AIRCRAFT COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR ERA

No 16 Eskadra Wywiadowcza

Formerly 39.E.Br. It became 16 EW in April 1920. The unit insignia was a girl spreading flowers placed on the starboard side of the fuselage, the port side featured each pilot's personal marking.

In October 1920, 16 EW was sent to Wilno in the fictional "MIddle Lithuanian" marking. This was a ruse to cover the attempt to regain control of territoy that was taken from Poland in the Russo-Polish war. After hostilites had ceased, a Polish force returned to the area and declared themselves to be "the free state of Middle Lithuania". Their markings were an amaranth and white striped rudder; on the wings there was a white outlined amaranth square on one wing and an amaranth outlined white square on the other.

There is a Polish article on 16EW / 39 E.Br by Tomasz Kopanski that has numerous photos of the men and their aircraft. Perhaps someday it will be translated to English - I for one would love to find out more on this unit.

Breguet Br14 A2 7244 – May 1920 Source: via Steve Perry

Breguet Br14 A2 – December 1920 Source: via Steve Perry