HISTORY
As in 1939, nearly all Polish sailplanes were taken to Moscow for evaluation, the main Polish Gliding sites being situated in the East of Poland, it was necessary in June 1945 to use a large number of German gliders and sailplanes to get the Polish Gliding movement onto its feet. Pre 1939 Polish types such as (1S-A) Salamandra. IS-B Komar (Gnat), Wrona (Crow) and Zaba (Frog) were built again from 1946-1950. Tony Morris has done some very careful research work into aircraft on the Polish register, before and after WW 2. He has often visited Warsaw to do this. He has now very kindly made some of il available to us for publishing.
GERMAN SAILPLANES AND GLIDERS REGISTERED IN POLAND FROM JUNE 1945 to 1953.
From June 1945, the Soviet Red Army allowed the Poles to have 742 German sailplanes which were found on German airfields and gliding sites in Poland and in the new Polish territory annexed from Germany.
These aircraft were:
SG.38
85 built by Kaertner. Austria. (Then part of German Reich)
3 KittelbergerBregenz. Germany.
63 Oberlerchner, Austria (Ostmark, then part of the German Reich
9 Schneider.. Grunau Germany.
77 Pander.. Holland.
31 Petera Hohenelbe Bohemia?
34 Ratjens (Hamburg)
15 Poznan Polish built.
3 Mragowo Polish built.
1 Lebert Polish built.
16 Katowice Polish built.
1 Pincow Polish built.
2 Gdansk Polish built.
Total = 371
282 GRUNAU BABIES .. of various marks (I, 2A and 2B) and some are called Jezyks (Hedgehogs) but Jezow is the Polish name for Grunau.
2 Kochmann.
23 . Petera.. Hohenelbe.. Bohemia?
222 Schneider. Grunau.
5 Unknown.
16 Polish built.
10 Jezow Polish built.
16 Poznan.Polish built.
3 Gdansk Polish built.
1 Ligolka Dolna. Polish built.
Total. 282
3 MOTORBABY
3 Edmund Schneider - Grunau.
1 GRUNAU 8
1 Edmund Schneider.. Grunau.
85 KRANICH 2.
50 of these were finished by 1952 as'ZURAW 2s. 2 German Kranich 2s (possibly obtained from Grunau) were converted
back from prone front piloted version. (Liegekranich). (Kranich=Zurav= Crane). 35 Kranich 2s were taken over from Germany in June 1945.
1 Home built ?
1 MEG ?
26 Mraz Chotzen .Bohemia.
3 Edmund Schneider, Grunau. (prone piloted?)
1 Karl Schweyer.
3 Unknown.
40 Polish built, at Gdansk. Finished in 1952.
10 Polish built at Poznan. Finished in 1952.
Total=85.
4 MINIMOAS
1.. Goeppingen.
3...Schempp Hirth.
Total= 4.
1 RHEINLAND FVA 10B
1.. Schmetz Herzogenrath.. Aachen.
2 RHOENADLERS
2... Schleicher.
3 RHOENBUSSARDS.
2...Schneider. (Schleicher ? CW)
1... Unknown..
Total: 3
I RHOENSPERBER
1 unknown builder (SP-148, Schweyer ? CW.)
2 GOEVIER
2 Schcmpp-Hirth.
12 WEIHE
I DFS Darmstadt
10 Jacobs
(C.W. thinks this ought to read 11 Jacobs Schweyer.. ie. JS.) If
the first is DFS, this could have been a 1938/9 DFS Weihe)
1 Schweyer,
Total: 12 Weihes.
21 OLYMPIA-MEISE
6 DFS Darmstadt.
13 Ferdinand Schmetz Flugzeugbau. Hcrzogenrath, Aachen.
2 Polish built.
Total: 21.
3 MU 13D
2 Schwarchwald Flugzeugbau.
1 Munich,
Total: 3
1 "Wundergleiter" (true type name ?? )
1 Edmund Schneider. Grunau.Ricsengebirge.
Total: 1.
