Polish community in SA marks 80th anniversary of Warsaw Flights

The Polish community in South Africa has paid tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of the pilots and crew of 31 and 34 squadrons of the South African Air Force who participated in the Warsaw Flights to bring much-needed supplies during the brief but fierce struggle to liberate the Polish capital from German occupation in 1944.

The uprising, which lasted just over 60 days from August to October 1944, has been described as the single largest concentrated military effort undertaken by resistance forces to oppose German occupation during World War II.

The Polish Underground Home Army faced the daunting task of expelling the German army and ending five years of brutal occupation.

Despite the heroism and sacrifice of Poles and their allies, the uprising’s failure allowed the pro-Soviet Polish administration, rather than the Polish government-in-exile in London, to gain control of Poland. Bitter and brutal fighting saw the Polish capital razed to the ground and cost the lives of over 150-thousand Poles, most of them civilians. The exact number of casualties is not known.

Pastor Robin Peterson who officiated at the memorial service at the Katyn Memorial in Melrose, Johannesburg, said he and his family recently undertook a memorable trip to Poland to be part of the 80^th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising and the Warsaw Flights. One of their destinations was the Warsaw Rising Museum, which left a profound impression on Petersen.

“What a humbling experience it was for us to see the replica Liberator bomber suspended from the ceiling and to see and hear our beloved father-in-law, father, grandfather, Brian Jones, speaking on the video, describing his experience of dropping supplies over Warsaw and being shot down and miraculously crash-landing on a Warsaw airfield.”

Peterson was the son-in-law of Bryan Jones, one of the South Africans who flew to Warsaw. Jones was a navigator with the SAAF’s 31 (heavy bomber) Squadron.  On the 13th of August 1944, his Liberator aircraft was shot down over Warsaw and Bryan and his crew became Prisoners of War until the end of the war.

South African losses during the six-week-long airlift were high. Eighty of the graves in the Allied Airmen’s cemetery in Krakow, southern Poland, are South African. 31 and 34 squadrons of the South African Air Force – all volunteers – flew 41 sorties to drop supplies to the Polish Home Army in Warsaw between 13 August and 16 October 1944: 11 aircraft were lost.

Expanding on Petersen’s memories of his relative, the Director of the Warsaw Rising Museum, Dr Pawel Ukielski, a special guest at the service, recounted the following incident: “We built a full-scale replica of the Liberator bomber inside the museum.  It was not an easy task… In 2006 when we unveiled the replica, we invited all the airmen and about 60 came for the 62^nd anniversary of the Warsaw Rising.  Brian Jones was one of them.  As we entered the museum he asked me, astonished, how did you put it inside? And then I knew we had succeeded…”

After the service, Dr Ukielski opened an exhibition at the Ditsong National Museum of Military History in Saxonwold which chronicles the military, political and personal aspects of the uprising. It includes a complete list of all those who took part in the relief flights to Warsaw.  The display will form part of the museum’s permanent exhibits.

The Polish Ambassador to South Africa, Adam Burakowski, also thanked the countries – among them South Africa – that helped Poland during this time. He said Poland fought both totalitarian regimes, the Nazi Germans and the Soviet Communists.  Burakowski, himself a native of Warsaw, highlighted the monumental and meticulous task to reconstruct the city to retain the historical character of the Old Town spanning centuries from the 1200s, and turn it into today’s UNESCO World Heritage site.

As a tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, military veterans associations, Polish community organisations in South Africa and members of the diplomatic community laid wreaths at the memorial.

Online link to commemoration service: https://www.facebook.com/WarsawFlightsCommemoration2023/videos/460328876989254