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155-588: Ludomił Antoni Rayski (29 December 1892 – 11 April 1977) was a Polish engineer, pilot, military officer and aviator. He served as the commander of the Polish Air Force between 1926 and 1939, being responsible for modernization of Polish military aviation. Throughout his life he also served in the Austro-Hungarian Army , Polish Legions , Turkish Army , Turkish Air Force , French Air Force , French Foreign Legion and Royal Air Force . He

310-659: A conflict with Poland , was friendly towards the Ukrainian government and sold it weapons in exchange for oil. France, on the other hand, strongly supported Poland in the conflict. The French hoped that a large, powerful Polish state would serve as a counterbalance to Germany and would isolate Germany from Soviet Russia. French diplomats consistently supported Polish claims to territories also claimed by Germany, Lithuania and Ukraine. France also provided large numbers of arms and ammunition, and French officers, most notably General Haller's forces, to Polish forces that were used against

465-633: A French-led mission from the Entente arrived at the Ukrainian headquarters on February 22 and demanded that the Ukrainian cease hostilities under threat of breaking all diplomatic ties between the Entente and the Ukrainian government. On February 25 the Ukrainian military suspended its offensive. The Barthélemy mission proposed a demarcation line (February 28) leaving almost 70% of the East Galician territory to Ukrainians, and Lviv with oil fields to Poland. The Ukrainians would be supplied with half of

620-741: A Ukrainian identity and considered himself a Ukrainian patriot, in October 1918 two regiments of mostly Ukrainian troops were garrisoned in Lemberg (modern Lviv). As the Austro-Hungarian government collapsed, on October 18, 1918, the Ukrainian National Council ( Rada ), consisting of Ukrainian members of the Austrian parliament and regional Galician and Bukovynan diets as well as leaders of Ukrainian political parties,

775-520: A chance to compromise with Poland and obtain international recognition of the Ukrainian state by the Entente. The commission succeeded in getting the armistice treaty signed on 24 February 1919, and presented its proposals to the parties on 28 February, which was rejected by the West Ukrainian side. As a result of the failure to agree on the demarcation line, Polish-Ukrainian hostilities resumed on 2 March. Historian Christoph Mick states there

930-533: A contract with the United States for the purchase of 70 AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Stand off Missile, for US$ 250 million. Also contained in the contract are upgrades to the fleet of Polish F-16s to be completed by Lockheed Martin. On 28 May 2019, the Polish Minister of Defence announced that Poland had sent a request for quotation for the acquisition of 32 F-35A aircraft. On 11 September 2019,

1085-538: A fully reliable part of the armed forces. Rayski repeatedly presented state authorities with plans and petitions of significant expansion of the Air Force, but none was accepted. In 1934 Ludomił Rayski was promoted to the rank of generał brygady , the highest rank held by any officer of the Polish Air Force at that time. Two years later, on 1 August 1936 he became the commander of the Polish Air Force. It

1240-579: A further twelve Polish squadrons were created in the United Kingdom: The fighter squadrons initially flew Hurricanes, then switched to Supermarine Spitfires , and eventually to North American Mustangs . 307 Squadron, like other night fighter squadrons (such as 410 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force), flew Boulton Paul Defiants , Bristol Beaufighters and finally de Havilland Mosquitoes . The bomber squadrons were initially equipped with Fairey Battles and Vickers Wellingtons . 300 Squadron

1395-522: A government either de facto or de jure and did not have the right to represent any of the territories formerly belonging to the Austrian empire. After a long series of negotiations, on March 14, 1923, the Council of Ambassadors decided that Galicia would be incorporated into Poland "taking into consideration that Poland has recognized that in regard to the eastern part of Galicia ethnographic conditions fully deserve its autonomous status." After 1923, Galicia

1550-663: A large number of modern planes abroad, Rayski promoted the development of Polish aviation industry. In 1928 on his insistence all Polish aeroplane factories switched their production to modern all-metal constructions, which allowed the new generation of young and skilled engineers to start their career. Among them were Zygmunt Puławski (designer of a family of modern fighters, starting from PZL P.1 ), Jerzy Dąbrowski (designer of PZL.37 Łoś bomber), Wsiewołod Jakimiuk (designer of PZL.50 Jastrząb fighter), Stanisław Prauss (author of PZL.23 Karaś and PZL.46 Sum light bombers) and Stanisław Nowkuński (designer of air engines, among them

1705-854: A multirole aircraft from 1951, the An-2 from 1955 and subsequently the Wilga-35 P . Transport aircraft used by the Polish Air Force during this period included: the Il-14 (first in service in 1955), the Il-18 (first in service in 1961), the An-12 B (first in service in 1966), the An-26 (first in service in 1972), the Yak-40 (first in service in 1973) and the Tupolev Tu-154 . A number of helicopters were used by

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1860-574: A new Ukrainian polity was proclaimed in the Northern half of the region of Bukovina : Ukrainian Bukovina under President Omelyan Popovych  [ uk ] . The new state had its capital at Chernivtsi . It was dissolved on 11 November, when the Romanian Army occupied Chernivtsi. The Ukrainian administration and its military support retreated from the city the day before. By the end of November 1918, Polish forces controlled Lviv and

2015-480: A proclaimed Ukrainian state. Since the West Ukrainian People's Republic was not internationally recognized and Poland's boundaries had not yet been defined, the issue of ownership of the disputed territory was reduced to a question of military control. Fighting between Ukrainian and Polish forces was concentrated around the declared Ukrainian capital of Lviv and the approaches to that city. In Lviv,

2170-496: A propaganda war with each side accusing the other of war crimes and brutality. During fights over Lviv, Polish nurses who assisted wounded soldiers were said to have been captured by Ukrainian forces and tortured before being executed, while Ukrainians sources claimed that Polish soldiers shot Ukrainian medical patrols and accused Poles of rape and bloodlust. When Poles captured Lviv, a mixed group of Polish criminals released from prisons, militiamen and some regular soldiers pillaged

2325-551: A result, although the Poles had fewer total troops than did the Ukrainians, in particularly important battles they were able to bring in as many soldiers as did the Ukrainians. On December 9, 1918, Ukrainian forces broke through the outer defences of Przemyśl in the hope of capturing the city and thus cutting off Polish-controlled Lviv from central Poland. However, the Poles were able to quickly send relief troops and by December 17

2480-689: A transport plane and on 7 March departed for Helsinki . However, on 12 March the Moscow Peace Treaty had been signed and Rayski's service for Finland was not needed any more. Upon his return to France he was demoted to the rank of Captain and on 29 March he joined the French Foreign Legion. On 1 June the Legion sent him to French Air Forces for training, but before it could commence France surrendered to Germany and Rayski fled to Great Britain . There, on 5 September he asked both

2635-576: A variety of transport missions, including a remarkable flight of a formation of Bristol Blenheim bombers from Habaniya in Iraq to Singapore . After two weeks of flight, his bomber was destroyed by Japanese fighters immediately upon arrival to the attacked port . The tide turned for him after the death of General Sikorski on 4 July 1943. The new commander of the Polish forces, Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski allowed Rayski to return to active service. Promoted to

2790-644: The AIM-120C-5 and AIM-9X ). In the aftermath of the presidential Tu-154 crash in 2010 and later Polish-led investigation, the 36th Special Aviation Regiment , responsible for transporting the President and the Polish Government, was disbanded, while the defense minister resigned. A new unit, the 1st Air Base, replaced the 36th regiment. Between June 2010 and December 2017 most official flights were served by two leased Embraer E-175 operated by

