 1920s built Polish Aircraft Estab lishment PZL Warsaw Pulawski 29 years old unhampered conventional thinking conceptualized very advanced aerodynamically clean all-metal fighter time wire-braced fabric-covered biplanes still predomi nated retrospect Pulawski design forged link between biplanes ear lier era cantilevered monoplanes future Pulawski triumph lasting achievement Unfortu nately was killed shortly after exe cuting masterpiece unable guide its growth After death design development work taken over colleague Wsiewolod Jakimiuk continued its evolution Pulawski originally designed fighter around V engine wing roots following arms V outlined engine cylinders first P-series fighter P1 flew 1929 powered 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza liquidcooled V engine However difficulties obtaining engines abroad combined development Poland indige nous radial engine resulted adapting design newer type engine well Early developmental work resulted con current production V-engine radialengine versions V-engined versions however never developed beyond prototype stage P6 first cf radial-engine variants followed closely im proved P7 became forerunner later models first enter series production About 150 P7s manufac tured Polish Air Force 1933 first air force Europe exclusively equipped all-rnA mono plane fighters Continued page 104 80 Model Aviation Several versions gull-winged fighter built exported foreign countries P24c manufactured Turkish Air Force Note enclosed cockpit wheel pants nemesis P1 ic far modern German Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter beautifully preserved aircraft exhibited Battle Britain museum London Par tially visible background Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber another antagonist P1 ic Polish pilots valiantly fought airplanes first air battles WW II over Poland September 1939 later French British Soviet squadrons over Europe 1 RWD-1 0 aerobatic airplane built Poland during late 1 930s designed resemble Pllc serve trainer fighter pilots Polish government ever decided against purchasing airplanes sold civilian flying clubs Jedenastka/Koniarek Continued page 80 improved P11 developed almost parallel P7 1932 P11/I prototype exhibited Paris Salon Internationale dAeronautique aroused considerable terest Two other prototypes built en tered international contests show off excellent design performance character isticsand attract foreign buyers P11/Ill prototype participated US National Air Races Cleveland OH 1932 Its predeces sor P6/I took part same races 1931 P1 la introduced service two years later followed immediately P1 Ic updated variant having slightly better engine improved performance P 1 ic chosen standard fighter Polish Air Force Within year 175 built PZL deployed fighter squadrons Rumania purchased number warplanes its own air force becoming first foreign customer mid-1930s private airplane manufac turer RWD designed built small nim ble acrobatic airplane RWD-10 some what resembled P1 Ic appearance equaled aspects performance Al though RWD hoped sell airplane trainer P 1 ic pilots Polish government proved unreceptive 30-odd aircraft built instead sold civilian flying clubs late 1930s tensions Germany reached crescendo Poland began develop ment improved variant P-series P24 Kobuza desperate gesture dictated lack realistic alternative design could rapidly put production Only two built before outbreak war served combat shooting down two German air planes mid-September Several versions fighter adopting designation P24 different suffixes promotional purposes made export development closely interre lated represented apogee Pulaw ski fighter line time P24s debut 1933 claimed fastest bestarmed single-seat fighter world Its im proved performance obtained tworow radial engine either Gnome-Rhone Mistral-Major depending customer prefer ence series also featured minor modifica tions such enclosed cockpit wheel spats stronger armament contained entirely wings fighters avidly sought foreign buyers mid-1930s Rumania purchased six P24Es built another 15 under license Greece Bulgaria purchased 36 P24s several versions Turkey purchased 44 assembled 20 imported Polish kits built some three dozen under license also several versions Toward end decade despite fact design clearly obsolete several other countries con templated ordering fighters air forces Although over 750 P-series fighters man ufactured total two survive today well-preserved P1 le prize exhibit Polish Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow aircraft served 121st Squadron during September Campaign Found intact Germans sent eval uation Erprobungsgruppe Rechlin test cen ter later displayed war trophy Armeemueseum Berlin Near end war recovered northwestern Poland Af ter being exhibited several locations vet eran opening rounds World War II Allied side ended up Krakow far originally stationed other survivor P24G reportedly pre served somewhere Turkey Its whereabouts variously given either Etimesgut base Ankara TUAF Museum Yesilkoy Air port Istambul original Pllc all-metal airplane shoulder wings gave characteris tic gull shape configuration designed reduce drag comparison high-wing mono plane well provide unobstructed forward visibility pilot proved sound idea widely copied Thirties French Loire 45 Loire 46 Devoitine D-560 Ger man Hensehel HS 121 American Doug las 0-31 among airplanes adopted arrangement configuration wings roughly double-trapezoid shape widest thick est section attachment struts ner sections sloped down became thinner approached fuselage wings empennage covered corru gated metal incorporated long ailerons also served flaps fuselage oval cross section except extreme front circular open cockpit fully equipped instru ments Polish made apart compass fixed V-shaped landing gear made profiled metal tubing Its shock absorbers placed inside fuselage lower air resistance protect dirt P1 le powered Polish-built 620horsepower PZL Mercury VI nine-cylinder radial engine main fuel tank located behind en gine could jettisoned flight reduce danger explosion case fire during com bat small auxiliary fuel tank right wing near leading edge sufficient capacity safe landing main tank ejected Some 40% P1 Ics used during World War II equipped radios out radios fighters radio call codes painted underside wings Ar mament consisted pair 77-millimeter ma chine guns fuselage some versions having additional pair wings P1 le following dimensions characteristics wingspan 35 ft 2 length 24 ft 9 height 9 ft 4 Its empty weight 2443 lb achieved speed 242 mph its range slightly over 500 miles Several characteristics Pllc make highly attractive modeling subject As small fighter prototype very stable flight exceedingly maneuverable virtues can expected carry through model rather short nose may problem care must exercised place engine far ward possible obtain proper center-ofgravity addition outstanding flight characteris tics P1 le model can sport colorful markings used Polish squadrons wartime service Polish fighters painted olive green overall pale blue wing empennage undersurfaces Most distinctive squadron markings simple very elaborate painted near rear fuselage Jedenastka can unusually eye-catching model complex emblems stars stripes crossed scythes 111th Kosciuszko Squadron design created American pilot Elliott W Chess small group fellow Americans flew Polish Air Force Russo-Polish war 1918-20 emblem later adopted Hawker Hurricanes flown Polish 303 Squadron England highest scoring squad ron during Battle Britain Most pilots squadron flown P1 les against Luftwaffe September Campaign red-and-white chessboard national insignia upper wing surfaces asymmetrically located attempt confuse aim enemy gunners combat During September Cam paign chessboards squadron markings frequently painted over greater camou flage P1 le its variants have draw back subjects models corrugated skin wings vertical horizontal control surfaces eight-to-the-inch corruga tions may present problem builder small-scale models less 4-scale can omitted unduly sacrificing fidelity scaleor desired can adequately simulated painting larger models ever no way around method constructing corrugated sheeting de scribed Bob Dolly Wisehers column page 42 February 1989 issue Model Av iation rate dont let construction quirk extra effort requires deter building model attractive histor ically significant airplane References Cynk Jerzy B Polish Aircraft London Putnam & Company Limited 1971 Cynk JB PZL P24 Profile Publication No 170 Leatherhead Surrey England Profile Publications 1967 Cynk JB ZA Datkiewicz Polands Greatest Fighter PZL P1 le Aeromodeller June 1960 Excellent description detailed plans P1 le plans reprint article can also obtained Repla-Tech International 48500 McKenzie Hwy Vida OR 97488 Franks Norman Aircraft Versus Aircraft Il lustrated Story Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 New York Macmillan Publishing Com pany 1986 Liss Withold PZL P-i 1 Profile Publica tion No 75 Leatherhead Surrey England Pro file Publications 1966 Also reprinted Aircraft Profile volume 4 Profile Publications Wind sor England 1966 Mathews WR Jedenastka P24 Flying Review International vol 21 no 9 May 1966 574-576 Color diagrams P lie P24 fighters Nogy Chris Larry Kruse Polish Fighter Flying Models December 1982 24-27 Con structiOn article plans Radio Con trol model P1 le Era Gulls Chronicles Pu lawski Fighter Line Air Enthusiast 28 JulyOctober 1985 responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation 104 Model Aviation
