Pursuit Brigade
Encyclopedia
The Pursuit Brigade was a Polish
World War II
unit of the Polish Air Force
. It took part in the Polish Defensive War
of 1939 as the main aerial reserve of the commander in chief and was used for air cover of the Polish capital of Warsaw
. It was similar in shape to the Bomber Brigade
. It was composed of two squadrons, each in turn composed of a number of escadrilles.
By 1st September Pursuit Brigade had 43 PZL P.11
and 10 PZL P.7
fighters (Zaloga, p.34).
It was the most successful element of the Polish Air Force during the Defensive War. On September 1st defending Warsaw it shot down 16 German planes, for a loss of 10 of its own fighters. It is credited with shooting down 42 German airplanes in the first 6 days of the war. By that time, it has however lost 38 of its 54 fighters. On 6 September, it was transferred from Warsaw theatre to Lublin
(Zaloga, p.51-52).
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
unit of the Polish Air Force
Polish Air Force
The Polish Air Force is the military Air Force wing of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej...
. It took part in the Polish Defensive War
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of 1939 as the main aerial reserve of the commander in chief and was used for air cover of the Polish capital of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. It was similar in shape to the Bomber Brigade
Bomber Brigade
The Bomber Brigade was a World War II unit of the Polish Air Force commanded by płk obs. Władysław Heller. It resisted the Invasion of Poland in 1939 as the main aerial reserve of the commander in chief and was used for bombing enemy units in central Poland. It was created just before the war and...
. It was composed of two squadrons, each in turn composed of a number of escadrilles.
- Polish III/1 Fighter Squadron (III/1. Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 111th Fighter EscadrillePolish 111th Fighter EscadrilleThe 111th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army. Created in 1921, immediately after the end of the Polish-Soviet War, the unit inherited the traditions of the famous war-time Polish 7th Air Escadrille , in which both Polish and American...
(111 Eskadra Myśliwska) - Polish 112th Fighter EscadrillePolish 112th Fighter EscadrilleThe 112th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army.-History:The Escadrille was created in 1919 by a merger of the earlier 18th Reconnaissance Escadrille and the 19th Fighter Escadrille.In September 1939 the 112th Fighter Escadrille was incorporated...
(112 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 111th Fighter Escadrille
- Polish IV/1 Fighter Squadron (IV/1 Dywizjon Myśliwski)
- Polish 113th Fighter EscadrillePolish 113th Fighter EscadrilleThe 113th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of the WW2.- Crew and equipment :On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: 5 PZL P.11c and 5 PZL P.11a....
(113 Eskadra Myśliwska) - Polish 114th Fighter EscadrillePolish 114th Fighter EscadrilleThe 114th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army at the beginning of the WW2.- Crew and equipment :On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 planes: 6 PZL P.11c and 4 PZL P.11a....
(114 Eskadra Myśliwska) - Polish 123rd Fighter EscadrillePolish 123rd Fighter EscadrilleThe 123rd Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army in 1939.-Crew and equipment:On 1 September 1939 the escadrille had 10 PZL P.7a airplanes.The air crew consisted of:...
(123 Eskadra Myśliwska)
- Polish 113th Fighter Escadrille
By 1st September Pursuit Brigade had 43 PZL P.11
PZL P.11
The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed in the early 1930s by PZL in Warsaw. It was briefly considered to be the most advanced fighter aircraft design in the world...
and 10 PZL P.7
PZL P.7
-References:NotesBibliography* Cynk, Jerzy B. History of the Polish Air Force 1918-1968. Reading, Berkshire, UK: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1972.* Cynk, Jerzy B. Polish Aircraft, 1893-1939. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1971. ISBN 0-370-00085-4....
fighters (Zaloga, p.34).
It was the most successful element of the Polish Air Force during the Defensive War. On September 1st defending Warsaw it shot down 16 German planes, for a loss of 10 of its own fighters. It is credited with shooting down 42 German airplanes in the first 6 days of the war. By that time, it has however lost 38 of its 54 fighters. On 6 September, it was transferred from Warsaw theatre to Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
(Zaloga, p.51-52).