2945-467: The Battle of Britain . Prior to the conflict Poland also bought 234 planes abroad. First of them were on delivery when the conflict started. These were Hawker Hurricane (14 planes), Morane-Saulnier 406 (120 planes) and Fairey Battle (100 planes). The ship SS Lassell with 14 Hawker Hurricanes on board left Liverpool on 28 August 1939, deliveries from France were also on way when the conflict broke out. After

3100-611: The Bolsheviks because of a successful defense put up by the Ukrainian Galician Army , which stalled the Polish military offensive. In attempt to end the war, in January 1919 an Allied commission led by a French general was sent to negotiate a peace treaty between the two sides, prompting a ceasefire. In February it recommended that the West Ukrainian People's Republic surrender a third of its territory, including

3255-679: The Entente on the Western front , numbering 60,000 troops, was well equipped by the Western Allies and partially staffed with experienced French officers specifically to fight the Bolsheviks and not the forces of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic . Despite this, the Poles dispatched Haller's army against the Ukrainians in order to break the stalemate in eastern Galicia. The Allies sent several telegrams ordering

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3410-1015: The Greater Poland Uprising . These planes were first used by the Polish Air Force in the Polish-Ukrainian War in late 1918, during combat operations centered around the city of Lwów (now Lviv ). On 2 November 1918 pilot Stefan Bastyr performed the first combat flight of Polish aircraft from Lwów. When the Polish-Soviet War broke out in February 1920, the Polish Air Force used a variety of former German and Austro-Hungarian, as well as newly acquired western-made Allied aircraft. Most common at that time were light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, among most numerous were French Breguet 14 bombers, German LVG C.V reconnaissance aircraft, British Bristol F2B scouts and Italian Ansaldo Balilla fighters. After

3565-635: The JAS 39 Gripen . The Polish Block 52+ F-16s are equipped with the latest Pratt and Whitney F-100-229 afterburning turbofan engines, and the avionics suite includes the APG-68 (V)9 terrain mapping radar system and the ALQ-211 (V)4 electronic warfare suite. All Polish F-16s can carry modern US precision ordnance, ranging from the JDAM/JSOW to the latest in export-certificate-authorized air-to-air weaponry (including

3720-719: The January Uprising and was accepted as an Ottoman citizen soon afterwards. Hence Ludomił retained his father's citizenship, a fact that proved vital for his later career. In 1902 Ludomił joined a local gymnasium in Kraków and in 1909 passed his matura exams in a college in Krosno . Soon afterwards he started his studies at the Lwów University of Technology . In 1912 he also joined the Strzelec organization. After

3875-649: The Junak-2 (in service since 1952), the TS-9 Junak-3 (in service since 1954) and the PZL TS-8 Bies (since 1958) were later replaced by a jet trainer, the domestically built TS-11 Iskra . Another Polish jet trainer, the PZL I-22 Iryda , was used for some time but, because of continuing problems, all machines were returned to PZL for modification and did not resume service. The Yak-12 was used as

4030-742: The LOT Polish Airlines . On 14 November 2016 the Defense Ministry ordered two Gulfstream G550 VIP planes. On 31 March 2017 a deal with Boeing Company was signed to supply two Boeing Business Jet 2 and one Boeing 737-800 for the head of state and the government transport. On 27 February 2014 Poland signed a €280 million contract with Alenia Aermacchi for 8 M-346 Master advanced training jets. The first two Masters arrived in Poland accompanied by Team Iskry on 14 November 2016. On 11 December 2014 Polish officials signed

4185-517: The May Coup d'État , he was made the chief of the department and a de facto commander of the Polish Air Force. At that post, Rayski became known as a supporter of the power projection doctrine and a lobbyist for development of a strong bomber force capable of both close air support and bombing raids on enemy territory. However, in the post-war period the Polish air forces were neglected as Marshal Józef Piłsudski and his predecessors underestimated

4340-618: The PZL Foka ). The state-owned National Aviation Works (PZL) became the primary supplier of modern aeroplanes to the Polish Army and financed much of the plane production from its own sources, primarily gathered from export of planes to Romania, Spain, Hungary, Greece and Turkey. However, the constant lack of funds allowed the Polish Air Forces only to replace the old planes with more modern ones, but not to expand it to become

4495-473: The PZL P.7a , was designed and produced, with 150 entering service. The design was followed by 30 improved PZL P.11a aircraft and a final design, the PZL P.11c , was delivered in 1935 and was a respectable fighter for its time; 175 entered service and it remained the only Polish fighter until 1939, by which time foreign aircraft design had overtaken it. Its final version, the PZL P.24 , was built for export only and

4650-678: The Paris - Madrid - Casablanca - Tunis - Istanbul - Warsaw trail, a remarkable achievement at that time. In August 1924 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and sent to a course for high-ranking officers at the Higher War School of Warsaw. At the same time he collaborated with the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Military Affairs, where he became the deputy to Gen. Armand Lévéque . On 18 March 1926, shortly before

4805-789: The Polish and Ukrainian populations living in the region, as Poland and both Ukrainian republics emerged from the collapse of the Russian and Austrian empires . The war started in Eastern Galicia after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and spilled over into the Chełm and Volhynia regions formerly belonging to the Russian Empire. Poland won the disputed territory on 18 July 1919. The origins of

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4960-610: The Polish Air Forces in France . His plea was yet again turned down as Rayski, along with other former high-ranking officers of the Polish Army, was made a scape-goat for the Polish defeat in the campaign. He then wrote a short memorial to all the Polish officers, in which he criticized the situation of the new commanders of the Polish Army in exile. Ordered to report to the military camp in Carisay , Rayski refused, for which he

5115-758: The Polish Army's Cathedral in Warsaw. Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force can trace its origins to the second half of 1917 and was officially established in the months following the end of World War I in 1918. During the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, 70% of its aircraft were destroyed. Most pilots, after the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September, escaped via Romania and Hungary to continue fighting throughout World War II in allied air forces, first in France, then in Britain, and later also

5270-589: The Pursuit Brigade , deployed in the Warsaw area. Despite being obsolete, Polish PZL-11 fighters shot down over 170 German aircraft. The bombers, grouped in nine escadres of the Bomber Brigade , attacked armoured ground columns but suffered heavy losses. Seven reconnaissance- and 12 observation escadres, deployed to particular armies, were used primarily for reconnaissance. Part of the Polish Air Force

5425-594: The San line as a future demarcation line. In this situation, General Barthelemy presented his compromise proposal on 28 January 1919. The armistice line was to run along the Bug River to Kamionka Strumiłłowa , then along the border of the districts to Bóbrka , then along the Bóbrka-Wybranka railway line, westwards to Mikołajów (leaving Mikolajiv on the Ukrainian side), then along the railway line Lviv- Stryi to

5580-551: The School of Eaglets in Poland) and creation of a number of permanent air bases, often with municipal rather than ministerial funds. It was Rayski to arrange the construction of a large number of new airfields and their number rose from 12 in 1923 to 39 in 1933, 11 of which were large air bases capable of supporting entire air regiments. The lack of funds shaped Rayski's policies significantly. Because Poland could not afford to purchase

5735-886: The Ukrainian People's Republic the military help in the Kyiv offensive against the Red Army in exchange for the acceptance of Polish–Ukrainian border on the river Zbruch. Following this agreement, the government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic went into exile in Vienna, where it enjoyed the support of various West Ukrainian political emigrees as well as soldiers of the Galician army interned in Bohemia. Although not officially recognized by any state as

5890-440: The Ukrainian forces were opposed by local self-defence units formed mostly of World War I veterans, students and children. However, skillful command, good tactics and high morale allowed Poles to resist the poorly planned Ukrainian attacks. In addition, the Poles were able to skillfully buy time and wait for reinforcements through the arrangement of cease-fires with the Ukrainians. While Poles could count on widespread support from

