Polish Aircraft that Sought Refuge in Rumania in 1939

Iamandi, try bringing arguments to your post.

Iamandi is right - but rather in theory. There was no place for really close cooperation between Poland and Hungary in the interwar or war years. This love was rather platonic. Existed as important factor mostly in propaganda.
Rest of answers - after some hours. Sorry - work is waiting for me.

Poland and Hungary faught many wars against each-other during a very long period of time (going back some hundred years) so Iamandi's ironical answer made me smile as well

Woj, about that article you posted - do you have the next page please ? I am very itnerested in reading about how polish birds were "officially" transmited to the romanian airforce.Also, do you have any information about polish pilots who would have tried to leave Romania in their planes ?

I don't want to transform this topic in a discution ... with Hungary as subject. Woj and D13-th_Mytzu give good replys, and abtained to develop this minisubject.

Hungary was more closer to Germany then Romania was, at that moment. Romania was oriented near 100 % to France and UK.

In history, Hungary, Poland, Romania, was when enemys, when allies... in combination of two..

But, Denes, don't serve us this kind of cheap propaganda! Hungary long tradition friendship is only with Austria...

Iama

No problem - could you send me your e-mail by PM?

Why did you ask? Of course! I use Word 2000. Option: Insert - Symbol.

Just for example (data are from the 90's - not the newest)
Hungary: one P.11a, some RWD
Slovakia: R-XIII
Bulgaria: PWS-26
Latvia: more than 80 planes (including one P.11a and one P.11c
Estonia: RWD-13

Secret Intelligence Service received from Poland the machine and all documents needed not during the war, but in the summer 1939. So - you were wrong.

Oh, no! You couldn't find too many serious conflicts between Poland and Hungary. We were mostly friends in the past. But in 1939 we should remember rather our Romanian alliance, then friendship with Hungary.

Mr. Iamandi, would you care to explain a bit more your allegations, as Victor said, instead of throwing around accusations of "cheap propaganda"?

As I’ve said, the Polish-Hungarian friendship has long tradition in history.

For example, Poland had a couple of Hungarian Kings, as Lajos Nagy the Ist (Louis I the Great), or István Báthory (Stefan Batory).

More recently, one of the top Hungarian Army generals of the 1848-1849 Revolution was Polish (Józef Bem).

In the inter-war years, Hungary and Poland ended up on opposing sides, i.e. Poland won and Hungary lost. Therefore the two countries had different goals. That’s why there could be no closer relationships. However, despite Poland having good relationships with Rumania, it did refuse to join the Little Entente, coalition created against Hungary.

Hungary refused the German request to allow its territory to be used against the invasion of Poland in Sept. 1939. A few weeks later, Budapest welcomed Polish military and civilian refugees to Hungary. Also, one of the reasons the 1956 Revolution broke out was solidarity with the Polish general strike.

On a personal level, most Polish people whom I met, when they inquired who I am and I replied I am Hungarian, the usual response was: “O.K., then you’re a friend.” There is even a popular song, which sounds like: "Poles and Hungarians are two brothers, both in drinking and in fighting” (in Polish something like “Polske i Wegier dwa breteni…” Wój can help me out here).

Col. Dénes

This post has been edited by Dénes on November 23, 2004 03:41 pm

Denes is right (had to be good pupil in his school )
Polske i Wegier dwa breteni… should be: Polak - Wegier, dwa bratanki, i do szabli i do szklanki.
It's not song, but proverb.

Thanks, Wój. That's what I meant.

Col. Dénes

Actually it wasn't quite so. Read here:
http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=1568

Offtopic. As for Romanian-Polish relations during 14th-19th century, I believe there were more fights between us, than between Hungary-Poland, but I may be wrong here. Even the first military action of the modern Romanian army was against Poles.

Actually it wasn't quite so. Read here:
http://www.worldwar2.ro/forum/index.php?showtopic=1568

Offtopic. As for Romanian-Polish relations during 14th-19th century, I believe there were more fights between us, than between Hungary-Poland, but I may be wrong here. Even the first military action of the modern Romanian army was against Poles.

It is not so easy to write about Romanian foreign policy just before the war. But - in my opinion - interesting book by Dov B. Lungu, Romania and the Great Powers, 1933-1940, Durham-London 1989 is worth to read.
The wars from medieval age, or even from the end of 16th century (Mihai Viteazul - am I right?) are not matters for this forum, I suppose.

This post has been edited by woj on November 23, 2004 08:53 pm

What about before late 16th century ? there is some really interesting history regarding Hungary and Poland.

Anyway, thanks Woj for the info - it's really great ! Anyone knows how much 420 milion lei was worth in 1939 ?

Spring 1939 - official exchange rates:
100 lei = 3,79 Polish zlotys;
1 USD = 5,31 Polish zlotys

ohh, thank you, but I actually meant something else: how much value were those money back then ?

I read a book (written by a ww2 veteran) and I kind of figured out: a bred on the black market (in the barracks) was 30 lei (this was in 1942).420 milion lei was the ammount of money the polish aeronautical equipment from Romania was worth.

From October 1939 Polish soldiers interned in Romania received daily for their food and flat:
general - 300 lei
senior officer - 290 lei
private - 13,9 lei (in a camp)

OMG ! Romanians are idiots !! a polish private interned in Romania in '39 was geting more money daily then a romanian private... but why am I amazed, I should have realized by now.... sad but true - isn't it ?