Poland’s military is celebrating Air Force Day with a series of commemorative events.

A special mass was held at the Polish Armed Forces Field Cathedral in Warsaw, Friday morning. Then a ceremony in tribute to Polish pilots who fought on all fronts of World War Two, especially during the Battle of Britain, took place at the monument to Polish airmen who died in those encounters.

A special exhibition devoted to the contribution of Poles in defending the British Isles from the Nazi onslaught has also been opened. Fans of aviation history could admire TS 11 “Iskra” type planes – the first training jets used by the Polish Air Force – flying over in a parade.

Polish Air Force Day has been established to mark the anniversary of the victory of the famous pilots Franciszek Zwirko and Stanislaw Wigura in the prestigious Challenge Cup in 1932 and 1934 on a plane of Polish construction, the RWD-6.  (ss)