6045-423: The Yak-17 fighter came into service, as did the Ilyushin Il-12 transport and the Yak-18 trainer. From 1951 onwards, the Polish Air Force was equipped with Yak-23 jet fighters and MiG-15 jets, along with a training version, the MiG-15 UTI , and later, in 1961, the MiG-17 . As well as Soviet-produced aircraft, from 1952 onwards Soviet MiG-15 and later MiG-17 fighters were produced under licence in Poland as

6200-404: The Zbruch River into Central Ukraine. The Polish and Ukrainian forces struggled on the diplomatic as well as military fronts both during and after the war. The Ukrainians hoped that the western allies of World War I would support their cause because the Treaty of Versailles that ended the first world war was based on the principle of national self-determination . Accordingly, the diplomats of

6355-447: The (West) Ukrainians keeping the Drohobych oil fields and the Poles keeping Lviv. The Ukrainian side agreed to this proposal but it was rejected by the Poles on the grounds that it didn't take into consideration the overall military situation of Poland and the circumstances on the eastern front. The Bolshevik army broke through the UPR forces and was advancing to Podolia and Volhynia. The Poles argued that they need military control over

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6510-457: The 1st Mixed Air Corps, consisting of a bomber division, an assault division, a fighter division and a mixed division. After the war, these returned to Poland and gave birth to the air force of the People's Republic of Poland . In 1949, the Li-2sb transport aircraft was adapted into a bomber and in 1950, Poland received Petlyakov Pe-2 and Tupolev Tu-2 bombers from the Soviet Union along with USB-1 and USB-2 training bombers. In 1950 also,

6665-495: The 1st and 2nd Aviation Units of the 2nd Corps, the aerial fleet of the 4th Rifle Division , as well as the Samodzielny Polski Oddział Awiacyjny (Independent Polish Aviation Squad) in Odesa . Poland was under German and Austro-Hungarian occupation until the armistice , but the Poles started to take control as the Central Powers collapsed. Initially, the Polish air force consisted of mostly German and Austrian aircraft, left by former occupiers or captured from them, mostly during

6820-459: The Austrian commandants in southwestern Volhynia ( Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Kovel ) handed over the government to the local Polish national committees. In November–December 1918, the Poles also advanced into Podlachia and Western Polesia , but were stopped in western Volhynia by the troops of gen. M. Osetsky. As Polish units tried to seize control of the region, the forces of the Ukrainian People's Republic under Symon Petlura tried to recover

6975-412: The Barthelemy Line, was to be purely military and not affect the decisions of the Paris Peace Conference in any way. An integral part of the convention was to be a supplementary treaty concerning the Boryslav-Drohobychian Oil Basin  [ pl ] . It was to remain on the Polish side of the truce line under the management of an international commission, with 50% of oil production to be transferred to

7130-423: The Blue Army of General Haller. This is unlikely as this French-trained and supported fighting force did not leave France and the Western Front until April 1919, well after the rioting. On November 9 Polish forces attempted to seize the Drohobych oil fields by surprise, but, outnumbered by the Ukrainians, they were driven back. The Ukrainians retained control over the oil fields until May 1919. On 6 November,

7285-485: The British authorities and Gen. Władysław Sikorski to be allowed to join the Royal Air Force as a simple pilot. However, instead on 27 September he was interned in an internment camp in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in Scotland . On 5 November, on insistence of Air Chief Marshals Sir Cyril Newall and Charles Medhurst he was set free and in 1941 he was admitted to RAF Ferry Command units, transporting planes between allied airfields in Asia and North Africa. He led

7440-417: The British rank of Air Vice-Marshal (in Polish rank system he remained a captain), Rayski was made a delegate of the commander of the Polish Air Forces for the Middle East . At the same time Gen. Sosnkowski reviewed Rayski's court martial case and handed it to General's Court led by Admiral Jerzy Świrski . On 2 February 1944 the jury acquitted Rayski of all the charges and declared him not guilty. However, he

7595-419: The Czechoslovak authorities would have led to the complete economical and political isolation of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. On May 14, 1919, a Polish general offensive began throughout Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. It was carried out by units of the Polish Army , aided by the newly arrived Blue Army of General Józef Haller de Hallenburg . This army, composed of Polish forces which had fought for

7750-419: The Department of Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced that Poland had been cleared to purchase 32 F-35A fighters, along with associated equipment, for an estimated cost of $ 6.5 billion. On 27 September 2019 the US Congress approved the sale. On 31 January 2020, Poland signed a $ 4.6 billion deal for 32 F-35A fighters. On 8 March 2022, the Polish government offered to transfer its entire MiG-29 fleet to

7905-454: The Inspector of the Air Defence, Gen. Józef Zając , who was a strong supporter of the air superiority doctrine which emphasized strong fighter forces at the expense of a bomber force. The new commander of the air force cancelled most of Rayski's projects, including the successful PZL.37 Łoś bomber, whose production was to be limited from the initial number of 180 to merely 120. Some historians, most notably Jerzy Cynk , consider Rayski as one of

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8060-444: The Italian made RAT-31DL a AESA system, and the Polish made NUR-15 radar which provides a 3D picture of the controlled airspace. The NUR-31 a mobile unit, employing a medium-range airspace control radar. Armed Forces Operational Command , in Warsaw The current aviator badge of the Polish Air Force has been in use since the 1920s. The badge is called gapa and represents silver eagle in flight with gold laurel wreath in

8215-418: The Karas was outdated. In 1938 the Polish factory PZL designed a modern twin-engine medium bomber, the PZL.37 Łoś (Elk). The Łoś had a bomb payload of 2580 kg and a top speed of 439 km/h. Unfortunately, only about 30 Łoś A bombers (single tailfin) and 70 Łoś B (twin tailfin) bombers had been delivered before the Nazi invasion. As an observation and close reconnaissance plane, Polish escadres used

8370-485: The Lim-1, Lim-2 and later the Lim-5. A domestic ground attack variant of the Lim-5M was developed as the Lim-6bis in 1964. The only jet bomber used by the Polish Air Force during this period was the Ilyushin Il-28 , from 1952 onwards. Poland used only a small number of MiG-19s from 1959, in favour of the MiG-21 from 1963 onwards, which became its main supersonic fighter. This aircraft was used in numerous variants from MiG-21F-13, through MiG-21PF and MF to MiG-21bis. Later,

8525-433: The Poles to halt their offensive, as using the French-equipped army against the Ukrainians specifically contradicted the conditions of the French assistance, but these were ignored, with the Polish side arguing that the Ukrainians were Bolshevik sympathizers. At the same time, on May 23, Romania opened a second front against Ukrainian forces, demanding their withdrawal from the southern sections of eastern Galicia, including

8680-401: The Polish Air Force expected wartime role and as a result, he realized his own conception, without proper assessment of real needs. Only in 1936 the Air Defence Inspectorate was created, led by gen. Józef Zając, who became in conflict with Rayski. As one of mistakes is regarded support for too ambitious plan of equipping the LOT Polish Airlines with own modern airliner, the PZL.44 Wicher , what

8835-402: The Polish Air Force has three squadrons of F-16s: two stationed at the 31st Tactical Air Base near Poznań and the 10th Tactical Squadron at the 32nd Air Base near Łask . The acquisition of the US F-16 was not without fierce competition from European aerospace companies; the sale was hotly pursued by the French company Dassault, with their Mirage 2000 and by the Swedish company Saab, with