Edition: Model Aviation - 1989/09
Page Numbers: 77, 78, 79, 80, 104
Fifty years ago Germany invaded Poland ignited con flict would become second great war century defense Polish skies fell gull-winged Pllc fighter Obso lete still capable weapon highly maneuverable aircraft loved its pilots affectionately knew Jedenastkathe Eleven EJan P Koniarek SEPTEMBER IN POLAND marks ginning so-called Golden Polish Au tumn season renowned its natural beauty excellent weather autumn 1939 however presented vastly differ ent picture National rivalries Europe intensified point impending disaster seemed almost palpable cloud doom hung over Poland mocking clear idyllic skies Poles Long anticipating German invasion begun advance military preparations last days August German invasion Poland coming September 1 1939 triggered battles develop World War II bloody internecine conflict lasted six years sacrificed millions lives Polands military preparations cluded deploying supplementing air force reserves war finally broke out task defending pure September skies against onslaught German Luftwaffe left entirely small hope lessly obsolete gull-winged fighter known officially P1 lc Pilots dubbed warbird Jedenastka Eleven September 1989 77 Top early prototypes P6/i widely exhibited abroad order attract eign sales Polish pilot Boleslaw Orlinski seen standing next airplane dur ing National Air Races Cleveland OH 1931 Smithsonian Institution photo Above two surviving Pllc planes out 750 P-series craft built airplane preserved Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow Poland view clearly shows characteristic intersection gull-wing roots fuselage Left close-up tail section showing tail skid assembly also shows state preservation aircraft less per fect Several small parts missing including leather tail skid cover access panel Right close-up bomb release under wing outlined national insignia view clearly shows corrugated skin covering wingsthe nemesis model builders Some 150 Jedenastkas thrown initial stage war came known September Campaign aircraft supplemented two earlier less advanced variants about 20 Plla 105 P7a Due obsolescence older aircraft used mainly reconnaissance Polish Air Force also used bombers ob servation aircraft support army coordination between fight ers almost nonexistent rapidly de veloping chaos combat situation Pllc combat Luftwaffe attacked Poland Germanys design destroy Polish Air Force ground striking military targets major popula tion centers invaders hadnt antici pated fierceness Polish resistance however Opposing Luftwaffe Polish fighter strength organized around 10 squadtons assigned various ar mies located throughout country ad dition five squadrons stationed around War saw countrys capital made up spe cially formed Pursuit Brigade initial September 1st Luftwaffe tacks concentrated south against several airfields around Krakow very early morning Near airfields re turning German bombers surprised two P1 ic fighters 12 1st Squadron scram bling reach altitude Jedenast kas shot down Junkers Ju-87 divebomber other piloted Lt WIad yslaw Gnys able avoid attack ers Later day Gnys intercepted followed pair Dornier Do-17 bombers firing long ammuni tion lasted Both Dorniers later crashed surrounding countryside Thus short succession two Jedenastkas became cel ebrated first victim first victor air war still its infancy As day progressed center air war shifted Warsaw Luft waffe carried out devastating attacks de signed break citys will fight battles over Warsaw became fa 78 Model Aviation interior cockpit vestige sim pler times Pllc retained open cock pit primitive windscreen Again note less perfect state preservation Close-up engine cowling Pllc powered 620-hp PZL Mercury VI 9cylinder Polish-made radial engine driving wooden propeller circular exhaust collec tor housed around front cowling author seen unfinished %-scale model P1 ic rare Polish kit models airplane have builtfrom small Free Flight 1/4-scale RC ships DA L El K~ rm iii zzzzL Typical Airfoil C D F B CDE III icr U r 0o0 * u Jettisonable fuel tank 0 FEET 10 September 1989 79 p o2 mous history Polish Air Force Wave after wave German bombers pounded capital intercepted valiant P1 lc fighters Pursuit Brigade During week intense fighting Pursuit Brigade shot down 42 German airplanes losing 37 its own Jedenastkas werent used exclusively defending large cities during Septem ber Campaign put service fighters ground-attack aircraft re connaissance over Poland P1 ics lack speed range compared modern German fighters bombers offset least part superior ma neuverability proved especially use ful aerial combat well excel lent training spirit pilots vast majority 126 aerial victories scored Poles during September Campaign attributed warbirds As early September Campaign too first air aces World War II vaulted prominence Stanislaw Skalski came Polands leading flying ace Jedenastka shot down six German aircraft shared kill another pi lot its grit Polish Air Force suf fered such severe combat losses lack spare parts fuel ammunition middle September begun ap proach extinction Most airplanes destroyed combat Some did fall German hands few managed escape abroad majority pilots survived found way out country going eventually France England training ex perience served well RAF Its short distinguished combat history secured P1 lcs place among fa mous airplanes second great war making national symbol September Campaign Though its combat career ended phase war number close derivatives P1 ic ex ported before hostilities broke out contin ued fight foreign skies November 1940 example Royal Hellenic Air Force succeeded time denying air supremacy enemy em ployed three dozen P24 fighters defend itself against Italian Regia Aeronautica Luftwaffe About one-third en emy airplanes destroyed Greek Air Force fell guns aircraft year later Rumania used P24s Rus sian front brief time though later withdrew combat relegated secondary roles As late 1944 crews US 15th Air Force reported occasional encounters Jedenastka spin-offs History Jedenastka P1 ic evolved family P-series fighters designed Zygmunt Pulawski late 1920s built Polish Aircraft Estab lishment PZL Warsaw Pulawski 29 years old unhampered conventional thinking conceptualized very advanced aerodynamically clean all-metal fighter time wire-braced fabric-covered biplanes still predomi nated retrospect Pulawski design forged link between biplanes ear lier era cantilevered monoplanes future Pulawski triumph lasting achievement Unfortu nately was killed shortly after exe cuting masterpiece unable guide its growth After death design development work taken over colleague Wsiewolod Jakimiuk continued its evolution Pulawski originally designed fighter around V engine wing roots following arms V outlined engine cylinders first P-series fighter P1 flew 1929 powered 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza liquidcooled V engine However difficulties obtaining engines abroad combined development Poland indige nous radial engine resulted adapting design newer type engine well Early developmental work resulted con current production V-engine radialengine versions V-engined versions however never developed beyond prototype stage P6 first cf radial-engine variants followed closely im proved P7 became forerunner later models first enter series production About 150 P7s manufac tured Polish Air Force 1933 first air force Europe exclusively equipped all-rnA mono plane fighters Continued page 104 80 Model Aviation Several versions gull-winged fighter built exported foreign countries P24c manufactured Turkish Air Force Note enclosed cockpit wheel pants nemesis P1 ic far modern German Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter beautifully preserved aircraft exhibited Battle Britain museum London Par tially visible background Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber another antagonist P1 ic Polish pilots valiantly fought airplanes first air battles WW II over Poland September 1939 later French British Soviet squadrons over Europe 1 RWD-1 0 aerobatic airplane built Poland during late 1 930s designed resemble Pllc serve trainer fighter pilots Polish government ever decided against purchasing airplanes sold civilian flying clubs Jedenastka/Koniarek Continued page 80 improved P11 developed almost parallel P7 1932 P11/I prototype exhibited Paris Salon Internationale dAeronautique aroused considerable terest Two other prototypes built en tered international