Boch

Thank you very much. I am honored. Regards Lukasz

Hello, Dear colleagues. I need your help. Well, I am in the process of building an aircraft from the 36th RAO from 1920 from the 1st Cavalry Army of Budyonny, during the fights in Ukraine with the Poles. RE8 Harry Tate plane with side number (still British) F3680. Aircraft and Crew: The Soviet crew escaped with this machine and on June 4, 1920 landed near Kiev, wanting to go to the Polish side. The pilot and the observer were taken prisoner, from what I know they escaped later and returned to the Soviets. I don't know what happened to them after that. According to one source, one of the names is Sergeyev. Squadron: 36 RAO was formed from the transformation of the 1st Mogilev Squadron in 1919. In 1920, it was included in the air force at the disposal of Budyonny. Together with two other squadrons (24 RAO and 41 RAO) they formed the support of Budyonny's 1st Cavalry Army. I managed to find personnel depot 36 RAO but I didn't find anyone named Sergeyev there. What do you need help with? Every news, photos, description of the combat route, landing sites during the fights in Ukraine and Galicia, anything that will allow me to expand my knowledge about the squadron and this aircraft. Any information on the pilot, observer. Unfortunately, on the Russian pages of emptiness. I managed to find one photo of the squadron and some information about it. I will be very grateful for any information. Best regards Lukasz

Thank you very much. I am glad that you are interested in the history and plane of my compatriot.

Wow. Fatntastic work . Weathering, painting, photos. Amazing.

Thank you. Im really glad. Wow. It's a huge honour. Thank you very much. Thank you Kev for cheering me on throughout the build. It motivated me a lot. Thank you Martin. That's a huge compliment.

Hello Rob. I'm very pleased. Thank you for your comments and presence. You have been a great support. Thank you very much. In front of me is a series of machines to be made. I hope that the whole project will end happily, and next year I will invite you to watch the whole thing. Until then, however, I am merely an observer of your work. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you Kevin. Im really glad.

Thank you gentlemen for your kind words. I'm glad I could show my work here. Lukasz

Thank you for your presence almost throughout the construction. Thanks for your support and kind words. wow. It's a great honor. Of course I agree. I will be very pleased. Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm glad you like all my work.