8990-428: The Polish Air Force received 37 MiG-23s (1979) and 12 MiG-29s (1989). The main fighter-bomber and ground attack aircraft after 1949 was the Il-10 (a training version, the UIl-10 , entering service in 1951). From 1965 onwards, Poland also used a substantial number of Su-7Bs for bombing and ground attack, replaced with 27 Sukhoi Su-20s in 1974 and 110 Sukhoi Su-22s in 1984. Propeller-driven training aircraft,

9145-486: The Polish Air Force was merged with the Air Defence Force, creating the Air and Country Air Defence Forces ( Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Przeciwlotniczej Obszaru Kraju   – WLiOPL OK), a military organisation composed of both flying and anti-aircraft units. In 1962, the WLiOPL OK were separated back again into their two original component bodies: the Air Force ( Wojska Lotnicze ) and the Country Air Defence Force ( Wojska Obrony Powietrznej Kraju ). After political upheaval and

9300-461: The Polish Air Force was the SPAD 61 and its main bombers were the French produced Potez 15 and the Potez 25 , which was eventually manufactured in Poland under license from Aéroplanes Henry Potez. The first Polish-designed and mass-produced aircraft to serve in the country's air force was a high wing fighter, the PWS-10 , first manufactured in 1930 by the Podlasie Aircraft Factory. In 1933, Zygmunt Pulawski's first high wing, all-metal aircraft,

9455-445: The Polish Airmen Society. In 1966 he married his second wife, Eileen Sheedy. In early April 1977, Rayski - then already heavily sick and dying - was finally acquitted of all the charged presented to him in 1940 by an honorary commission of the Polish Government in Exile led by Gen. Zygmunt Szyszko-Bohusz . Ludomił Rayski died 11 April and was buried with his first wife in Newark . In May 1993 his ashes were buried with military honours in

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9610-441: The Polish Army: the SM-1 (a Mil Mi-1 manufactured under licence), which was a multirole helicopter, in operation since 1956; the Mil Mi-4 , multirole, since 1958; the PZL SM-2 , multirole, since 1960; the Mil Mi-2 and Mil Mi-8 (later also Mil Mi-17 ), multirole, since 1968 and the Mil Mi-24 , a combat helicopter, since 1976. Also the Mil Mi-14 , an amphibious helicopter, and the Mil Mi-6 , both used as transports. In 1954,

9765-414: The Polish forces as well as common criminals looted the Jewish and Ukrainian quarters of the city , killing approximately 340 civilians. The Poles also interned a number of Ukrainian activists in detention camps. The Ukrainian government provided financial assistance to the Jewish victims of the violence and were able to recruit a Jewish battalion into their army. Some factions blame these atrocities on

9920-401: The Polish forces managed to seize dozens of World War I planes from the defeated Central Powers , there were not enough pilots to fly them. Because of that, immediately after Rayski's arrival to Poland in June 1919, he was made the commanding officer of newly formed 10th Reconnaissance Escadrille , composed mostly of the former escadrille of the 4th Division. A skilled pilot and commander, after

10075-411: The Polish forces were outnumbered by two to one and lacked ammunition. Despite being initially outnumbered, the Poles had certain advantages. Their forces had many more and better-trained officers resulting in a better disciplined and more mobile force; the Poles also enjoyed excellent intelligence and, due to their control of railroads behind their lines, were able to move their soldiers quite quickly. As

10230-515: The Polish offensive began. Short of ammunition and facing an enemy now twice its size, the Ukrainian Galician Army and ZUNR leadership were pushed back to the line of the Zbruch river on 16–18 July, after which ZUNR was occupied by Poland. Although the Ukrainian infantry had run out of ammunition, its artillery had not. This provided the Ukrainian forces with cover for an orderly retreat. Approximately 100,000 civilian refugees and 60,000 troops, 20,000 of whom were combat ready, were able to escape across

10385-418: The Polish-Soviet War ended in 1921, most of the worn out World War I aircraft were gradually withdrawn and from 1924 the air force started to be equipped with new French aircraft. In total in 1918–1924 there were 2160 aircraft in the Polish Air Force and naval aviation (not all in operable condition), in which there were 1384 reconnaissance aircraft and 410 fighters. From 1924 to 1930 the primary fighter of

10540-403: The RAF, he flew a total of 1519 hours of combat missions. After the war, Rayski remained in the Polish Army and then the Polish Liquidation Unit until 8 February 1949, when he was demobilized. He remained in the United Kingdom and settled in London's borough of Ealing, where he started to work as a plotter. He also remained an active member of the local Polish community and the honorary chief of

10695-407: The Soviet Union. Military aviation in Poland started even before the officially recognised date of regaining independence (11 November 1918). The first independent units of the Polish Air Force, in service to the re-emerging Polish sovereign state, were actually formed before, in 1917, before World War I had come to an end. When the Russian Revolution began and the tsardom gradually lost control of

10850-457: The US government via Ramstein Air Base as lethal aid to the Ukrainian air force against the ongoing Russian invasion in return for aircraft of corresponding operational capabilities (most likely F-16s). The exchange was eventually not carried out. Note: Three C-17 Globemaster IIIs are available through the Heavy Airlift Wing based in Hungary . The 3rd Wrocław Radio Engineering Brigade has several radar types under its command including

11005-406: The Ukrainian defenders with heavy losses, although the poor mobility of the Ukrainian troops prevented them from taking advantage of this victory. On February 14, Ukrainian forces began another assault on Lviv. By February 20, they were able to successfully cut off the rail links between Lviv and Przemysl, leaving Lviv surrounded and the Ukrainian forces in a good position to take the city. However,

11160-441: The Ukrainian forces managed to push the Poles back approximately 120–150 km. they failed to secure a route to Czechoslovakia. This meant that they were unable to replenish their supply of arms and ammunition, and the resulting lack of supplies forced Hrekov to end his campaign. Józef Piłsudski assumed the command of the Polish forces on June 27 and started yet another offensive, helped by two fresh Polish divisions. On June 28,

11315-521: The Ukrainian side. Poland and WUNR were only to be able to record the volume of production and pay for oil supplies. The project secured Entente interests in the oil basin and was the first step towards its neutralisation. At the time of the proposal, the territory of the basin was under the control of the Ukrainian Galician Army . For the West Ukrainian government, the terms of the Armistice Convention were unfavourable; however, they offered

11470-531: The Ukrainians were forced back. On December 27, bolstered by peasant troops sent to Galicia from Eastern Ukraine in the hopes that the Western Ukrainians would be able to form a disciplined force out of them, a general Ukrainian offensive against Lviv began. Lviv's defences held, and the eastern Ukrainian troops mutinied. From January 6-January 11, 1919 a Polish attack by 5,000 newly recruited forces from formerly Russian Poland commanded by Jan Romer

11625-646: The United Kingdom, some of whom returned to Poland in 1989 after the fall of communism. Along with the Polish People's Army ( Ludowe Wojsko Polskie ) in the USSR , the Polish People's Air Force (Ludowe Lotnictwo Polskie) was created, in defence of the Soviet Union against Nazi invasion. Three regiments were formed in late 1943: During 1944–5, further regiments were created, coming together to form

11780-746: The WLiOP were the MiG-29 and the Su-22 . As of 2010, the fleet of Su-22s is in need of modernization to retain any value as a combat aircraft and its future is unclear. In 2002, the F-16C/D Block 52+ from the American company Lockheed Martin was chosen as a new multirole fighter for the WLiOP, the first deliveries taking place in November 2006 and continued until 2008 under Peace Sky program. As of 2011