contests show off excellent design performance character isticsand attract foreign buyers P11/Ill prototype participated US National Air Races Cleveland OH 1932 Its predeces sor P6/I took part same races 1931 P1 la introduced service two years later followed immediately P1 Ic updated variant having slightly better engine improved performance P 1 ic chosen standard fighter Polish Air Force Within year 175 built PZL deployed fighter squadrons Rumania purchased number warplanes its own air force becoming first foreign customer mid-1930s private airplane manufac turer RWD designed built small nim ble acrobatic airplane RWD-10 some what resembled P1 Ic appearance equaled aspects performance Al though RWD hoped sell airplane trainer P 1 ic pilots Polish government proved unreceptive 30-odd aircraft built instead sold civilian flying clubs late 1930s tensions Germany reached crescendo Poland began develop ment improved variant P-series P24 Kobuza desperate gesture dictated lack realistic alternative design could rapidly put production Only two built before outbreak war served combat shooting down two German air planes mid-September Several versions fighter adopting designation P24 different suffixes promotional purposes made export development closely interre lated represented apogee Pulaw ski fighter line time P24s debut 1933 claimed fastest bestarmed single-seat fighter world Its im proved performance obtained tworow radial engine either Gnome-Rhone Mistral-Major depending customer prefer ence series also featured minor modifica tions such enclosed cockpit wheel spats stronger armament contained entirely wings fighters avidly sought foreign buyers mid-1930s Rumania purchased six P24Es built another 15 under license Greece Bulgaria purchased 36 P24s several versions Turkey purchased 44 assembled 20 imported Polish kits built some three dozen under license also several versions Toward end decade despite fact design clearly obsolete several other countries con templated ordering fighters air forces Although over 750 P-series fighters man ufactured total two survive today well-preserved P1 le prize exhibit Polish Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow aircraft served 121st Squadron during September Campaign Found intact Germans sent eval uation Erprobungsgruppe Rechlin test cen ter later displayed war trophy Armeemueseum Berlin Near end war recovered northwestern Poland Af ter being exhibited several locations vet eran opening rounds World War II Allied side ended up Krakow far originally stationed other survivor P24G reportedly pre served somewhere Turkey Its whereabouts variously given either Etimesgut base Ankara TUAF Museum Yesilkoy Air port Istambul original Pllc all-metal airplane shoulder wings gave characteris tic gull shape configuration designed reduce drag comparison high-wing mono plane well provide unobstructed forward visibility pilot proved sound idea widely copied Thirties French Loire 45 Loire 46 Devoitine D-560 Ger man Hensehel HS 121 American Doug las 0-31 among airplanes adopted arrangement configuration wings roughly double-trapezoid shape widest thick est section attachment struts ner sections sloped down became thinner approached fuselage wings empennage covered corru gated metal incorporated long ailerons also served flaps fuselage oval cross section except extreme front circular open cockpit fully equipped instru ments Polish made apart compass fixed V-shaped landing gear made profiled metal tubing Its shock absorbers placed inside fuselage lower air resistance protect dirt P1 le powered Polish-built 620horsepower PZL Mercury VI nine-cylinder radial engine main fuel tank located behind en gine could jettisoned flight reduce danger explosion case fire during com bat small auxiliary fuel tank right wing near leading edge sufficient capacity safe landing main tank ejected Some 40% P1 Ics used during World War II equipped radios out radios fighters radio call codes painted underside wings Ar mament consisted pair 77-millimeter ma chine guns fuselage some versions having additional pair wings P1 le following dimensions characteristics wingspan 35 ft 2 length 24 ft 9 height 9 ft 4 Its empty weight 2443 lb achieved speed 242 mph its range slightly over 500 miles Several characteristics Pllc make highly attractive modeling subject As small fighter prototype very stable flight exceedingly maneuverable virtues can expected carry through model rather short nose may problem care must exercised place engine far ward possible obtain proper center-ofgravity addition outstanding flight characteris tics P1 le model can sport colorful markings used Polish squadrons wartime service Polish fighters painted olive green overall pale blue wing empennage undersurfaces Most distinctive squadron markings simple very elaborate painted near rear fuselage Jedenastka can unusually eye-catching model complex emblems stars stripes crossed scythes 111th Kosciuszko Squadron design created American pilot Elliott W Chess small group fellow Americans flew Polish Air Force Russo-Polish war 1918-20 emblem later adopted Hawker Hurricanes flown Polish 303 Squadron England highest scoring squad ron during Battle Britain Most pilots squadron flown P1 les against Luftwaffe September Campaign red-and-white chessboard national insignia upper wing surfaces asymmetrically located attempt confuse aim enemy gunners combat During September Cam paign chessboards squadron markings frequently painted over greater camou flage P1 le its variants have draw back subjects models corrugated skin wings vertical horizontal control surfaces eight-to-the-inch corruga tions may present problem builder small-scale models less 4-scale can omitted unduly sacrificing fidelity scaleor desired can adequately simulated painting larger models ever no way around method constructing corrugated sheeting de scribed Bob Dolly Wisehers column page 42 February 1989 issue Model Av iation rate dont let construction quirk extra effort requires deter building model attractive histor ically significant airplane References Cynk Jerzy B Polish Aircraft London Putnam & Company Limited 1971 Cynk JB PZL P24 Profile Publication No 170 Leatherhead Surrey England Profile Publications 1967 Cynk JB ZA Datkiewicz Polands Greatest Fighter PZL P1 le Aeromodeller June 1960 Excellent description detailed plans P1 le plans reprint article can also obtained Repla-Tech International 48500 McKenzie Hwy Vida OR 97488 Franks Norman Aircraft Versus Aircraft Il lustrated Story Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 New York Macmillan Publishing Com pany 1986 Liss Withold PZL P-i 1 Profile Publica tion No 75 Leatherhead Surrey England Pro file Publications 1966 Also reprinted Aircraft Profile volume 4 Profile Publications Wind sor England 1966 Mathews WR Jedenastka P24 Flying Review International vol 21 no 9 May 1966 574-576 Color diagrams P lie P24 fighters Nogy Chris Larry Kruse Polish Fighter Flying Models December 1982 24-27 Con structiOn article plans Radio Con trol model P1 le Era Gulls Chronicles Pu lawski Fighter Line Air Enthusiast 28 JulyOctober 1985 responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation 104 Model Aviation
Edition: Model Aviation - 1989/09
Page Numbers: 77, 78, 79, 80, 104
Fifty years ago Germany invaded Poland ignited con flict would become second great war century defense Polish skies fell gull-winged Pllc fighter Obso lete still capable weapon highly maneuverable aircraft loved its pilots affectionately knew Jedenastkathe Eleven EJan P Koniarek SEPTEMBER IN POLAND marks ginning so-called Golden Polish Au tumn season renowned its natural beauty excellent weather autumn 1939 however presented vastly differ ent picture National rivalries Europe intensified point impending disaster seemed almost palpable cloud doom hung over Poland mocking clear idyllic skies Poles Long anticipating German invasion begun advance military preparations last days August German invasion Poland coming September 1 1939 triggered battles develop World War II bloody internecine conflict lasted six years sacrificed millions lives Polands military preparations cluded deploying supplementing air force reserves war finally broke out task defending pure September skies against onslaught German Luftwaffe left entirely small hope lessly obsolete gull-winged fighter known officially P1 lc Pilots dubbed warbird Jedenastka Eleven September 1989 77 Top early prototypes P6/i widely exhibited abroad order attract eign sales Polish pilot Boleslaw Orlinski seen standing next airplane dur ing National Air Races Cleveland OH 1931 Smithsonian Institution photo Above two surviving Pllc planes out 750 P-series craft built airplane preserved Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow Poland view clearly shows characteristic intersection gull-wing roots fuselage Left close-up tail section showing tail skid assembly also shows state preservation aircraft less per fect Several small parts missing including leather tail skid cover