The Zuraw 2s, (Kranich 2s) built in Poland by 1952 were known as the IS-Cs.(Istytut Szybownistwa = Gliding Institute) The IS-1 was the first Polish new design to be built after the war. One IS-I Sep (Vulture) was built in 1947. 5 Seps were built in 1948. The first Bocian was finished in 1952. World Records flown in Kranich 2s were: Height above Release for two seaters: 8.122 metres on 1-12-50 by Brzuska/Parzecwiski at Jelenia Gora (Hirschberg, Grunau.) World two-seat goal flight records. 511.5 kms by Pakilewicz, Leszno- Warezon 19-7-51. and 541.3 kms Lublin- Hrubieszow by Popiel and Siemaszkiewicz in a Zuraw 2 on 30-7-53. These were the first world records to be set up by Poles after 1945. By 1953 ALL GERMAN BUILT SAILPLANES HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE POLISH REGISTER. Only the 50 ZURAW 2s (Kranich 2s) lasted longer (until the 1960s? CW). We can only imagine that the communist authorities wanted to fill the hangars with new contemporary designs, as the communists wanted to use Gliding for Aviation Propaganda, a National Sport and a means for discovering whether young men and women were suited for training as power pilots for military and state "civilian" aviation, as had the Germans.
There was the question whether young Polish pilots had flown the German types "as if there was no tomorrow." This could have happened also, as a Polish "ORLIK". which had been hidden during the war, only lasted two months! The Aviation and Astronautical Museum at Cracow has kept the following German sailplanes: SG-38, Motorbaby, Horten 2 (damaged), Meise SP-380, Weihe SP-029 (could be 1938 DFS version CW.?), Rhcinland SP-051, Zuraw 2 (Kranich 2) SP-1213, Zuraw 2 (Kranich 2) SP-1295, Rhocnsperber SP-148, Mu 13D SP-824. Most, if not all, of the above need restoration, but a Zuraw 2 might be swapped for something needed by the museum. It is a pity that no Minimoas are there.
As in 1939, nearly all Polish sailplanes were taken to Moscow for evaluation, the main Polish Gliding sites being situated in the East of Poland, it was necessary in June 1945 to use a large number of German gliders and sailplanes to get the Polish Gliding movement onto its feet. Pre 1939 Polish types such as (1S-A) Salamandra. IS-B Komar (Gnat), Wrona (Crow) and Zaba (Frog) were built again from 1946-1950. Tony Morris has done some very careful research work into aircraft on the Polish register, before and after WW 2. He has often visited Warsaw to do this. He has now very kindly made some of il available to us for publishing.
GERMAN SAILPLANES AND GLIDERS REGISTERED IN POLAND FROM JUNE 1945 to 1953.
From June 1945, the Soviet Red Army allowed the Poles to have 742 German sailplanes which were found on German airfields and gliding sites in Poland and in the new Polish territory annexed from Germany.
These aircraft were:
SG.38
85 built by Kaertner. Austria. (Then part of German Reich)
3 KittelbergerBregenz. Germany.
63 Oberlerchner, Austria (Ostmark, then part of the German Reich
9 Schneider.. Grunau Germany.
77 Pander.. Holland.
31 Petera Hohenelbe Bohemia?
34 Ratjens (Hamburg)
15 Poznan Polish built.
3 Mragowo Polish built.
1 Lebert Polish built.
16 Katowice Polish built.
1 Pincow Polish built.
2 Gdansk Polish built.
Total = 371
282 GRUNAU BABIES .. of various marks (I, 2A and 2B) and some are called Jezyks (Hedgehogs) but Jezow is the Polish name for Grunau.
2 Kochmann.
23 . Petera.. Hohenelbe.. Bohemia?
