At the first meeting of the UN, Artur Rubenstein noted the Polish flag was not there, and neither was a delegation. He played “Poland is Not Yet Lost” in a thunderous manner, to the applause of all.
On the in-law side of the family, both grandfathers were Polish generals. One was captured by the Nazis, the other, by the Soviets.
The one captured by the Nazis, survived the war under reasonably decent conditions. The other one got a bus ticket to the Katyn forest, and a mass grave.
Also, in the "not the arrow, it's the Indian" category, the Israelis established that it is impossible for a jet fighter to splash a helicopter, as long as the helicopter pilot knows where the jet is coming from, and has a few seconds to climb straight up. The jet only has seconds to bring his guns onto the help before he overshoots. If he fires missiles, and they are radar, guided, the helicopter can sideslip left and right and confuse the radar. If they are heater seekers, the helicopter can nose into the attacking jet, and hide its IR signature.
If the helicopter is an Apache, or Cobra, when the jet overshoots, the fun starts.
Back in the 1980s and, P3C Orion pilots were taught "defensive air combat manuvering techniques." As an "aft observer" the flights were a blast. Just the memories of an old aircrewman. (Low and slow gave some of the jets fits)
A well-deserved tip 'o the cap, Sir. The Poles possess a tempered resolve largely dictated by the unfortunate geography of empire. Their considerable resolve and courage is of the sort born of desperation. The guys who deployed obsolete aircraft to their operational limits and charged panzers with cavalry were never going to let this fight go. The fortunate ones got out and fought alongside the UK. The rest became prisoners perpetually enslaved by the Germans or shot in the Katyn forest by the Soviets. The predictable betrayal of Stalin during the '44 Warsaw uprising is still a potent memory for the Polish high command. THIS is why they maintain the largest armored force in Europe and spend the greatest percentage of their budget on defense in NATO. The Poles suffered the highest per capita combined casualties of the war, most of it during the occupation.
We should probably also acknowledge the heavy lifting Polish Intelligence did to secure and crack the Enigma machine. Brilliant.
Imagine being the ME-109 pilot having to go back and say you got outmaneuvered by one of those
Wouldn't be hard. Wing loading is the thing.
Surviving an encounter and being able to go back at all would be its own blessing.
At the first meeting of the UN, Artur Rubenstein noted the Polish flag was not there, and neither was a delegation. He played “Poland is Not Yet Lost” in a thunderous manner, to the applause of all.
The Poles are an admirable people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6vwQiNsERE
One of my dad's favorites.
Admirable, indeed. It is a tribute to them that Polish is still spoken within their historical borders.
Brings to mind the old truth attributed to Lewis: "it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog".
Full Bore.
Nice pull CDR.
These stories of desperate fights against long odds always bring to mind Michael Walsh’s recent book on Last Stands.
Last Stands: Why Men Fight When All Is Lost https://a.co/d/bNJBBzg
There are days when the only correct action is “aim small, miss small”. Remember Taffy 3.
On the in-law side of the family, both grandfathers were Polish generals. One was captured by the Nazis, the other, by the Soviets.
The one captured by the Nazis, survived the war under reasonably decent conditions. The other one got a bus ticket to the Katyn forest, and a mass grave.
Also, in the "not the arrow, it's the Indian" category, the Israelis established that it is impossible for a jet fighter to splash a helicopter, as long as the helicopter pilot knows where the jet is coming from, and has a few seconds to climb straight up. The jet only has seconds to bring his guns onto the help before he overshoots. If he fires missiles, and they are radar, guided, the helicopter can sideslip left and right and confuse the radar. If they are heater seekers, the helicopter can nose into the attacking jet, and hide its IR signature.
If the helicopter is an Apache, or Cobra, when the jet overshoots, the fun starts.
See Po-2 biplane downs F-94 jet fighter.
Back in the 1980s and, P3C Orion pilots were taught "defensive air combat manuvering techniques." As an "aft observer" the flights were a blast. Just the memories of an old aircrewman. (Low and slow gave some of the jets fits)
A well-deserved tip 'o the cap, Sir. The Poles possess a tempered resolve largely dictated by the unfortunate geography of empire. Their considerable resolve and courage is of the sort born of desperation. The guys who deployed obsolete aircraft to their operational limits and charged panzers with cavalry were never going to let this fight go. The fortunate ones got out and fought alongside the UK. The rest became prisoners perpetually enslaved by the Germans or shot in the Katyn forest by the Soviets. The predictable betrayal of Stalin during the '44 Warsaw uprising is still a potent memory for the Polish high command. THIS is why they maintain the largest armored force in Europe and spend the greatest percentage of their budget on defense in NATO. The Poles suffered the highest per capita combined casualties of the war, most of it during the occupation.
We should probably also acknowledge the heavy lifting Polish Intelligence did to secure and crack the Enigma machine. Brilliant.
I remember all the Polish pilots who escaped and who formed an all Polish squadron in Britain and fought against the Nazis