access panel Right close-up bomb release under wing outlined national insignia view clearly shows corrugated skin covering wingsthe nemesis model builders Some 150 Jedenastkas thrown initial stage war came known September Campaign aircraft supplemented two earlier less advanced variants about 20 Plla 105 P7a Due obsolescence older aircraft used mainly reconnaissance Polish Air Force also used bombers ob servation aircraft support army coordination between fight ers almost nonexistent rapidly de veloping chaos combat situation Pllc combat Luftwaffe attacked Poland Germanys design destroy Polish Air Force ground striking military targets major popula tion centers invaders hadnt antici pated fierceness Polish resistance however Opposing Luftwaffe Polish fighter strength organized around 10 squadtons assigned various ar mies located throughout country ad dition five squadrons stationed around War saw countrys capital made up spe cially formed Pursuit Brigade initial September 1st Luftwaffe tacks concentrated south against several airfields around Krakow very early morning Near airfields re turning German bombers surprised two P1 ic fighters 12 1st Squadron scram bling reach altitude Jedenast kas shot down Junkers Ju-87 divebomber other piloted Lt WIad yslaw Gnys able avoid attack ers Later day Gnys intercepted followed pair Dornier Do-17 bombers firing long ammuni tion lasted Both Dorniers later crashed surrounding countryside Thus short succession two Jedenastkas became cel ebrated first victim first victor air war still its infancy As day progressed center air war shifted Warsaw Luft waffe carried out devastating attacks de signed break citys will fight battles over Warsaw became fa 78 Model Aviation interior cockpit vestige sim pler times Pllc retained open cock pit primitive windscreen Again note less perfect state preservation Close-up engine cowling Pllc powered 620-hp PZL Mercury VI 9cylinder Polish-made radial engine driving wooden propeller circular exhaust collec tor housed around front cowling author seen unfinished %-scale model P1 ic rare Polish kit models airplane have builtfrom small Free Flight 1/4-scale RC ships DA L El K~ rm iii zzzzL Typical Airfoil C D F B CDE III icr U r 0o0 * u Jettisonable fuel tank 0 FEET 10 September 1989 79 p o2 mous history Polish Air Force Wave after wave German bombers pounded capital intercepted valiant P1 lc fighters Pursuit Brigade During week intense fighting Pursuit Brigade shot down 42 German airplanes losing 37 its own Jedenastkas werent used exclusively defending large cities during Septem ber Campaign put service fighters ground-attack aircraft re connaissance over Poland P1 ics lack speed range compared modern German fighters bombers offset least part superior ma neuverability proved especially use ful aerial combat well excel lent training spirit pilots vast majority 126 aerial victories scored Poles during September Campaign attributed warbirds As early September Campaign too first air aces World War II vaulted prominence Stanislaw Skalski came Polands leading flying ace Jedenastka shot down six German aircraft shared kill another pi lot its grit Polish Air Force suf fered such severe combat losses lack spare parts fuel ammunition middle September begun ap proach extinction Most airplanes destroyed combat Some did fall German hands few managed escape abroad majority pilots survived found way out country going eventually France England training ex perience served well RAF Its short distinguished combat history secured P1 lcs place among fa mous airplanes second great war making national symbol September Campaign Though its combat career ended phase war number close derivatives P1 ic ex ported before hostilities broke out contin ued fight foreign skies November 1940 example Royal Hellenic Air Force succeeded time denying air supremacy enemy em ployed three dozen P24 fighters defend itself against Italian Regia Aeronautica Luftwaffe About one-third en emy airplanes destroyed Greek Air Force fell guns aircraft year later Rumania used P24s Rus sian front brief time though later withdrew combat relegated secondary roles As late 1944 crews US 15th Air Force reported occasional encounters Jedenastka spin-offs History Jedenastka P1 ic evolved family P-series fighters designed Zygmunt Pulawski late 1920s built Polish Aircraft Estab lishment PZL Warsaw Pulawski 29 years old unhampered conventional thinking conceptualized very advanced aerodynamically clean all-metal fighter time wire-braced fabric-covered biplanes still predomi nated retrospect Pulawski design forged link between biplanes ear lier era cantilevered monoplanes future Pulawski triumph lasting achievement Unfortu nately was killed shortly after exe cuting masterpiece unable guide its growth After death design development work taken over colleague Wsiewolod Jakimiuk continued its evolution Pulawski originally designed fighter around V engine wing roots following arms V outlined engine cylinders first P-series fighter P1 flew 1929 powered 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza liquidcooled V engine However difficulties obtaining engines abroad combined development Poland indige nous radial engine resulted adapting design newer type engine well Early developmental work resulted con current production V-engine radialengine versions V-engined versions however never developed beyond prototype stage P6 first cf radial-engine variants followed closely im proved P7 became forerunner later models first enter series production About 150 P7s manufac tured Polish Air Force 1933 first air force Europe exclusively equipped all-rnA mono plane fighters Continued page 104 80 Model Aviation Several versions gull-winged fighter built exported foreign countries P24c manufactured Turkish Air Force Note enclosed cockpit wheel pants nemesis P1 ic far modern German Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter beautifully preserved aircraft exhibited Battle Britain museum London Par tially visible background Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber another antagonist P1 ic Polish pilots valiantly fought airplanes first air battles WW II over Poland September 1939 later French British Soviet squadrons over Europe 1 RWD-1 0 aerobatic airplane built Poland during late 1 930s designed resemble Pllc serve trainer fighter pilots Polish government ever decided against purchasing airplanes sold civilian flying clubs Jedenastka/Koniarek Continued page 80 improved P11 developed almost parallel P7 1932 P11/I prototype exhibited Paris Salon Internationale dAeronautique aroused considerable terest Two other prototypes built en tered international contests show off excellent design performance character isticsand attract foreign buyers P11/Ill prototype participated US National Air Races Cleveland OH 1932 Its predeces sor P6/I took part same races 1931 P1 la introduced service two years later followed immediately P1 Ic updated variant having slightly better engine improved performance P 1 ic chosen standard fighter Polish Air Force Within year 175 built PZL deployed fighter squadrons Rumania purchased number warplanes its own air force becoming first foreign customer mid-1930s private airplane manufac turer RWD designed built small nim ble acrobatic airplane RWD-10 some what resembled P1 Ic appearance equaled aspects performance Al though RWD hoped sell airplane trainer P 1 ic pilots Polish government proved unreceptive 30-odd aircraft built instead sold civilian flying clubs late 1930s tensions Germany reached crescendo Poland began develop ment improved variant P-series P24 Kobuza desperate gesture dictated lack realistic alternative design could rapidly put production Only two built before outbreak war served combat shooting down two German air planes mid-September Several versions fighter adopting designation P24 different suffixes promotional purposes made export development closely interre lated represented apogee Pulaw ski fighter line time P24s debut 1933 claimed fastest bestarmed single-seat fighter world Its im proved performance obtained tworow radial engine either Gnome-Rhone Mistral-Major depending customer prefer ence series also featured minor modifica tions such enclosed cockpit wheel spats stronger armament contained entirely wings fighters avidly sought foreign buyers mid-1930s Rumania purchased six P24Es built another 15 under license Greece Bulgaria purchased 36 P24s several versions Turkey purchased 44 assembled 20 imported Polish kits built some three dozen under license also several versions Toward end decade despite fact design clearly obsolete several other countries con templated ordering fighters air forces Although over 750 P-series fighters man ufactured total two survive today well-preserved P1 le prize exhibit Polish Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow aircraft served 121st Squadron during September Campaign Found intact Germans sent eval uation Erprobungsgruppe Rechlin test cen ter later displayed war trophy