Many Polish pilots were dispersed within British and American units. The 61st American Fighter Squadron was probably an exception; it was dominated by Polish personnel.
On the picture above are some Polish pilots from the American Squadron 61, looking from the left: Captain Bolesław Gładych, Major Tadeusz Sawicz, Lt. Colonel Francis Gabreski, Captain Kazimierz Rutkowski, Captain Tadeusz Andresz, Captain Witold Łanowski. Summer 1944. 
 

61st Fighter Squadron (USAAF)

Air Regiments were the largest units in pre-war Poland and there were only six of them in 1939. When Polish infantry divisions were formed in the USSR, Stalin managed to organise ‘Polish’ Air Force as well so, six ‘Polish’ Regiments were formed on the Soviet territory. The planes’ markings were somehow similar to the markings of Polish planes in the UK; there was a star instead of those British plates. Six Air Regiments was a great power and I would be more than happy to add some great pictures to this album, but… I have some serious doubts; I heard some rumours that the personnel weren’t Polish at all. I noticed that those people in the pictures don’t even look Polish, there are Russian names and Polish made up names (Wiktor Poruczniczak?), and some proper Polish names, but without meaning in such context. After the war, in the People’s Poland, there were no known air force heroes arriving from the East. As for Stalin’s motivations, I can only guess: maybe it was his step to create Polish Socialist Soviet Republic or maybe to create just Polish People’s Republic. I reserve my respect to all those fighting, dying and bleeding in those planes. I invite all participants to make some knowledgeable comments to this subject. 
Listed below are names of the Regiments:   
1st Regiment of Fighters ‘Warszawa’
2nd Regiment of Night Bombers ‘Kraków’
3rd Ground Attack Regiment
6th Ground Attack Regiment
10th Regiment of Fighters
11th Regiment of Fighters
Ther plane in the picture is Yak (Jak?).
Regards, LS


Red star and white and red chess-board

Stanisław Skalski as a cadet. He completed the College in 1938.  