222 Schneider. Grunau.
5 Unknown.
16 Polish built.
10 Jezow Polish built.
16 Poznan.Polish built.
3 Gdansk Polish built.
1 Ligolka Dolna. Polish built.
Total. 282
3 MOTORBABY
3 Edmund Schneider - Grunau.
1 GRUNAU 8
1 Edmund Schneider.. Grunau.
85 KRANICH 2.
50 of these were finished by 1952 as'ZURAW 2s. 2 German Kranich 2s (possibly obtained from Grunau) were converted
back from prone front piloted version. (Liegekranich). (Kranich=Zurav= Crane). 35 Kranich 2s were taken over from Germany in June 1945.
1 Home built ?
1 MEG ?
26 Mraz Chotzen .Bohemia.
3 Edmund Schneider, Grunau. (prone piloted?)
1 Karl Schweyer.
3 Unknown.
40 Polish built, at Gdansk. Finished in 1952.
10 Polish built at Poznan. Finished in 1952.
Total=85.
4 MINIMOAS
1.. Goeppingen.
3...Schempp Hirth.
Total= 4.
1 RHEINLAND FVA 10B
1.. Schmetz Herzogenrath.. Aachen.
2 RHOENADLERS
2... Schleicher.
3 RHOENBUSSARDS.
2...Schneider. (Schleicher ? CW)
1... Unknown..
Total: 3
I RHOENSPERBER
1 unknown builder (SP-148, Schweyer ? CW.)
2 GOEVIER
2 Schcmpp-Hirth.
12 WEIHE
I DFS Darmstadt
10 Jacobs
(C.W. thinks this ought to read 11 Jacobs Schweyer.. ie. JS.) If
the first is DFS, this could have been a 1938/9 DFS Weihe)
1 Schweyer,
Total: 12 Weihes.
21 OLYMPIA-MEISE
6 DFS Darmstadt.
13 Ferdinand Schmetz Flugzeugbau. Hcrzogenrath, Aachen.
2 Polish built.
Total: 21.
3 MU 13D
2 Schwarchwald Flugzeugbau.
1 Munich,
Total: 3
1 "Wundergleiter" (true type name ?? )
1 Edmund Schneider. Grunau.Ricsengebirge.
Total: 1.
The Zuraw 2s, (Kranich 2s) built in Poland by 1952 were known as the IS-Cs.(Istytut Szybownistwa = Gliding Institute) The IS-1 was the first Polish new design to be built after the war. One IS-I Sep (Vulture) was built in 1947. 5 Seps were built in 1948. The first Bocian was finished in 1952. World Records flown in Kranich 2s were: Height above Release for two seaters: 8.122 metres on 1-12-50 by Brzuska/Parzecwiski at Jelenia Gora (Hirschberg, Grunau.) World two-seat goal flight records. 511.5 kms by Pakilewicz, Leszno- Warezon 19-7-51. and 541.3 kms Lublin- Hrubieszow by Popiel and Siemaszkiewicz in a Zuraw 2 on 30-7-53. These were the first world records to be set up by Poles after 1945. By 1953 ALL GERMAN BUILT SAILPLANES HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE POLISH REGISTER. Only the 50 ZURAW 2s (Kranich 2s) lasted longer (until the 1960s? CW). We can only imagine that the communist authorities wanted to fill the hangars with new contemporary designs, as the communists wanted to use Gliding for Aviation Propaganda, a National Sport and a means for discovering whether young men and women were suited for training as power pilots for military and state "civilian" aviation, as had the Germans.
There was the question whether young Polish pilots had flown the German types "as if there was no tomorrow." This could have happened also, as a Polish "ORLIK". which had been hidden during the war, only lasted two months! The Aviation and Astronautical Museum at Cracow has kept the following German sailplanes: SG-38, Motorbaby, Horten 2 (damaged), Meise SP-380, Weihe SP-029 (could be 1938 DFS version CW.?), Rhcinland SP-051, Zuraw 2 (Kranich 2) SP-1213, Zuraw 2 (Kranich 2) SP-1295, Rhocnsperber SP-148, Mu 13D SP-824. Most, if not all, of the above need restoration, but a Zuraw 2 might be swapped for something needed by the museum. It is a pity that no Minimoas are there.