Armeemueseum Berlin Near end war recovered northwestern Poland Af ter being exhibited several locations vet eran opening rounds World War II Allied side ended up Krakow far originally stationed other survivor P24G reportedly pre served somewhere Turkey Its whereabouts variously given either Etimesgut base Ankara TUAF Museum Yesilkoy Air port Istambul original Pllc all-metal airplane shoulder wings gave characteris tic gull shape configuration designed reduce drag comparison high-wing mono plane well provide unobstructed forward visibility pilot proved sound idea widely copied Thirties French Loire 45 Loire 46 Devoitine D-560 Ger man Hensehel HS 121 American Doug las 0-31 among airplanes adopted arrangement configuration wings roughly double-trapezoid shape widest thick est section attachment struts ner sections sloped down became thinner approached fuselage wings empennage covered corru gated metal incorporated long ailerons also served flaps fuselage oval cross section except extreme front circular open cockpit fully equipped instru ments Polish made apart compass fixed V-shaped landing gear made profiled metal tubing Its shock absorbers placed inside fuselage lower air resistance protect dirt P1 le powered Polish-built 620horsepower PZL Mercury VI nine-cylinder radial engine main fuel tank located behind en gine could jettisoned flight reduce danger explosion case fire during com bat small auxiliary fuel tank right wing near leading edge sufficient capacity safe landing main tank ejected Some 40% P1 Ics used during World War II equipped radios out radios fighters radio call codes painted underside wings Ar mament consisted pair 77-millimeter ma chine guns fuselage some versions having additional pair wings P1 le following dimensions characteristics wingspan 35 ft 2 length 24 ft 9 height 9 ft 4 Its empty weight 2443 lb achieved speed 242 mph its range slightly over 500 miles Several characteristics Pllc make highly attractive modeling subject As small fighter prototype very stable flight exceedingly maneuverable virtues can expected carry through model rather short nose may problem care must exercised place engine far ward possible obtain proper center-ofgravity addition outstanding flight characteris tics P1 le model can sport colorful markings used Polish squadrons wartime service Polish fighters painted olive green overall pale blue wing empennage undersurfaces Most distinctive squadron markings simple very elaborate painted near rear fuselage Jedenastka can unusually eye-catching model complex emblems stars stripes crossed scythes 111th Kosciuszko Squadron design created American pilot Elliott W Chess small group fellow Americans flew Polish Air Force Russo-Polish war 1918-20 emblem later adopted Hawker Hurricanes flown Polish 303 Squadron England highest scoring squad ron during Battle Britain Most pilots squadron flown P1 les against Luftwaffe September Campaign red-and-white chessboard national insignia upper wing surfaces asymmetrically located attempt confuse aim enemy gunners combat During September Cam paign chessboards squadron markings frequently painted over greater camou flage P1 le its variants have draw back subjects models corrugated skin wings vertical horizontal control surfaces eight-to-the-inch corruga tions may present problem builder small-scale models less 4-scale can omitted unduly sacrificing fidelity scaleor desired can adequately simulated painting larger models ever no way around method constructing corrugated sheeting de scribed Bob Dolly Wisehers column page 42 February 1989 issue Model Av iation rate dont let construction quirk extra effort requires deter building model attractive histor ically significant airplane References Cynk Jerzy B Polish Aircraft London Putnam & Company Limited 1971 Cynk JB PZL P24 Profile Publication No 170 Leatherhead Surrey England Profile Publications 1967 Cynk JB ZA Datkiewicz Polands Greatest Fighter PZL P1 le Aeromodeller June 1960 Excellent description detailed plans P1 le plans reprint article can also obtained Repla-Tech International 48500 McKenzie Hwy Vida OR 97488 Franks Norman Aircraft Versus Aircraft Il lustrated Story Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 New York Macmillan Publishing Com pany 1986 Liss Withold PZL P-i 1 Profile Publica tion No 75 Leatherhead Surrey England Pro file Publications 1966 Also reprinted Aircraft Profile volume 4 Profile Publications Wind sor England 1966 Mathews WR Jedenastka P24 Flying Review International vol 21 no 9 May 1966 574-576 Color diagrams P lie P24 fighters Nogy Chris Larry Kruse Polish Fighter Flying Models December 1982 24-27 Con structiOn article plans Radio Con trol model P1 le Era Gulls Chronicles Pu lawski Fighter Line Air Enthusiast 28 JulyOctober 1985 responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation 104 Model Aviation
Edition: Model Aviation - 1989/09
Page Numbers: 77, 78, 79, 80, 104
Fifty years ago Germany invaded Poland ignited con flict would become second great war century defense Polish skies fell gull-winged Pllc fighter Obso lete still capable weapon highly maneuverable aircraft loved its pilots affectionately knew Jedenastkathe Eleven EJan P Koniarek SEPTEMBER IN POLAND marks ginning so-called Golden Polish Au tumn season renowned its natural beauty excellent weather autumn 1939 however presented vastly differ ent picture National rivalries Europe intensified point impending disaster seemed almost palpable cloud doom hung over Poland mocking clear idyllic skies Poles Long anticipating German invasion begun advance military preparations last days August German invasion Poland coming September 1 1939 triggered battles develop World War II bloody internecine conflict lasted six years sacrificed millions lives Polands military preparations cluded deploying supplementing air force reserves war finally broke out task defending pure September skies against onslaught German Luftwaffe left entirely small hope lessly obsolete gull-winged fighter known officially P1 lc Pilots dubbed warbird Jedenastka Eleven September 1989 77 Top early prototypes P6/i widely exhibited abroad order attract eign sales Polish pilot Boleslaw Orlinski seen standing next airplane dur ing National Air Races Cleveland OH 1931 Smithsonian Institution photo Above two surviving Pllc planes out 750 P-series craft built airplane preserved Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow Poland view clearly shows characteristic intersection gull-wing roots fuselage Left close-up tail section showing tail skid assembly also shows state preservation aircraft less per fect Several small parts missing including leather tail skid cover access panel Right close-up bomb release under wing outlined national insignia view clearly shows corrugated skin covering wingsthe nemesis model builders Some 150 Jedenastkas thrown initial stage war came known September Campaign aircraft supplemented two earlier less advanced variants about 20 Plla 105 P7a Due obsolescence older aircraft used mainly reconnaissance Polish Air Force also used bombers ob servation aircraft support army coordination between fight ers almost nonexistent rapidly de veloping chaos combat situation Pllc combat Luftwaffe attacked Poland Germanys design destroy Polish Air Force ground striking military targets major popula tion centers invaders hadnt antici pated fierceness Polish resistance however Opposing Luftwaffe Polish fighter strength organized around 10 squadtons assigned various ar mies located throughout country ad dition five squadrons stationed around War saw countrys capital made up spe cially formed Pursuit Brigade initial September 1st Luftwaffe tacks concentrated south against several airfields around Krakow very early morning Near airfields re turning German bombers surprised two P1 ic fighters 12 1st Squadron scram bling reach altitude Jedenast kas shot down Junkers Ju-87 divebomber other piloted Lt WIad yslaw Gnys able avoid attack ers Later day Gnys intercepted followed pair Dornier Do-17 bombers firing long ammuni tion lasted Both Dorniers later crashed surrounding countryside Thus short succession two Jedenastkas became cel ebrated first victim first victor air war still its infancy As day progressed center air war shifted Warsaw Luft waffe carried out devastating attacks de signed break citys will fight battles over Warsaw became fa 78 Model Aviation interior cockpit vestige sim pler times Pllc retained open cock pit primitive windscreen Again note less perfect state preservation Close-up engine cowling Pllc powered 620-hp PZL Mercury VI 9cylinder Polish-made radial engine driving wooden propeller circular exhaust collec tor housed around front cowling author seen unfinished %-scale model P1 ic rare Polish kit models airplane have builtfrom small Free Flight 1/4-scale RC ships DA L El K~ rm iii zzzzL Typical Airfoil C D F B CDE III icr U r 0o0 * u Jettisonable fuel tank 0 FEET 10 September 1989 79 p o2 mous history Polish Air Force Wave after wave German bombers pounded capital