Poles bomb Berlin??

Discussions on all aspects of Poland during the Second Polish Republic and the Second World War. Hosted by Piotr Kapuscinski.
User avatar
Aufklarung
Member
Posts: 5136
Joined: 17 Mar 2002, 05:27
Location: Canada

Poles bomb Berlin??

#1

Post by Aufklarung » 03 Nov 2003, 20:49

Hi all
I heard a vague mention about the Poles possibly attacking Germany by air just after the war commenced. This air raid may or may not have happened but was supposedly a very real Polish Air Force plan. Can anyone shed a bit more light on this interesting possibility?
Thanx in advance.

regards
A :)

User avatar
Musashi
Member
Posts: 4656
Joined: 13 Dec 2002, 16:07
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, the UK [it's one big roundabout]
Contact:

#2

Post by Musashi » 04 Nov 2003, 01:16

I heard about that in Polish war radio auditions (archives), but I am not sure whether its the truth...


User avatar
Gen. Erwin Rommel
Member
Posts: 532
Joined: 06 Apr 2003, 23:54
Location: Portugal

#3

Post by Gen. Erwin Rommel » 04 Nov 2003, 01:53

I never heard nothing about it, but what kind of damage could they do?

I dont know how meany planes capable to do something were avaiable, but im sure that they weren't a lot.

Besides even if they somehow were able to lunch their strike, i guess that the most of them would be shuted down.

User avatar
PanzerKing
Member
Posts: 1244
Joined: 28 Feb 2003, 03:26
Location: Texas USA

#4

Post by PanzerKing » 04 Nov 2003, 04:47

Gen. Erwin Rommel wrote:I never heard nothing about it, but what kind of damage could they do?

I dont know how meany planes capable to do something were avaiable, but im sure that they weren't a lot.

Besides even if they somehow were able to lunch their strike, i guess that the most of them would be shuted down.
If memory serves me right, there were 36 servicible P-36 Los bombers capable of a 2500 kg bombload each...so a small strike wouldn't have gone un-noticed! Unfortunetly, the Poles used the bombers to attack ground targets and support columns sparingly, so they did not make much a contribution, they could have however.

User avatar
Aufklarung
Member
Posts: 5136
Joined: 17 Mar 2002, 05:27
Location: Canada

#5

Post by Aufklarung » 04 Nov 2003, 09:28

Hi
Panzerking, I think you mean P.37 PZL Los. :)
Image
http://ww2-aviation.net/polavhist/p37.html

Still no luck on any mention of this attack or planned attack?

regards
A :)

User avatar
AHLF
Member
Posts: 1811
Joined: 30 Aug 2002, 20:16
Location: Ashdod

#6

Post by AHLF » 04 Nov 2003, 12:26

Aufklarung wrote:Hi
Panzerking, I think you mean P.37 PZL Los. :)
Image
http://ww2-aviation.net/polavhist/p37.html

Still no luck on any mention of this attack or planned attack?

regards
A :)
Wow! Nice pice of aircraft, looks very similar to the Heinkel He-111 bomber. :D

User avatar
Gen. Erwin Rommel
Member
Posts: 532
Joined: 06 Apr 2003, 23:54
Location: Portugal

#7

Post by Gen. Erwin Rommel » 04 Nov 2003, 13:22

Like i thougth, what could 36 bombers do against Berlin?
Damage something, but nothing big.

- Besides, if the attack was during the day the most of the bombers if not all would have been shuted down by the AA and the Luftwaffe.

- During the evening, i dont know if the Polish airforce was able to find Berlin, bomb it and came back untoutched.

In the best scenario the Polish could hit something around, never nothing important, because they didint even had enougth bombers to try a small carpet bombing, and all they could do if they reatched the sky around Berlin was to target an area, like for example Charlottenburg, or Friedrichshain, and after the attack if 50% of the bombers were able to return to base, that would be a good result.

But how could this affect the war?
I cant really see how, everything would happend exacly like it happend, the only thing that i can remenber is that maybe Hitler ordered the reinforcment of AA defences around Berlin, what could have caused some extra damege to the British and Americans some years later, but nothing else than that.

User avatar
Musashi
Member
Posts: 4656
Joined: 13 Dec 2002, 16:07
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, the UK [it's one big roundabout]
Contact:

#8

Post by Musashi » 04 Nov 2003, 13:56

Many PZL P-37 "Los" (Elk) have been sold to Rumania (30), Bulgaria (15) and Yugoslavia (20). Greece, Turkey, Finland and Estonia had planned to buy this bomber, but the war begun. That bomber won competition and proved to be the best bomber in Europe in 1936.
See that

User avatar
Gen. Erwin Rommel
Member
Posts: 532
Joined: 06 Apr 2003, 23:54
Location: Portugal

#9

Post by Gen. Erwin Rommel » 04 Nov 2003, 18:23

But war started in 1939 and not in 1936.
And just having a good bomber doesnt mean anything.
If good military material was enougth to win the war, i think Germany would have won ww2 for sure.

