BTEXDAD
07-28-2005, 09:34 AM
You've heard of the various World War 1 flying aces, but it's not well known that Poland also had one. His name was Ludwig Poppaloski, and he flew many successful missions against the germans.
He never received a medal from Poland and he and his family relocated to the United States after the war. He was finally honored in New York City for his World War 1 accomplishments in 1990. Naturally by this time he was quite old.
The master of ceremonies introduced him and asked him to tell the people about his most memorable dogfight with the Germans.
He began his story. "I was de only pilot in da Polish airforce, so I always flew alone. One day I looked up and saw a Fokker above me to da right. I looked down and saw a Fokker below me to da left."
Mr. Poppaloski still spoke with a heavy Polish accent and the people were fidgeting in their seat, because when he said Fokker, most of the people thought he was using a derivative of a four letter word.
The Master of ceremony interrupted the Polish hero and talked to the crowd. "I think I should clarify what Mr. Poppaloski is saying. In World War 1, the germans used mostly three types of airplanes. There was the Gotha, which was used for bombing, and the two fighter planes were the Messerschmidt and the Fokker. As a matter of fact, the Red Baron flew a Fokker."
Then he told Mr. Poppaloski to continue.
The Polish pilot stepped back to the microphone. "Ya, ya, danka. Let me make dat clear. Both of those Fokkers were Messerschmidts."
He never received a medal from Poland and he and his family relocated to the United States after the war. He was finally honored in New York City for his World War 1 accomplishments in 1990. Naturally by this time he was quite old.
The master of ceremonies introduced him and asked him to tell the people about his most memorable dogfight with the Germans.
He began his story. "I was de only pilot in da Polish airforce, so I always flew alone. One day I looked up and saw a Fokker above me to da right. I looked down and saw a Fokker below me to da left."
Mr. Poppaloski still spoke with a heavy Polish accent and the people were fidgeting in their seat, because when he said Fokker, most of the people thought he was using a derivative of a four letter word.
The Master of ceremony interrupted the Polish hero and talked to the crowd. "I think I should clarify what Mr. Poppaloski is saying. In World War 1, the germans used mostly three types of airplanes. There was the Gotha, which was used for bombing, and the two fighter planes were the Messerschmidt and the Fokker. As a matter of fact, the Red Baron flew a Fokker."
Then he told Mr. Poppaloski to continue.
The Polish pilot stepped back to the microphone. "Ya, ya, danka. Let me make dat clear. Both of those Fokkers were Messerschmidts."