intercepted valiant P1 lc fighters Pursuit Brigade During week intense fighting Pursuit Brigade shot down 42 German airplanes losing 37 its own Jedenastkas werent used exclusively defending large cities during Septem ber Campaign put service fighters ground-attack aircraft re connaissance over Poland P1 ics lack speed range compared modern German fighters bombers offset least part superior ma neuverability proved especially use ful aerial combat well excel lent training spirit pilots vast majority 126 aerial victories scored Poles during September Campaign attributed warbirds As early September Campaign too first air aces World War II vaulted prominence Stanislaw Skalski came Polands leading flying ace Jedenastka shot down six German aircraft shared kill another pi lot its grit Polish Air Force suf fered such severe combat losses lack spare parts fuel ammunition middle September begun ap proach extinction Most airplanes destroyed combat Some did fall German hands few managed escape abroad majority pilots survived found way out country going eventually France England training ex perience served well RAF Its short distinguished combat history secured P1 lcs place among fa mous airplanes second great war making national symbol September Campaign Though its combat career ended phase war number close derivatives P1 ic ex ported before hostilities broke out contin ued fight foreign skies November 1940 example Royal Hellenic Air Force succeeded time denying air supremacy enemy em ployed three dozen P24 fighters defend itself against Italian Regia Aeronautica Luftwaffe About one-third en emy airplanes destroyed Greek Air Force fell guns aircraft year later Rumania used P24s Rus sian front brief time though later withdrew combat relegated secondary roles As late 1944 crews US 15th Air Force reported occasional encounters Jedenastka spin-offs History Jedenastka P1 ic evolved family P-series fighters designed Zygmunt Pulawski late 1920s built Polish Aircraft Estab lishment PZL Warsaw Pulawski 29 years old unhampered conventional thinking conceptualized very advanced aerodynamically clean all-metal fighter time wire-braced fabric-covered biplanes still predomi nated retrospect Pulawski design forged link between biplanes ear lier era cantilevered monoplanes future Pulawski triumph lasting achievement Unfortu nately was killed shortly after exe cuting masterpiece unable guide its growth After death design development work taken over colleague Wsiewolod Jakimiuk continued its evolution Pulawski originally designed fighter around V engine wing roots following arms V outlined engine cylinders first P-series fighter P1 flew 1929 powered 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza liquidcooled V engine However difficulties obtaining engines abroad combined development Poland indige nous radial engine resulted adapting design newer type engine well Early developmental work resulted con current production V-engine radialengine versions V-engined versions however never developed beyond prototype stage P6 first cf radial-engine variants followed closely im proved P7 became forerunner later models first enter series production About 150 P7s manufac tured Polish Air Force 1933 first air force Europe exclusively equipped all-rnA mono plane fighters Continued page 104 80 Model Aviation Several versions gull-winged fighter built exported foreign countries P24c manufactured Turkish Air Force Note enclosed cockpit wheel pants nemesis P1 ic far modern German Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter beautifully preserved aircraft exhibited Battle Britain museum London Par tially visible background Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber another antagonist P1 ic Polish pilots valiantly fought airplanes first air battles WW II over Poland September 1939 later French British Soviet squadrons over Europe 1 RWD-1 0 aerobatic airplane built Poland during late 1 930s designed resemble Pllc serve trainer fighter pilots Polish government ever decided against purchasing airplanes sold civilian flying clubs Jedenastka/Koniarek Continued page 80 improved P11 developed almost parallel P7 1932 P11/I prototype exhibited Paris Salon Internationale dAeronautique aroused considerable terest Two other prototypes built en tered international contests show off excellent design performance character isticsand attract foreign buyers P11/Ill prototype participated US National Air Races Cleveland OH 1932 Its predeces sor P6/I took part same races 1931 P1 la introduced service two years later followed immediately P1 Ic updated variant having slightly better engine improved performance P 1 ic chosen standard fighter Polish Air Force Within year 175 built PZL deployed fighter squadrons Rumania purchased number warplanes its own air force becoming first foreign customer mid-1930s private airplane manufac turer RWD designed built small nim ble acrobatic airplane RWD-10 some what resembled P1 Ic appearance equaled aspects performance Al though RWD hoped sell airplane trainer P 1 ic pilots Polish government proved unreceptive 30-odd aircraft built instead sold civilian flying clubs late 1930s tensions Germany reached crescendo Poland began develop ment improved variant P-series P24 Kobuza desperate gesture dictated lack realistic alternative design could rapidly put production Only two built before outbreak war served combat shooting down two German air planes mid-September Several versions fighter adopting designation P24 different suffixes promotional purposes made export development closely interre lated represented apogee Pulaw ski fighter line time P24s debut 1933 claimed fastest bestarmed single-seat fighter world Its im proved performance obtained tworow radial engine either Gnome-Rhone Mistral-Major depending customer prefer ence series also featured minor modifica tions such enclosed cockpit wheel spats stronger armament contained entirely wings fighters avidly sought foreign buyers mid-1930s Rumania purchased six P24Es built another 15 under license Greece Bulgaria purchased 36 P24s several versions Turkey purchased 44 assembled 20 imported Polish kits built some three dozen under license also several versions Toward end decade despite fact design clearly obsolete several other countries con templated ordering fighters air forces Although over 750 P-series fighters man ufactured total two survive today well-preserved P1 le prize exhibit Polish Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow aircraft served 121st Squadron during September Campaign Found intact Germans sent eval uation Erprobungsgruppe Rechlin test cen ter later displayed war trophy Armeemueseum Berlin Near end war recovered northwestern Poland Af ter being exhibited several locations vet eran opening rounds World War II Allied side ended up Krakow far originally stationed other survivor P24G reportedly pre served somewhere Turkey Its whereabouts variously given either Etimesgut base Ankara TUAF Museum Yesilkoy Air port Istambul original Pllc all-metal airplane shoulder wings gave characteris tic gull shape configuration designed reduce drag comparison high-wing mono plane well provide unobstructed forward visibility pilot proved sound idea widely copied Thirties French Loire 45 Loire 46 Devoitine D-560 Ger man Hensehel HS 121 American Doug las 0-31 among airplanes adopted arrangement configuration wings roughly double-trapezoid shape widest thick est section attachment struts ner sections sloped down became thinner approached fuselage wings empennage covered corru gated metal incorporated long ailerons also served flaps fuselage oval cross section except extreme front circular open cockpit fully equipped instru ments Polish made apart compass fixed V-shaped landing gear made profiled metal tubing Its shock absorbers placed inside fuselage lower air resistance protect dirt P1 le powered Polish-built 620horsepower PZL Mercury VI nine-cylinder radial engine main fuel tank located behind en gine could jettisoned flight reduce danger explosion case fire during com bat small auxiliary fuel tank right wing near leading edge sufficient capacity safe landing main tank ejected Some 40% P1 Ics used during World War II equipped radios out radios fighters radio call codes painted underside wings Ar mament consisted pair 77-millimeter ma chine guns fuselage some versions having additional pair wings P1 le following dimensions characteristics wingspan 35 ft 2 length 24 ft 9 height 9 ft 4 Its empty weight 2443 lb achieved speed 242 mph its range slightly over 500 miles Several characteristics Pllc make highly attractive modeling subject As small fighter prototype very stable flight exceedingly maneuverable virtues can expected carry through model rather short nose may problem care must exercised place engine far ward possible obtain proper center-ofgravity addition outstanding flight characteris tics P1 le model can sport colorful markings used Polish squadrons wartime service Polish fighters painted olive green overall