11935-497: The West Ukrainian People's Republic hoped that the West would compel Poland to withdraw from territories with a Ukrainian demographic majority. Opinion among the allies was divided. Britain, under the leadership of prime minister David Lloyd George , and to a lesser extent Italy were opposed to Polish expansion. Their representatives maintained that granting the territory of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic to Poland would violate

12090-513: The badge has a green laurel wreath. Polish-Ukrainian War Polish victory [REDACTED]   Second Polish Republic The Polish–Ukrainian War , from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic ). The conflict had its roots in ethnic, cultural, and political differences between

12245-472: The bill. Navigator/Observer badge (below) represents the same eagle, but in gold with added lightning bolts. The gapa is worn in the usual place on the upper left breast above the pocket, but unlike other air forces it is suspended on a chain. It adorned the uniform of Polish Air Force officers in the RAF during World War II along with their RAF wings. In the combat version (for at least 7 flights in combat conditions)

12400-583: The border of the disputed territory in the Eastern Carpathians . The Stryi - Lavochne railway line was to remain in Ukrainian hands. This was to be a temporary line, until the matter was settled by the Paris Peace Conference . The Polish side accepted this solution, but the Ukrainian delegation insisted on the 'San line'. As a result of the Ukrainian disapproval, the Entente delegation made another attempt at mediation. This

12555-1025: The city of Lviv and the Drohobych oil fields. The Ukrainians refused as the truce did not correspond to ethnology of the country or the military situation, and broke diplomatic ties with Poland. In mid-March 1919, the French marshal Ferdinand Foch , who wanted to use Poland as an operational base for an offensive against the Red Army, brought the issue of Polish–Ukrainian war before the Supreme Council and appealed for large-scale Polish-Romanian military operation which would be conducted with Allied support, as well as sending Haller's divisions to Poland immediately to relieve Lviv from Ukrainian siege. Another Allied commission, led by South African General Louis Botha , proposed an armistice in May that would involve

12710-479: The city was unthinkable for them. The religious and ethnic divisions corresponded to social stratification . Galicia's leading social class were Polish nobles or descendants of Rus' gentry who had been Polonized in the past, but in the east of the province, Ruthenians (Ukrainians) were the majority of the peasants. Poles and Jews were responsible for most of the commercial and industrial development in Galicia in

12865-599: The civilian population, the Ukrainian side was largely dependent on help from outside the city. Other uprisings against Ukrainian rule erupted in Drohobych , Przemyśl , Sambir and Jarosław . In Przemyśl, local Ukrainian soldiers quickly dispersed to their homes and Poles seized the bridges over the River San and the railroad to Lviv, enabling the Polish forces in that city to obtain significant reinforcements. After two weeks of heavy fighting within Lviv, an armed unit under

13020-537: The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and a consequent reduction in the state of military anxiety in the whole of Europe, the Polish Air Force saw reductions in size. On 1 July 1990 the Polish Air Force and the Air Defence Force were merged again ( Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej  – WLiOP or WLOP). The attack capability of this force consisted primarily of MiG-21s , MiG-23s , MiG-29s , Su-20s and Su-22s . The remaining Lim-6bis were withdrawn in

13175-419: The command of Lt. Colonel Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski of the renascent Polish Army broke through the Ukrainian siege on November 21 and arrived in the city. The Ukrainians were repelled, the entire Ukrainian Sich Riflemen regiment sent to support the Ukrainians being annihilated. Immediately after capturing the city, some in the local Jewish militia attacked Polish troops, while at the same time elements of

13330-488: The conflict between the Poles and Ukrainians there. The Austrian province of Galicia consisted of Ruthenian Voivodeship territory that was part of Poland from 1434, and was seized by Austria in 1772, during the First Partition of Poland . The land included the territory of historical importance to Poland, including the ancient capital of Kraków , and had a majority Polish population, but the east Galicia included

13485-547: The conflict lie in the complex nationality situation in Galicia at the turn of the 20th century. As a result of the House of Habsburg 's relative leniency toward national minorities, Austria-Hungary was the perfect ground for the development of both Polish and Ukrainian national movements. During the 1848 Revolution , the Austrians, concerned by Polish demands for greater autonomy within the province, gave support to Ruthenians ,

13640-676: The conflict was resolved in March 1919 by fresh and well-equipped Polish units under General Edward Rydz-Śmigły . Thanks to fast and effective mobilization in December 1918, the Ukrainians possessed a large numerical advantage until February 1919 and pushed the Poles into defensive positions. According to an American report from the period of January 13 – February 1, 1919, Ukrainians eventually managed to surround Lviv on three sides. The city's inhabitants were deprived of water supply and electricity. Ukrainian army also held villages on both sidelines of

13795-552: The country, Polish pilots took advantage of the chaos and formed spontaneous aerial units in areas of present-day Belarus, south Ukraine, and by the Kuban river. Up until that point Polish pilots had only flown as members of Russian, German or Austro-Hungarian militaries. The first known air force units in service to the re-emerging Polish state were: I Polski Oddział Awiacyjny (1st Polish Aviation Squad) in Minsk formed on 19 June 1917,

13950-480: The demarcation line proposed by the allied states. On 19 January 1919, by the order of General Franchet d'Esperey , a peacekeeping mission under the command of General Joseph Barthelemy arrived in Kraków . Initially, the mission familiarised itself with the Polish position, which opted for the Bug - Świca  [ pl ] line. It then travelled to Lviv, meeting with the Ukrainian delegation. The Ukrainians opted for

14105-497: The early 1990s, followed soon afterwards by the withdrawal of the remaining Su-20 aircraft. The small number of remaining MiG-23s were withdrawn by 1999. Throughout the 1990s, Poland had not purchased any new combat aircraft and only managed to acquire further MiG-29s from the Czech Republic in 1995 and from Germany in 2004. MiG-21s were finally withdrawn from service in 2003. In 2004, the only remaining combat aircraft flown by

14260-582: The escalation of the Polish-Bolshevik War and during the final stages of the Polish-Ukrainian War , in August of that year he became the commanding officer of the most famous Polish air unit of the time, the 7th Kościuszko Air Escadrille . Rayski was chosen as the commander of that unit not only for his skills as a pilot, but also for his language abilities, as the squadron was manned primarily with American volunteers. He served with that unit on

14415-566: The fall of Poland, the Polish Air Force started to regroup in France. The only complete unit created before the German attack on France was the GC I/145 fighter squadron , flying Caudron C.714 light fighters. It was the only unit operating the C.714 at the time. The Polish pilots were also deployed to various French squadrons, flying on all types of French fighters, but mostly on the MS-406 . After

14570-410: The fighting between the Polish and West Ukrainian army. In 1918, the Entente countries sought to form a common anti-Bolshevik front, which was to include the Polish, White Russian , Romanian and Ukrainian armies. The outbreak of Polish-Ukrainian hostilities in Lviv on 1 November thwarted these plans, so the Entente states began to press both the Poles and Galicians to seek a settlement and adopt

14725-450: The front until January 1920. Three months afterwards he was promoted to the rank of Major and given a new assignment: command of a newly formed 21st Air Escadrille . Although composed mostly of badly trained pilots and insufficiently manned, the unit proved to be one of the most successful air units of the war and during the battle of Warsaw Rayski was given command of the entire 3rd Air Squadron . He held that post until May 1921. After

14880-585: The general staff for any assignment, even an assignment to a combat unit in the role of a simple pilot, but to no avail. Finally on 25 August he was made the chief of army's administration. After the outbreak of the Polish Defensive War on 1 September, Rayski was evacuated from Warsaw along with the rest of the Commander in Chief's staff. As the army's peace-time administration ceased to exist, he

