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"To begin with, I ran through the different Allied
Air Forces which were operating in the desert war. Came the turn of the
Poles. ' And what do you think about the Polish airmen?' I asked. 'Oh,
them' replied the squadron Leader, 'they are fantastic - better than any
of us. In every way they've got us all beat'."
An excerpt from the book by Rosemary Curtis: "Winged
Tenacity".
Towards the end of 1942 Polish Air Force HQ asked RAF for an
opportunity to
send a group of pilots to the North African front in order to get "hands on"
practice in operating as a part of tactical air force. That, of course, was a
preparation for the tasks, awaiting them during inevitable Allied landing on
European continent .
Call for experienced (at least 30 missions) pilots was a popular one, with
about 70 volunteers coming forward. 15 pilots were chosen, with a plan for
personnel rotation every  3
months.
After initial preparations in
West Kirby
RAF base, they embarked on an Atlantic convoy, arriving in Africa in March
1943. The unit was assigned as a "C" Flight to # 145 Squadron RAF, operating from
Bu Ghara
.
High effectiveness and style very quickly earned them a
"Skalski's Circus"
nickname. Between 28th of March and 6th of May PFT shot down 25, probably 3
and damaged 9 enemy planes. German Army in Africa surrendered on 13th of May and PFT was disbanded.
Three of the pilots stayed on as a flight / squadron leaders in various RAF
units.
Left: Skalski's Circus badge.
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