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Erebus Nyx
Gary Kitchen (Erebus Nyx)
GB

1939 Kosciuszko Squadron
PZL P11.c, 111 Eskadra, Warsaw, 1939

Subject:
PZL P.11C
PL Wojska Lotnicze (Polish Air Force 1918-1939)
111 Esk. Myśliwska White 5
FS30118 FS35526 FS30117
Scale:
1:72
Status:
Completed
Started:
May 8, 2020
Completed:
July 10, 2020

Flying with the Kosciusko Sqn Zumbach will undoubtedly have flown the PZL P.11c. References indicate most likely White 1.
In his book Mr Brown he recounts a tale of strict formation flying where the planes are tethered together by a rope. If you’re the pilot responsible for breaking the formation you’re fined. One of these drills went wrong and Zumbach clipped a truck on the airfield and crashed. As a result Zumbach did not see action during the invasion of Poland, due to the subsequent period of convalescence. By the time he returned, the squadron was displaced and he could not rejoin them.


Project inventory

Full kits
70015
PZL P.11c Expert set
Arma Hobby 1:72
70015 2018 New tool
Decals
72123
PZL P.11c
Techmod 1:72
72123 2006 New tool
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Project references

The P.Z.L. P-11 (Profile Publications 75)
The P.Z.L. P-11
Aircraft Profile (Red) No. 75
Witold Liss
1966
Polish Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Publications 21)
Polish Aces of World War 2
Aircraft of the Aces No. 21
Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak
1998

Part of my Collection

1. Jan Zumbach Pilot Adventurer
Ideas 2×Completed 8×On hold 3×

Comments

2 24 April 2020, 23:28
Alex K
Hi Gary, and welcome to Scalemates. I will follow with great interest your Zumbach collection (I sometimes think of that too), especially when you'll tackle his smuggling (Bonanza, Beech 18 etc) and Katangan/Biafran planes😉 Good luck with the entire collection - cheers!
25 April 2020, 13:32
Gary Kitchen
Hello Alex. Thanks. I discovered Zumbach when was helping my son build his Mark Vb Spitfire "Donald Duck". A bit of digging reveals him to be a very interesting man with lots of scope for modelling. I am trying get my hands on his book "On Wings of War" but will need to wait for the Libraries to reopen. I am modelling a couple of P.11c aircraft even though I know he didn't actually manage to fly in Sep 1939, mainly out of respect, also I like the aircraft and I want to start with the 111 Eskadra badge which later becomes the 303 Sqn. badge.
25 April 2020, 14:01
Gary Kitchen
Also, I am struggling to get info on his smuggling aircraft so your clues are really useful. Could you give me a link to any reference for the 'smuggling' period. Mainly I'm looking forward to finishing it all off with A26 Invader in Biafra, but that's some distance down the line.
25 April 2020, 14:02
Alex K
By all means, I'll try to help in any way I can. I have the original book in French, but sooner or later I'm sure you'll be able to grab a copy of the English edition. For the Katanga/Congo thing, there are some things online, and for the Biafran affair the inevitable book is the absolutely fantastic "Shadows: Airlift and Airwar in Biafra and Nigeria, 1967-1970" by Michael I. Draper, Hikoki, 1999. As for his smuggling years, much less is known. In his book, there's only one photo of a Beech 18, F-BEDC, plus a Bonanza that doesn't show much. While researching on another (but slightly connected) topic, I think I have found some other planes as well from this period (Airspeed Consuls, Percival Proctor). I'll be happy to share info, photos, ideas, whatever - let's stay in touch, you can also PM me whenever you like. In the meantime, between the PZL and his famous Spit, I see that Arma Hobby provides decals for a 303 Sq. Hurricane flown by him, so, it seems there are things to do before time comes for the more esoteric subjects. Keep in touch!
25 April 2020, 14:35

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