pale blue wing empennage undersurfaces Most distinctive squadron markings simple very elaborate painted near rear fuselage Jedenastka can unusually eye-catching model complex emblems stars stripes crossed scythes 111th Kosciuszko Squadron design created American pilot Elliott W Chess small group fellow Americans flew Polish Air Force Russo-Polish war 1918-20 emblem later adopted Hawker Hurricanes flown Polish 303 Squadron England highest scoring squad ron during Battle Britain Most pilots squadron flown P1 les against Luftwaffe September Campaign red-and-white chessboard national insignia upper wing surfaces asymmetrically located attempt confuse aim enemy gunners combat During September Cam paign chessboards squadron markings frequently painted over greater camou flage P1 le its variants have draw back subjects models corrugated skin wings vertical horizontal control surfaces eight-to-the-inch corruga tions may present problem builder small-scale models less 4-scale can omitted unduly sacrificing fidelity scaleor desired can adequately simulated painting larger models ever no way around method constructing corrugated sheeting de scribed Bob Dolly Wisehers column page 42 February 1989 issue Model Av iation rate dont let construction quirk extra effort requires deter building model attractive histor ically significant airplane References Cynk Jerzy B Polish Aircraft London Putnam & Company Limited 1971 Cynk JB PZL P24 Profile Publication No 170 Leatherhead Surrey England Profile Publications 1967 Cynk JB ZA Datkiewicz Polands Greatest Fighter PZL P1 le Aeromodeller June 1960 Excellent description detailed plans P1 le plans reprint article can also obtained Repla-Tech International 48500 McKenzie Hwy Vida OR 97488 Franks Norman Aircraft Versus Aircraft Il lustrated Story Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 New York Macmillan Publishing Com pany 1986 Liss Withold PZL P-i 1 Profile Publica tion No 75 Leatherhead Surrey England Pro file Publications 1966 Also reprinted Aircraft Profile volume 4 Profile Publications Wind sor England 1966 Mathews WR Jedenastka P24 Flying Review International vol 21 no 9 May 1966 574-576 Color diagrams P lie P24 fighters Nogy Chris Larry Kruse Polish Fighter Flying Models December 1982 24-27 Con structiOn article plans Radio Con trol model P1 le Era Gulls Chronicles Pu lawski Fighter Line Air Enthusiast 28 JulyOctober 1985 responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation 104 Model Aviation
Edition: Model Aviation - 1989/09
Page Numbers: 77, 78, 79, 80, 104
Fifty years ago Germany invaded Poland ignited con flict would become second great war century defense Polish skies fell gull-winged Pllc fighter Obso lete still capable weapon highly maneuverable aircraft loved its pilots affectionately knew Jedenastkathe Eleven EJan P Koniarek SEPTEMBER IN POLAND marks ginning so-called Golden Polish Au tumn season renowned its natural beauty excellent weather autumn 1939 however presented vastly differ ent picture National rivalries Europe intensified point impending disaster seemed almost palpable cloud doom hung over Poland mocking clear idyllic skies Poles Long anticipating German invasion begun advance military preparations last days August German invasion Poland coming September 1 1939 triggered battles develop World War II bloody internecine conflict lasted six years sacrificed millions lives Polands military preparations cluded deploying supplementing air force reserves war finally broke out task defending pure September skies against onslaught German Luftwaffe left entirely small hope lessly obsolete gull-winged fighter known officially P1 lc Pilots dubbed warbird Jedenastka Eleven September 1989 77 Top early prototypes P6/i widely exhibited abroad order attract eign sales Polish pilot Boleslaw Orlinski seen standing next airplane dur ing National Air Races Cleveland OH 1931 Smithsonian Institution photo Above two surviving Pllc planes out 750 P-series craft built airplane preserved Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow Poland view clearly shows characteristic intersection gull-wing roots fuselage Left close-up tail section showing tail skid assembly also shows state preservation aircraft less per fect Several small parts missing including leather tail skid cover access panel Right close-up bomb release under wing outlined national insignia view clearly shows corrugated skin covering wingsthe nemesis model builders Some 150 Jedenastkas thrown initial stage war came known September Campaign aircraft supplemented two earlier less advanced variants about 20 Plla 105 P7a Due obsolescence older aircraft used mainly reconnaissance Polish Air Force also used bombers ob servation aircraft support army coordination between fight ers almost nonexistent rapidly de veloping chaos combat situation Pllc combat Luftwaffe attacked Poland Germanys design destroy Polish Air Force ground striking military targets major popula tion centers invaders hadnt antici pated fierceness Polish resistance however Opposing Luftwaffe Polish fighter strength organized around 10 squadtons assigned various ar mies located throughout country ad dition five squadrons stationed around War saw countrys capital made up spe cially formed Pursuit Brigade initial September 1st Luftwaffe tacks concentrated south against several airfields around Krakow very early morning Near airfields re turning German bombers surprised two P1 ic fighters 12 1st Squadron scram bling reach altitude Jedenast kas shot down Junkers Ju-87 divebomber other piloted Lt WIad yslaw Gnys able avoid attack ers Later day Gnys intercepted followed pair Dornier Do-17 bombers firing long ammuni tion lasted Both Dorniers later crashed surrounding countryside Thus short succession two Jedenastkas became cel ebrated first victim first victor air war still its infancy As day progressed center air war shifted Warsaw Luft waffe carried out devastating attacks de signed break citys will fight battles over Warsaw became fa 78 Model Aviation interior cockpit vestige sim pler times Pllc retained open cock pit primitive windscreen Again note less perfect state preservation Close-up engine cowling Pllc powered 620-hp PZL Mercury VI 9cylinder Polish-made radial engine driving wooden propeller circular exhaust collec tor housed around front cowling author seen unfinished %-scale model P1 ic rare Polish kit models airplane have builtfrom small Free Flight 1/4-scale RC ships DA L El K~ rm iii zzzzL Typical Airfoil C D F B CDE III icr U r 0o0 * u Jettisonable fuel tank 0 FEET 10 September 1989 79 p o2 mous history Polish Air Force Wave after wave German bombers pounded capital intercepted valiant P1 lc fighters Pursuit Brigade During week intense fighting Pursuit Brigade shot down 42 German airplanes losing 37 its own Jedenastkas werent used exclusively defending large cities during Septem ber Campaign put service fighters ground-attack aircraft re connaissance over Poland P1 ics lack speed range compared modern German fighters bombers offset least part superior ma neuverability proved especially use ful aerial combat well excel lent training spirit pilots vast majority 126 aerial victories scored Poles during September Campaign attributed warbirds As early September Campaign too first air aces World War II vaulted prominence Stanislaw Skalski came Polands leading flying ace Jedenastka shot down six German aircraft shared kill another pi lot its grit Polish Air Force suf fered such severe combat losses lack spare parts fuel ammunition middle September begun ap proach extinction Most airplanes destroyed combat Some did fall German hands few managed escape abroad majority pilots survived found way out country going eventually France England training ex perience served well RAF Its short distinguished combat history secured P1 lcs place among fa mous airplanes second great war making national symbol September Campaign Though its combat career ended phase war number close derivatives P1 ic ex ported before hostilities broke out contin ued fight foreign skies November 1940 example Royal Hellenic Air Force succeeded time denying air supremacy enemy em ployed three dozen P24 fighters defend itself against Italian Regia Aeronautica Luftwaffe About one-third en emy airplanes destroyed Greek Air Force fell guns aircraft year later Rumania used P24s Rus sian front brief time though later withdrew combat relegated secondary roles As late 1944 crews US 15th Air Force reported occasional encounters Jedenastka spin-offs History Jedenastka P1 ic evolved family P-series fighters designed Zygmunt Pulawski late 1920s built Polish Aircraft Estab lishment PZL Warsaw Pulawski 29 years old unhampered conventional thinking conceptualized very advanced aerodynamically clean all-metal fighter time wire-braced fabric-covered biplanes still predomi nated retrospect Pulawski design forged link between biplanes ear lier era cantilevered monoplanes future Pulawski triumph lasting achievement Unfortu nately was killed