15035-478: The government of West Ukraine, it engaged in diplomatic activity with the French and British governments in the hopes of obtaining a favourable settlement at Versailles. As a result of its efforts, the council of the League of Nations declared on February 23, 1921, that Galicia lay outside the territory of Poland and that Poland did not have the mandate to establish administrative control in that country and that Poland

15190-408: The heartland of the historic territory of Galicia-Volhynia and had a Ukrainian majority. In Galicia, Ukrainians made up approximately 58% of the population, Poles made up 34% of the population, and Jews about 8%. In city of Lwów (Lviv), the population in 1910 was approximately 60% Polish and 12% Ukrainian. Poles considered Lviv to be one of Poland's cultural capitals and not having a control over

15345-609: The issue of a possible link between Germany and the West Ukrainian People's Republic, insisting that the Germans were financially supporting the West Ukrainian government and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in order to sow a wave of political unrest and chaos in the region. However, the Ukrainians objected to such claims, arguing that the Poles only sought to portray the West Ukrainian People's Republic as pro-German and sympathetic to

15500-436: The late 19th century. Throughout the 19th and the early 20th centuries, the local Ukrainians attempted to persuade the Austrians to divide Galicia into Western (Polish) and Eastern (Ukrainian) provinces. The Austrians eventually agreed in principle to divide the province of Galicia. In October 1916, Emperor Karl I promised to do so once the war had ended. Due to the intervention of Archduke Wilhelm of Austria , who adopted

15655-400: The most responsible persons for the poor technical state of the Polish Air Force before the war, especially lack of modern fighters. It should be however noted, that a commanding system introduced by Piłsudski after his coup d'état was faulty, because it introduced two independent branches of command: peacetime and wartime one. The chief of the Aviation Department and commander of the Air Force

15810-462: The name of the East Slavic people that later was recognized as Ukrainians ; their goal was to be recognized as a distinct nationality. Schools teaching Ruthenian language were established, Ruthenian political parties formed and attempts were begun to revive their national culture. In the late 1890s and the first decades of the next century, the populist Ruthenian intelligentsia adopted

15965-462: The newly reborn state have limited the plan. Out of 600 million złoty scheduled for the first phase of the reorganization of the Polish aviation only approximately 200 million were indeed spent, while the rest was kept by various ministries. Rayski's role was seriously undermined by lack of support within the general staff and his frequent protests and memorials made no effect. He signed his resignation twice (in March 1938 and then in January 1939), but it

16120-499: The oil fields from the Poles and returning them to the Ukrainians who would honor their contracts. On June 25, 1919, the Allied Council legitimized Polish control over Eastern Galicia through the resolution that approved military occupation by Polish forces, including Haller's Army, up to the river Zbruch and authorized the Polish government to establish an interim civil administration, which would preserve as far as possible

16275-489: The oil production. The proposal was accepted by the Poles. The Allied demands, which included the loss of significant amount of Ukrainian-held and inhabited territory, were however deemed to excessively favor the Poles by the Ukrainians, who resumed their offensive on March 4. On March 5 Ukrainian artillery blew up the Polish forces' ammunition dump in Lviv; the resultant explosion caused a panic among Polish forces. The Ukrainians, however, failed to take advantage of this. During

16430-527: The orders of their officers, in particular, those of the Poznań regiments and Haller's army. Following the demands of the Entente , the Polish offensive was halted and Haller's troops assumed defensive positions. On June 8, 1919, the Ukrainian forces under the new command of Oleksander Hrekov , a former general in the Russian army, started a counter-offensive, and after three weeks advanced to Hnyla Lypa and

16585-677: The outbreak of the Great War he volunteered for Piłsudski's Polish Legions, where he fought under command of Gen. Józef Kordian-Zamorski . Rayski was wounded in the battle of Łowczówek . After the Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of Austria-Hungary , he was mobilized into the Ottoman Army. Rayski initially wanted to stay in the Legions, which were commonly seen as a school of cadre of future armed forces of Poland, but

16740-445: The outbreak of the war. On 1 September 1939, at the beginning of the invasion of Poland , all the Polish combat aircraft had been dispersed to secondary airfields, contrary to a commonly-held belief, based on German propaganda, that they had all been destroyed by bombing at their airbases. The aircraft destroyed by German bombers on the airfields were mostly trainers . The fighters were grouped into 15 escadres; five of them constituted

16895-434: The pilots were battle-hardened and Polish flying skills had been well learned from the invasion of Poland . The pilots were regarded as fearless, sometimes bordering on reckless. Nevertheless, success rates were very high in comparison to UK and Empire pilots. 303 Squadron became the most efficient RAF fighter squadron at that time. Many Polish pilots also flew individually in other RAF squadrons. As World War II progressed,

17050-548: The principle of national self-determination and that hostile national minorities would undermine the Polish state. In reality, the British policy was dictated by unwillingness to harm Russian interests in the region and alienate the future Russian state through preventing possible union of Eastern Galicia with Russia. In addition, Britain was interested in Western Ukraine's oil fields. Czechoslovakia, itself involved in

17205-550: The railroad linking Lviv to central Poland through Przemyśl, while Ukrainians controlled the rest of Eastern Galicia east of the river San , including the areas south and north of the railroad into Lviv. Thus, the Polish-controlled city of Lviv (Lwów) faced Ukrainian forces on three sides. Immediately after the collapse of Austria-Hungary, Polish forces had captured the Kholm ( Polish : Chełm ) area; shortly thereafter

17360-547: The railway leading to Przemyśl . Ukrainian forces continued to control most of eastern Galicia and were a threat to Lviv itself until May 1919. During this time, according to Italian and Polish reports, Ukrainian forces enjoyed high morale (an Italian observer behind Galician lines stated that the Ukrainians were fighting with the "courage of the doomed") while many of the Polish soldiers, particularly from what had been Congress Poland , wanted to return home because they saw no reason to fight against Ruthenians over Ruthenian lands;

17515-409: The role of aeroplanes in modern warfare. Because of that, Rayski had to limit his plans to modernization of the fighter force Poland had at that time. Lack of funds, economic crisis and unwillingness to expand the air forces on the side of most of the high-ranking officers forced Rayski to focus on training of air crews instead. In that period he supported the famous Dęblin school of aviation (nicknamed

17670-842: The slow and easily damaged Lublin R-XIII , and later the RWD-14 Czapla . Polish naval aviation used the Lublin R-XIII on floats. Just before the war, some Italian torpedo planes, the CANT Z.506 , were ordered, but only one was delivered, and it was without armament. The principal aircraft used to train pilots were the Polish-built high-wing RWD-8 and the PWS-26 biplane. In 1939, Poland ordered 160 MS-406s and 10 Hawker Hurricane fighters from abroad, but they were not delivered before

17825-556: The streets and dispersed crowds that could turn to Polish demonstrations. Ukrainian soldiers patrolled the streets with firearms and machine guns aimed at pedestrians; Polish sources claim that the Ukrainians shot bystanders who were looking at them from windows or building entrances, while Ukrainians claimed Poles were shooting at their soldiers from windows and behind gateways. Polish fighters also often dressed in civilian clothing when shooting at Ukrainian soldiers. According to historian Christoph Mick, both Poles and Ukrainians engaged in

17980-574: The surrender of France, many of these pilots managed to escape to Britain to continue the fight against the Luftwaffe. Following the fall of France in 1940, Polish units were formed in the United Kingdom, as a part of the Royal Air Force and known as the Polish Air Force (PAF). Four Polish squadrons were formed: The two Polish fighter squadrons first saw action in the third phase of the Battle of Britain in August 1940, with much success;

