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Winnipeg to Warsaw, Polish wartime Dakota to be restored...


R Palimaka

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Found out about this cool story today. It turns out that Dakota FL547 of 511(T) Squadron, flown by Polish pilots and crew, ended up in Canada after the war and has survived to today. It was assigned as the personal aircraft of Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski the Polish Comander-in-Chief during 1943-44. FL547 has now been dismantled and was flown in an RCAF C-17 to Poland today, to be restored to her wartime configuration. 

 

There was a further Canadian connection. Gen. Sosnkowski was removed from his command on the insistence of Churchill, who considered the General's anti-Soviet attitude a detriment to Allied cohesion. Sosnowski moved to Canada in November 1944, and three of his sons lived here. 

 

The remains of FL547 were partially restored and painted for the trip by 17 WIng "Ghost Squadron", which is a civilian volunteer organization that looks after the Heritage AIr Park around 17 Wing, CFB Winnipeg. 

 

Wartime photo of FL547 at Campo Cassale, Italy on March 29, 1944, having flown Sosnkowski on an inspection tour.

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Edited by R Palimaka
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