shortly after exe cuting masterpiece unable guide its growth After death design development work taken over colleague Wsiewolod Jakimiuk continued its evolution Pulawski originally designed fighter around V engine wing roots following arms V outlined engine cylinders first P-series fighter P1 flew 1929 powered 12-cylinder Hispano-Suiza liquidcooled V engine However difficulties obtaining engines abroad combined development Poland indige nous radial engine resulted adapting design newer type engine well Early developmental work resulted con current production V-engine radialengine versions V-engined versions however never developed beyond prototype stage P6 first cf radial-engine variants followed closely im proved P7 became forerunner later models first enter series production About 150 P7s manufac tured Polish Air Force 1933 first air force Europe exclusively equipped all-rnA mono plane fighters Continued page 104 80 Model Aviation Several versions gull-winged fighter built exported foreign countries P24c manufactured Turkish Air Force Note enclosed cockpit wheel pants nemesis P1 ic far modern German Messerschmitt Bf-109E fighter beautifully preserved aircraft exhibited Battle Britain museum London Par tially visible background Junkers Ju-87 dive-bomber another antagonist P1 ic Polish pilots valiantly fought airplanes first air battles WW II over Poland September 1939 later French British Soviet squadrons over Europe 1 RWD-1 0 aerobatic airplane built Poland during late 1 930s designed resemble Pllc serve trainer fighter pilots Polish government ever decided against purchasing airplanes sold civilian flying clubs Jedenastka/Koniarek Continued page 80 improved P11 developed almost parallel P7 1932 P11/I prototype exhibited Paris Salon Internationale dAeronautique aroused considerable terest Two other prototypes built en tered international contests show off excellent design performance character isticsand attract foreign buyers P11/Ill prototype participated US National Air Races Cleveland OH 1932 Its predeces sor P6/I took part same races 1931 P1 la introduced service two years later followed immediately P1 Ic updated variant having slightly better engine improved performance P 1 ic chosen standard fighter Polish Air Force Within year 175 built PZL deployed fighter squadrons Rumania purchased number warplanes its own air force becoming first foreign customer mid-1930s private airplane manufac turer RWD designed built small nim ble acrobatic airplane RWD-10 some what resembled P1 Ic appearance equaled aspects performance Al though RWD hoped sell airplane trainer P 1 ic pilots Polish government proved unreceptive 30-odd aircraft built instead sold civilian flying clubs late 1930s tensions Germany reached crescendo Poland began develop ment improved variant P-series P24 Kobuza desperate gesture dictated lack realistic alternative design could rapidly put production Only two built before outbreak war served combat shooting down two German air planes mid-September Several versions fighter adopting designation P24 different suffixes promotional purposes made export development closely interre lated represented apogee Pulaw ski fighter line time P24s debut 1933 claimed fastest bestarmed single-seat fighter world Its im proved performance obtained tworow radial engine either Gnome-Rhone Mistral-Major depending customer prefer ence series also featured minor modifica tions such enclosed cockpit wheel spats stronger armament contained entirely wings fighters avidly sought foreign buyers mid-1930s Rumania purchased six P24Es built another 15 under license Greece Bulgaria purchased 36 P24s several versions Turkey purchased 44 assembled 20 imported Polish kits built some three dozen under license also several versions Toward end decade despite fact design clearly obsolete several other countries con templated ordering fighters air forces Although over 750 P-series fighters man ufactured total two survive today well-preserved P1 le prize exhibit Polish Museum Aeronautics Astronautics Krakow aircraft served 121st Squadron during September Campaign Found intact Germans sent eval uation Erprobungsgruppe Rechlin test cen ter later displayed war trophy Armeemueseum Berlin Near end war recovered northwestern Poland Af ter being exhibited several locations vet eran opening rounds World War II Allied side ended up Krakow far originally stationed other survivor P24G reportedly pre served somewhere Turkey Its whereabouts variously given either Etimesgut base Ankara TUAF Museum Yesilkoy Air port Istambul original Pllc all-metal airplane shoulder wings gave characteris tic gull shape configuration designed reduce drag comparison high-wing mono plane well provide unobstructed forward visibility pilot proved sound idea widely copied Thirties French Loire 45 Loire 46 Devoitine D-560 Ger man Hensehel HS 121 American Doug las 0-31 among airplanes adopted arrangement configuration wings roughly double-trapezoid shape widest thick est section attachment struts ner sections sloped down became thinner approached fuselage wings empennage covered corru gated metal incorporated long ailerons also served flaps fuselage oval cross section except extreme front circular open cockpit fully equipped instru ments Polish made apart compass fixed V-shaped landing gear made profiled metal tubing Its shock absorbers placed inside fuselage lower air resistance protect dirt P1 le powered Polish-built 620horsepower PZL Mercury VI nine-cylinder radial engine main fuel tank located behind en gine could jettisoned flight reduce danger explosion case fire during com bat small auxiliary fuel tank right wing near leading edge sufficient capacity safe landing main tank ejected Some 40% P1 Ics used during World War II equipped radios out radios fighters radio call codes painted underside wings Ar mament consisted pair 77-millimeter ma chine guns fuselage some versions having additional pair wings P1 le following dimensions characteristics wingspan 35 ft 2 length 24 ft 9 height 9 ft 4 Its empty weight 2443 lb achieved speed 242 mph its range slightly over 500 miles Several characteristics Pllc make highly attractive modeling subject As small fighter prototype very stable flight exceedingly maneuverable virtues can expected carry through model rather short nose may problem care must exercised place engine far ward possible obtain proper center-ofgravity addition outstanding flight characteris tics P1 le model can sport colorful markings used Polish squadrons wartime service Polish fighters painted olive green overall pale blue wing empennage undersurfaces Most distinctive squadron markings simple very elaborate painted near rear fuselage Jedenastka can unusually eye-catching model complex emblems stars stripes crossed scythes 111th Kosciuszko Squadron design created American pilot Elliott W Chess small group fellow Americans flew Polish Air Force Russo-Polish war 1918-20 emblem later adopted Hawker Hurricanes flown Polish 303 Squadron England highest scoring squad ron during Battle Britain Most pilots squadron flown P1 les against Luftwaffe September Campaign red-and-white chessboard national insignia upper wing surfaces asymmetrically located attempt confuse aim enemy gunners combat During September Cam paign chessboards squadron markings frequently painted over greater camou flage P1 le its variants have draw back subjects models corrugated skin wings vertical horizontal control surfaces eight-to-the-inch corruga tions may present problem builder small-scale models less 4-scale can omitted unduly sacrificing fidelity scaleor desired can adequately simulated painting larger models ever no way around method constructing corrugated sheeting de scribed Bob Dolly Wisehers column page 42 February 1989 issue Model Av iation rate dont let construction quirk extra effort requires deter building model attractive histor ically significant airplane References Cynk Jerzy B Polish Aircraft London Putnam & Company Limited 1971 Cynk JB PZL P24 Profile Publication No 170 Leatherhead Surrey England Profile Publications 1967 Cynk JB ZA Datkiewicz Polands Greatest Fighter PZL P1 le Aeromodeller June 1960 Excellent description detailed plans P1 le plans reprint article can also obtained Repla-Tech International 48500 McKenzie Hwy Vida OR 97488 Franks Norman Aircraft Versus Aircraft Il lustrated Story Fighter Pilot Combat Since 1914 New York Macmillan Publishing Com pany 1986 Liss Withold PZL P-i 1 Profile Publica tion No 75 Leatherhead Surrey England Pro file Publications 1966 Also reprinted Aircraft Profile volume 4 Profile Publications Wind sor England 1966 Mathews WR Jedenastka P24 Flying Review International vol 21 no 9 May 1966 574-576 Color diagrams P lie P24 fighters Nogy Chris Larry Kruse Polish Fighter Flying Models December 1982 24-27 Con structiOn article plans Radio Con trol model P1 le Era Gulls Chronicles Pu lawski Fighter Line Air Enthusiast 28 JulyOctober 1985 responding advertisers mention read about Model Aviation 104 Model Aviation