I cordially invite you to the gallery. Link to the gallery Regards Lukasz

Tomek Wajnkaim It's time for the final gallery, presentation of the model, but also a summary of Donat Makijonek's activities and the construction itself. Before we get to the summaries, however, I would like to thank: Tomek Wajnkaim, who did me the honor and brought my model to life, drawing for me an amazing picture of Makijonek's fight with Albatross. Thank you also for designing the masks, thank you for all the advice and support, but also for being patient and enduring the constant bombardment of photos and modeling questions. Piotr Mazurek for making a flawless hubcap, which made this model one of a kind and allowed me to get closer to the original during this construction. Ewa constantly for support, faith and patience. Certainly, for someone who is not very interested in aviation and modeling, it is not easy to hear about it. Finally, I would like to thank everyone for supporting me here on this project. For interest, advice, support, motivation and warm welcome. Thank you very much. Historical summary. In his aviation career, Donat Makijonek made about 600 sorties, fought dozens of dogfights, in which he won nine victories (four of which were officially confirmed). He flew fourteen types of aircraft. He began his service as an ordinary soldier, with bravado, courage, extraordinary dedication and great aviation talent, he reached the rank of captain in the aviation of Tsarist Russia and the rank of major in the Polish Army. For bravery shown on the fronts of World War I and in other battles, he received the following decorations: the Russian Cross of St. George of all four classes, the Order of St. George 4th class, Order of St. Vladimir 4th class with swords and bow, Order of St. Anna 4th and 3rd class with swords and a bow, the Order of St. Stanisław III class with swords and ribbon and II class with swords. In the Polish Army, he received: Virtuti Militari V class, three times the Cross of Valor, the Order of the "Cross of Independence", the Medal for Victory and the Serbian Order of the White Eagle. Many times he got out of huge oppression, many times he performed the most difficult tasks and flights in the worst weather conditions. During his service and combat flights, Makijonek was always characterized by unprecedented courage, which earned him sympathy and respect. Undoubtedly, he is one of the most outstanding Polish pilots of the First World War and one of the most recognized fighters from the period of 1918-1921. The 3rd Intelligence Squadron under his command was considered one of the best units in Poland, which clearly proves Makijonek's commanding skills. During the fighting in Volhynia in 1919, he made daring assault flights, shelling and bombing the enemy from the smallest heights. During the period when flights could not be performed, he conducted training for the unit's personnel, including mechanics, because being a mechanic himself, he knew perfectly well the principles of operation of aircraft engines. For almost a third of his life he served in the air force, went through three wars, and the fourth was the end of his life. It is during World War II that Makijonek ends up in the death camp in Auschwitz. He is murdered by the Germans in unknown circumstances. It can be said bluntly that he was an outstanding man who deserves to be remembered, especially by his compatriots. Unfortunately, few people know and remember Makijonek, even among aviation enthusiasts, this and many other characters have been covered by the darkness of oblivion. Let the words of the introduction to the book "Polish Air Forces in 1918-1920" by Mariusz Niestrawski serve as a summary: “(…) The task of disseminating knowledge about the beginnings of Polish aviation is certainly not easy. Many Polish readers interested in military history still prefer feldgrau or even black history to Polish history. It would be nonsense to criticize the pursuit of knowledge, although it is worth trying to gradually change the proportions in favor of Polish history. The second obstacle to overcome is the specific attachment to defeats and their love for them, which has developed in Polish society. Closely related to this is the widespread use of the notion of "moral victors." It should be believed, however, that this kind of approach may be changed by popularizing the moments of glory of the Polish army, showing the fate of real heroes whose achievements really brought Poles closer to independence. It was, among others, the heroic deeds of the airmen in the years 1918-1920 that brought Poland victory. These heroes don't need the epithet "moral." They were simply victors to be remembered. Gloria victoribus!(…)” If anyone wants to follow Makijonek's biography in detail, I invite you to the workshop, there I posted a chronological story of Donat's life and activities during the report. Link to the workshop and history of Makijonek Workshop summary. The model represents a rather unusual version of the Nieuport XXI with the serial number 2453. The Nieuport XXI was basically the XVII version, but with a weaker engine. Although the external appearance was identical, the internal structure allowed it to be much lighter. Although the aircraft was primarily intended for training, in the realities of war Tsarist Russia used them successfully on the fronts of the First War. Nieuport XXI number 2453 was equipped with an unusual for this version, full engine cover and a hood that almost completely covered the engine intake. There is only one picture of this machine. Donat Makijonek won most of his victories in the first half of 1917 on this Nieuport. The model under construction shows the machine from the spring of 1917 during the fighting in Galicia. I started working on the model on April 6 this year, the whole thing took me 50 days. The model put a lot of challenges in front of me and I must admit that I had hard times with it. I had never had contact with the CSM company before, nor did I build a model from that period, except for one for testing. The final test came at the very end when the model fell off the table and broke into several pieces. Luckily, we managed to get to the end and do the final photo shoot. However, I think that this is not a model for beginners, there are a lot of traps in it and it requires extraordinary accuracy from the modeler. Apart from what was in the box, I used: - second set of CSM Nieuport XVII 1/32. - the cap is made in the thermoforming process, the last was also made to order. - national markings painted from masks that were designed and made for this model - decals of "Polonia" and Owls made by Mr. Bogdan Żołnierowicz, also to order. - Gaspatch machine gun. - Gaspatch turnbuckles - strings from AK - string tubes from AK - all the chemicals came from the following companies: AK, Gunze and Tamyia. For the next year from me there will be no workshops or models on the forum. During this time I plan to do a larger modeling project, which I will not post on the forum. However, I hope that as soon as I finish the planned work, I will contact you again and I will be able to reveal more details. I invite you to the gallery and see you. Regards Lukasz Best regards Lukasz

Thanks a lot

Thank you Matt. For the next few months I'm immersed in a project that I won't be able to present until after it's finished, so I'll be gone for a while.

Thanks Kev. Thank you for your support and entering.