18135-584: The temporary capital of Stanislaviv . This resulted in a loss of territory, ammunition and further isolation from the outside world. The Ukrainian lines were broken, mostly due to the withdrawal of the elite Sich Riflemen . On May 27 the Polish forces reached the Złota Lipa – Berezhany - Jezierna  [ pl ] - Radziwiłłów line. The Polish advance was accompanied by a large wave of anti-Jewish violence and looting by disorganized Polish mobs, as in Lviv in 1918, and by Polish military units operating against

18290-425: The term Ukrainians to describe their nationality. They endeavored to promote a national culture, including efforts toward standardization of the Ukrainian language, and the establishment and support of Ukrainian cultural institutions such as scientific societies, theater, and a national museum in Lviv; beginning in the early 20th century, a national consciousness developed among the broader Ruthenian population, which

18445-566: The territorial autonomy and liberties of the inhabitants. On November 21, 1919, the Highest Council of the Paris Peace Conference granted Eastern Galicia to Poland for a period of 25 years, after which a plebiscite was to be held there, and obliged the Polish government to give territorial autonomy to the region. This decision was suspended on 22 December 1919 and never implemented. On April 21, 1920, Józef Piłsudski and Symon Petliura signed an alliance , in which Poland promised

18600-654: The territory of Kholm Governorate already controlled by the Polish troops. According to Richard Pipes , the first major pogrom in this region took place in January 1919 in the town of Ovruch , where Jews were robbed and killed by regiments of Kozyr-Zyrka affiliated with Symon Petlura's government. Nicolas Werth claims that armed units of the Ukrainian People's Republic were also responsible for rapes, looting, and massacres in Zhytomir , in which 500–700 Jews lost their lives. After two months of heavy fighting

18755-461: The time of the cease-fire, the Poles had been able to organize a relief force of 8,000–10,000 troops which by March 12 reached Przemyśl and by March 18 had driven the Ukrainian forces from the Lviv-Przemyśl railroad, permanently securing Lviv. On January 6–11 of 1919 a small part of the Ukrainian Galician Army invaded Transcarpathia to spread pro-Ukrainian sentiments among residents (the region

18910-461: The town of Brody . They came to within two days' march of Lviv. The successful Chortkiv offensive halted primarily because of a lack of arms – there were only 5–10 bullets for each Ukrainian soldier. The West Ukrainian government controlled the Drohobych oil fields with which it planned to purchase arms for the struggle, but for political and diplomatic reasons weapons and ammunition could only be sent to Ukraine through Czechoslovakia . Although

19065-521: The upper Stryi river, defeating five Polish divisions. Although the Polish forces had been forced to withdraw, they were able to prevent their forces from collapsing and avoided being encircled and captured. Thus, in spite of their victories, the Ukrainian forces were unable to obtain significant amounts of arms and ammunition. By June 27 the Ukrainian forces had advanced 120 km. along the Dnister river and on another they had advanced 150 km, past

19220-476: The vast majority of the population of the Western-Ukrainian People's Republic were Ukrainians, few settlements, namely Lviv, had Polish majorities. In Lviv, the Ukrainian residents enthusiastically supported the proclamation. The city's significant Jewish minority accepted or remained neutral towards the Ukrainian proclamation, while the city's Polish majority was shocked to find themselves in

19375-507: The war Rayski remained in the military. Promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel , he briefly became the commanding officer of the Higher Pilot's School at Poznań 's airfield of Ławica . However, he gave up that post in 1922 and instead returned to Lwów , where he continued his studies halted 8 years before. He also remained an active aviator and gained much fame in Poland after several of his spectacular flights. In 1925 in four days he flew

19530-502: The western Ukrainian military, much to the horror of Lloyd George and President Wilson . During the winter of 1918–1919, a diplomatic offensive by the Polish government tried to tilt the opinions of the Allies in favor of fully backing the Polish cause and to counter German disinformation campaign, which aimed to weaken French, British and American support of the new Polish state. Government officials in Poland and abroad repeatedly raised

19685-528: The whole of Eastern Galicia to secure the Russian front in its southern part and strengthen it by a junction with Romania. The Poles launched an attack soon afterward using a large force equipped by France (Haller's Army), which captured most of the territory of the West Ukrainian People's Republic. Urgent telegrams by the Western allies to halt this offensive were ignored. Czechoslovakia, which had inherited seven oil refineries from prewar Austrian times and which

19840-595: Was court martialled and sentenced to 10 months in prison for insubordination . Although the sentence was never enacted, General Rayski was in fact demoted and left jobless. Rayski then volunteered for the French Armee de L'air , but was again turned down. Officially still a General of the Polish Army, he volunteered for the Finnish Air Force to take part in the Winter War . In early 1940 he bought

19995-460: Was a low-performance light fighter PZL.45 project. Other point of criticism was that Rayski, realizing his vision of strong national aerospace industry, intentionally caused bankruptcy of Plage i Laśkiewicz factory, while the DWL hardly avoided this fate. Until May Rayski remained without an assignment. He spent the time training on all types of Polish aeroplanes, from trainers to bombers. In July he

20150-526: Was also known as one of the most colourful personalities of inter-war Poland - and one of its least submissive officers. Ludomił Rayski was born 29 December 1892 in Czasław near Wieliczka , to Artur Teodor Rayski of Korab Coat of Arms , an impoverished Polish noble who spent most of his life as an officer in the Ottoman Army . Artur Teodor was born a Russian citizen, but was forced into exile following

20305-569: Was bought by four countries. A new fighter prototype, the PZL.50 Jastrząb (Hawk), similar to the Seversky P-35 in layout, was curtailed by the Nazi invasion and the PZL.38 Wilk twin-engine heavy fighter remained a prototype. As far as bombers are concerned, the Potez 25 and Breguet 19 were replaced by an all-metal monoplane, the PZL.23 Karaś , with 250 built from 1936 onwards, but by 1939

20460-522: Was carried out by the Inter-allied Commission for Poland  [ pl ] subcommittee set up on 15 February 1919 and headed by Joseph Noulens . The sub-commission consisted of General Joseph Barthelemy ( France ) as chairman, Colonel Adrian Carton de Wiart ( UK ), Dr Robert Howard Lord ( United States ) and Major Giovanni Stabile ( Italy ). The subcommittee presented a draft truce convention on 15 February 1919. The truce, along

20615-586: Was convinced by Gen. Kordian-Zamorski to go to Constantinople and try to obtain experience in air warfare. In 1915 Rayski was accepted into the Turkish Air Force and dispatched to the front and promoted to the rank of Observer. He served during the battle of Gallipoli , where he was seriously wounded. Upon his return from the hospital he was transferred to the Ottoman 5th Army based in Smyrna , where he

20770-463: Was dependent on its contracts for oil with the Ukrainian government, demanded that the Poles send the Czechoslovaks the oil that had been paid for to the Ukrainian government. The Poles refused, stating that the oil was paid for with ammunition that had been used against Polish soldiers. Although the Czechoslovaks did not retaliate, according to Polish reports the Czechoslovaks considered seizing

20925-447: Was destroyed in the campaign; the surviving aircraft were either captured or withdrawn to Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia or Sweden, whose air forces subsequently employed these aircraft for their own use (in the case of Romania until 1956). A great number of pilots and aircrew managed to escape to France and then to Britain, where they played a significant part in the defence of the United Kingdom against Nazi invasion, during

21080-610: Was formed. The council announced the intention to unite the West Ukrainian lands into a single state. As the Poles were taking their own steps to take over Lviv and Eastern Galicia, Captain Dmytro Vitovsky of the Sich Riflemen led the group of young Ukrainian officers in a decisive action and during the night of October 31 – November 1, the Ukrainian military units, consisting of 1,400 soldiers and 60 officers, took control over Lviv . The West Ukrainian People's Republic