User avatar
PanzerKing
Member
Posts: 1244
Joined: 28 Feb 2003, 03:26
Location: Texas USA

#10

Post by PanzerKing » 04 Nov 2003, 19:38

Well I know they were called the P-37 in Romanian service, but in a book I have it calls it a P-36 Los, maybe an error.

User avatar
Musashi
Member
Posts: 4656
Joined: 13 Dec 2002, 16:07
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, the UK [it's one big roundabout]
Contact:

#11

Post by Musashi » 04 Nov 2003, 21:24

PanzerKing wrote:Well I know they were called the P-37 in Romanian service, but in a book I have it calls it a P-36 Los, maybe an error.
Yes, its must be an error :) The Rumanians bought Polish P-24 "Kobuz" fighters which were basis of Rumanian IAR-80. IAR-80 had a fuselage from Polish P-24 and the wings were Rumanian.

User avatar
Victor
Member
Posts: 3904
Joined: 10 Mar 2002, 15:25
Location: Bucharest, Romania
Contact:

#12

Post by Victor » 04 Nov 2003, 22:22

Musashi wrote:
PanzerKing wrote:Well I know they were called the P-37 in Romanian service, but in a book I have it calls it a P-36 Los, maybe an error.
Yes, its must be an error :) The Rumanians bought Polish P-24 "Kobuz" fighters which were basis of Rumanian IAR-80. IAR-80 had a fuselage from Polish P-24 and the wings were Rumanian.
Actually only 5 of the 30 Romanian P.24Es were bought. The rest 25 were manufactured at IAR Brasov.
Only the rear part of the IAR-80 fuselage was similar to the P.24 but it was lengthened.
The wings were similar to those of the JRS-79 bomber, but of course scaled down.

User avatar
Musashi
Member
Posts: 4656
Joined: 13 Dec 2002, 16:07
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, the UK [it's one big roundabout]
Contact:

#13

Post by Musashi » 04 Nov 2003, 23:04

Victor wrote:
Musashi wrote:
PanzerKing wrote:Well I know they were called the P-37 in Romanian service, but in a book I have it calls it a P-36 Los, maybe an error.
Yes, its must be an error :) The Rumanians bought Polish P-24 "Kobuz" fighters which were basis of Rumanian IAR-80. IAR-80 had a fuselage from Polish P-24 and the wings were Rumanian.
Actually only 5 of the 30 Romanian P.24Es were bought. The rest 25 were manufactured at IAR Brasov.
Only the rear part of the IAR-80 fuselage was similar to the P.24 but it was lengthened.
The wings were similar to those of the JRS-79 bomber, but of course scaled down.
I agree. Thanks for the info :)

User avatar
PanzerKing
Member
Posts: 1244
Joined: 28 Feb 2003, 03:26
Location: Texas USA

#14

Post by PanzerKing » 05 Nov 2003, 03:23

Musashi wrote:
PanzerKing wrote:Well I know they were called the P-37 in Romanian service, but in a book I have it calls it a P-36 Los, maybe an error.
Yes, its must be an error :) The Rumanians bought Polish P-24 "Kobuz" fighters which were basis of Rumanian IAR-80. IAR-80 had a fuselage from Polish P-24 and the wings were Rumanian.
I think you might be confused a bit. I was speaking about the P.37 Los, there were 19 servicable planes with the ARR. I don't know why you brought up the P.24! :)

I was stating that there was an error because the book referred to them as P.36 and not P.37.

User avatar
Eryk
Member
Posts: 31
Joined: 21 Aug 2003, 16:04
Location: Warsaw, Poland

#15

Post by Eryk » 05 Nov 2003, 11:43

Hi,

Of course there weren't any plans of bombing Berlin - but there were plans of bombing targets in Germany .

Polish HQ didn't agree to this. Bombers (not only PZL 37) were much more useful against German columns.


And few corrections:

1. Not PZL P-37 Los, but PZL - 37b.

"P" means "Pulaski" (name of constructor) and PZL-37 Los was designed by Jerzy Dabrowski.

http://ww2-aviation.net/polavhist/p37.html

2. Not PZL P-24g "Kobuz" but simply PZL P-24g.

There was PZL P-11g "Kobuz" in 1939. It was a modified version of P-11c fighter fitted with Mercury VIII engines initially intended for the PZL 50 fighters.

3. It would be very difficult for PZL 37 to win a competition in 1936 - first prototype was tested in June (or December - not sure) 1936.



Regards,
Arek

Post Reply

Return to “Poland 1919-1945”