Polish Para Brigade to the rescue...

The First Independant Parachute Brigade, under the command of Major-General Stanislaw Sosabowski was created in Septembrer 1941 in Scotland with the exclusive mission to be dropped into occupied Poland in order to help liberate the country. The British government, however, pressured the Polish into allowing the unit to be used in the Western theater.

Whatever, during his meeting with Premier Stalin on August the 4th, Prime Minister Mikolajczyk gets permission from his to fly over Soviet territory –in other words avoid as much as possible to fly over the liberated territories to reach the olish capital. In fighting Warsaw, time is running fast, and every minute counts.

Back to England, informed in the middle of the night of this expected development, General Sosabowski orders the 02nd Parachute Battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Ploszewski to be ready to take off the same day, August the 05th at 18h00. Planes will have to reach Warsaw via Brindisi, where they will be refueled.

At 19h24 on the 5th of August, despite all British attempts to delay their departure, Poles are finally on their way to Warsaw. As per flight schedules, the 2nd Battalion and one recon unit (with its jeeps) are the first wave.

They land in Brindisie the day after in the early morning hours.

Relations with the British planners and the NKVD representatives are terrible, both allies are trying to stop the Polish on track. Late morning, despite a very dense fog and the staunch refusal of the Russians to let the planes carry on their mission, carriers, with the 5ftParachute Company on board takes off. Due to the dense fog – rather unusual on this part of Italy – all further missions are postponed. Early morning the 07th of august, while planning the day missions, Brindisi high command receives a teletext advising that all flights to Warsaw are cancelled until further notice. They will never resume! The Brigade iso rdered back to Scotland, just in time to be involved into Market Garden . .

5th Parachute Company, less two carriers missing over Soviet territories will jump on warsaw late afternoon on the 06th of August 1944..