21235-760: Was given the task of evacuation of the gold reserves of the Bank of Poland . The gold convoyed out from Warsaw later became the crucial part of the treasury of the Polish Government in Exile . However, despite his constant pleas he was not allowed to join the fights and instead, after the Soviet invasion of Poland, on 18 September he crossed the border with Romania . Unlike most of the Polish general staff, Rayski managed to evade internment and made it to France, where he reported to Gen. Zając asking him for an assignment in

21390-472: Was internationally recognized as part of the Polish state. The government of the West Ukrainian People's Republic then disbanded, while Poland reneged on its promise of autonomy for Eastern Galicia. In an attempt to stop the war, a French general Marie Joseph Barthélemy  [ de ] proposed a demarcation line, known as the Barthelemy Line  [ pl ] , that was supposed to cease

21545-417: Was later assigned Avro Lancasters , 301 Squadron Handley Page Halifaxes and Consolidated Liberators and 305 Squadron, de Havilland Mosquitoes and North American Mitchells . 663 Squadron (air observation/artillery spotting) flew Taylorcraft Auster IIIs and Vs. After the war, all equipment was returned to the British, but only some of the pilots and crews actually returned to Poland, with many settling in

21700-408: Was made the commanding officer of that division's improvised air escadrille, equipped with 9 planes (apart from Rayski's LVG these were a single Nieuport 11 C1 and eight Anatra Anasal DS ). After a brief period of struggles against the Bolsheviks alongside Denikin's Whites , the unit was withdrawn to Poland. At that time the newly reborn Polish army was badly lacking experienced pilots. Although

21855-456: Was mainly rural. Multiple incidents between the two nations occurred throughout the late 19th century and the early 20th century. In 1903, both Poles and Ukrainians held separate conferences in Lviv: the Poles in May and Ukrainians in August. Afterwards, the two national movements developed with contradictory goals, which was a cause of the later clash. The ethnic composition of Galicia underlaid

22010-699: Was merely the occupying military power of Galicia, the sovereign of which were the Allied Powers (pursuant to the Treaty of Saint-Germain signed with Austria in September 1919) and whose fate would be determined by the Council of Ambassadors at the League of Nations. The Council of Ambassadors in Paris stated on July 8, 1921, that so-called "West Ukrainian Government" of Yevhen Petrushevych did not constitute

22165-612: Was no systematic violence nor massacres of ethnic Poles by Ukrainians during the course of this war but that both sides blamed each other for bloodshed. When Ukrainian forces first captured Lviv they refused to take hostages, tolerated Polish recruitment centers and were even prepared to enter negotiations with the Polish side, but were met with armed resistance. Polish historians, however, describe numerous examples during which Ukrainian troops used terror to subdue Poles into compliance. Ukrainian authorities tried to intimidate Polish population in Lviv by sending soldiers and armed trucks into

22320-463: Was not accepted. In January 1939, fearing that the war with Germany was imminent and inevitable, he resigned from his post and presented the minister of war affairs Gen. Tadeusz Kasprzycki with an ultimatum, urging him to finally mobilize the Polish air industry and dispatch all the funds. On 19 March 1939 he was dismissed from his office. Rayski's successor as the peacetime Air Force Commander became Gen. Władysław Kalkus , made personally subordinate to

22475-505: Was not promoted back to the Polish general's rank. During the Warsaw Uprising Rayski was probably the only allied General to fly combat missions on a daily basis. He volunteered for the service in No. 318 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron and No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron stationed in Brindisi , and flown a number of supply missions for the Armia Krajowa fighting in German-occupied Europe, both on Supermarine Spitfire and on B-24 Liberator . Altogether, during his entire service with

22630-471: Was not realized, and the PZL.38 Wilk , a twin-engine heavy fighter -bomber, of a fashionable at that time class, but unable to substitute for interceptor aircraft . Future war showed, that modern single-engine interceptors were crucial aircraft for the air defence. Facing fiasco of both designs, Rayski finally ordered development of PZL.50 Jastrząb, which was hampered by his arbitrary choice of too weak engine, and appeared too late and mediocre. The other design

22785-417: Was not until 1937 that one of his plans of modernization of the air force was finally accepted. The plan was based on extensive study of the development of the German Luftwaffe and on theories of Italian general Giulio Douhet , who envisioned that the future war would be fought primarily with bomber planes, with fighters playing a secondary role. In four years, by 1 April 1942, the number of Polish escadrilles

22940-458: Was occupied by Hungarians and Czechoslovaks). Ukrainian troops fought with Czechoslovak and Hungarian local police. They succeeded in capturing some Hungarian-controlled Ukrainian settlements. After some clashes with Czechoslovaks, the Ukrainians retreated because Czechoslovakia (instead of Ukrainian People's Republic ) was the only country that traded with the Western Ukrainian People's Republic and that supported it politically. Further conflict with

23095-478: Was only a peacetime administrative duty, subordinated to the Ministry of War, while strategic planning was to be fulfilled by the wartime branch, the General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces (GISZ), and general staff. The Inspectorate itself was not interested in military aviation much and was reluctant to work out a modern development plan for the Air Force and an appropriate strategic doctrine, giving only general directives instead. Therefore, Rayski had no knowledge on

23250-474: Was proclaimed on November 13, 1918, with Lviv as its capital. The timing of proclamation of the Republic caught the Polish ethnic population and administration by surprise. The new Ukrainian Republic claimed sovereignty over Eastern Galicia, including the Carpathians up to the city of Nowy Sącz in the West, as well as Volhynia , Carpathian Ruthenia and Bukovina (the last two territories were also claimed by Hungary and Romania respectively). Although,

23405-491: Was repulsed by Western Ukrainian forces near Rava-Ruska , north of Lviv. Only a small number of troops together with Romer were able to break through to Lviv after suffering heavy losses. Between January 11 and January 13, Polish forces attempted to dislodge Ukrainian troops besieging Lviv from the south while at the same time Ukrainian troops attempted another general assault on Lviv. Both efforts failed. In February 1919, Polish troops attempting to capture Sambir were defeated by

23560-427: Was sent with a Polish military mission to the United Kingdom , where he was to coordinate the purchase of British planes for the Polish Air Force, as specified by the Anglo-Polish military alliance . However, the British authorities postponed the delivery of the Hawker Hurricane , Supermarine Spitfire and Fairey Battle planes and on 15 July Rayski returned to Poland with little but promises. He continued to petition

23715-417: Was to be increased from 33 to 106. The plan was to be financed by the government and the entire reconstruction of the Polish Air Force was to cost approximately 1,537,000,000 złoty , that is almost 300 million US dollars or almost 62 million Pounds (by 1939 exchange rates). However, soon after the plan was passed, various conflicting groups within the general staff, as well as the financial difficulties of

23870-440: Was uneconomical, and moreover, delayed development of modern fighters. In early 1930s Polish fighters of Zygmunt Puławski's design were among the best in the world, but in late 1930s the situation changed, and Rayski was reluctant to order development of successors (better versions of Pulawski's fighters, not restricted by the Polish Air Force choice of engines, were exported with a success). He promoted obsolete PZL.39 project, that

24025-457: Was wounded for the second time. Upon return to service, on his own request he was sent to a fighter pilot training and earned his wings in the ranks of the Turkish Air Force. He served on various fronts of the war until its end. In January 1919 he was demobilized. Immediately afterwards he bought a single LVG C.V plane and flew across the Black Sea to Odessa , where he joined the Polish 4th Rifle Division under Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski . There he

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