Thank you for being here and commenting. I am very pleased that you support me. I also think RAGIII that your Nieuport lacks nothing. It's a great model and your interpretation.
We return to the story about Donat Makijonek.
February 6, 1919 - Lublin. Volyn Front. There was a thick fog over the airport that day. Despite the weather, Captain Makijonek and Captain Słoniewski attempt to carry out reconnaissance. They took off at 1:00 pm on DFW C.V number 808/17 towards Kovel. Unfortunately, during the flight, the engine failed, forcing the crew to make an emergency landing in Anusin (26 km from Chełmno). The undercarriage of the airframe was damaged during landing. However, Makijonek and Słoniewski managed to repair the machine on their own and return to the airport on February 7.
DFW C.V 808/17 - a machine on which Makijonek flew combat flights on the Volyn front.
Over the next few days, a bad streak haunted the unit. The bad streak was broken on February 15, 1919. Makijonek together with Słoniewski again on the DFW C.V plane left Lublin at 9 am for a reconnaissance mission on the route Chełm-Kowel-Rożyszcze-Łuck-Włodzimierz Wołyński-Chełm-Lublin.
Słoniewski described the flight as follows:
“During reconnaissance, a field gun stationed on the north-eastern edge of Rożyszcza fired a dozen or so shrapnel at our plane, and then we fired at it with a shot putter. The railway station in Rożyszcze as well as the town itself were also shot with a shot putter. On the way back, due to strong, contrary wind and running out of fuel, we were forced to land near Chełm, where we reported the results of the reconnaissance to the headquarters of General Śmigły-Rydz.”The pilots were delivered gasoline and returned to Lublin on February 17.
The following weeks and months are filled with intensive aviation tasks for our hero. I will deliberately not focus on describing in detail Makijonk's mission and his experiences as part of the 3rd Squadron, because in the future I plan to perform his DFW. C.5 808/17. Then there will be an opportunity to describe these events in more detail.
The crew of the 3rd Squadron in front of the Breguet-14 aircraft. Inside is Captain D.A. makiyonok. The photo is believed to be from 1919.
Makijonek flew very intensively and for the most difficult tasks. He often took off in very difficult weather conditions, performing assault attacks and reconnaissance over the area occupied by the enemy. The enormity of tasks and requirements of the General Staff on the one hand, and the thinness of the staff and the constant shortage of equipment on the other, caused a huge burden on the staff, and since Makijonek did not allow anyone to use his "54", he had to fly almost every day.
On April 11, 1919, he had to escort his favorite plane to the central depot in Warsaw, CWL. In return, he received another DFW C.V 1805/17, on which he first returned to Lublin, and on April 24 to Kowel. On this machine, he made 7 more combat flights, the last one on May 17, 1919.
Pilot Makijonek performed bombing, long-range reconnaissance and assault flights against infantry and cavalry. He often returned from action with a machine damaged by enemy bullets. Donat Makijonek made a total of over 34 flights over the enemy with a total duration of about 74 hours. It dropped about 875 kg of bombs, fired 10,600 rounds from the deck weapons, its airframe received about 50 hits.
Personnel of the 3rd Squadron in the first days of August 1920. From the left, sitting: Łaguna, Prauss, Kossowski, Makijonek, Toluściak. Behind them are: Bula, Sieczkowski, Krzyczkowski, Ratomski, Faleński, Hryszkiewicz.
On May 30, 1919, Makijonek takes command of the 3rd Squadron, at the same time he received an order to prepare the transfer of the unit from the Volyn front to Warsaw. The hostilities with the Ukrainians were coming to an end and the squadron's presence at the front was no longer needed. On June 7, the glorious 3rd Squadron arrives in Warsaw for a well-deserved rest. Thus ended another war in the life of our hero. For their participation in the fights, dedication, sacrifice and courage, five airmen received order ribbons, which were later changed into the Cross of Valor. Makijonek was also in this group.
On June 23, Makijonek received a categorical order to go on a health leave to Zakopane. The mountain air and the charming surroundings allowed him to slightly improve his health damaged by untreated tuberculosis. On September 5, 1919, Makijonek returned from vacation and immediately undertook very intensive actions to equip the Squadron with new Breguet XIV aircraft.
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Today it's time for rain marks, after performing these treatments on all external surfaces, I glued the upper panel in place. I was afraid of that moment, but it went really well. It definitely paid off to assemble the entire airframe before painting on the maskol. The whole thing had to be reinforced with additional brackets, which were in the vicinity of the fairing. I did not assemble the fairing itself, because it was based on the upper plate, which I do not have. The biggest challenge of this stage was to make a system of pushers that move the ailerons. The original ones are divided into two parts, one between the upper wing and the upper plate covering the cockpit, and the other from this plate to the base of the control stick. I had to make them from scratch from one piece. I used brass tubes with a diameter of 0.4 mm. Eventually everything fell into place. It's time to glue the screws and mount the strings.
Regards
Lukasz
