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Richard K. Tice, 1st Polish Airborne Brigade


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Missing soldiers

Part of The Polish Landing Zone between Wolfheze and oosterbeek

 

Blue= Flak positions puy in after the Battle.

Orange= burned remains of the gliders.

Yellow+ have not marked them all but they are supply parachutes from British supplies from 18-20 September

Red= only 3 left, but they are flight and wind direction panels laid down by 21st Indepent Parachute Company, to mark the Landingzone on 17/18th.

 

 

post-213752-0-58905700-1550743697_thumb.jpg

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just like to add this information to this post.

 

It's highly possible that Tice was a Jump Instructor at the Polish Parachute Brigade HQ & Training Centre @ Largo House in Fife.

 

Richard K. Tice could not be a parachute instructor because Poland had much greater experience in parachuting than the USA and UK. In interwar period Poland had much more parachute jump towers than the USA and UK together. All of them served in paramilitary programs. They were built by Liga Obrony Powietrznej i Przeciwgazowej (The Air Defence and Anti-Gas League) paramilitary organization. You can see the thread about it on the Polish historic forum here https://forum.odkrywca.pl/topic/762633-wie%C5%BCe-spadochronowe-w-okresie-mi%C4%99dzywojnia/

 

It was paramilitary program the same as the Polish pre-WWII training program for glider pilots. The Polish GPs were not trained in the USA, but the US GPs were trained in Poland before WWII.

 

Regards

 

Gregory

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Private James BURNHAM (the newspaper article gives his name as 'Burnside') of I.Korpus (1st Corps) was awarded Polish Parachute Badge no. 1670. No Combat Wreath number is shown.

 

Self-injured just before take-off to Market Garden.

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  • 1 month later...

:)

 

The American-Polish military relations of WWII era are very interesting but -- unfortunately -- too many times composed of understatements, half-truths, quarter-truths or conflicts between Normandy vets as in the case of the US 90th ID and Polish 1st AD. Sad but true.

 

• Anybody in the USA researched why such a fighter ace as Witold Urbanowicz (PAF) fought in the USAAFꞌs Flying Tigers?

 

• Anybody in the USA researched why such a fighter ace as Bolesław Gładych (PAF) fought in the USAAFꞌs 61st FS not being the US citizen, not being the USAAF member, not being delegated to the USAAF by the Polish military authorities? This would be an ideal story for good movie including Gładychꞌs postwar adventures and his life when he had the US citizenship.

 

• Anybody in the USA researched Brig. Gen. Sosabowskiꞌs relations with the USAAF I TCC?

 

• Anybody in the USA researched common training of the US 101st Abn pathfinders and above mentioned Polish 1st IPB pathfinders?

 

• Warnham Court -- anybody in the USA researched very close cooperation between two elite units, the US OSS and Polish SKG?

 

• Operation Bardsea (and the other Jedburgh threads) -- anybody in the USA researched the American-Polish cooperation?

 

• SAARF -- anybody in the USA researched American-Polish cooperation?

 

• Normandy -- anybody in the USA researched why vets of the Polish 1st Armoured Division do not like Cpt. Laughlin E. Waters, a vet of the US 90th ID?

 

 

Etc., etc., etc. Long to talk. Two friendly nations and states but knowledge about it not impressive.

 

Giant subject of underresearched or never researched American-Polish relations and cooperation during WWII.

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/attachments/polish-armed-forces-west-polskie-si-y-zbrojne-na-zachodzie-1939-1947/183573d1299181169-polish-para-uniform-id-gren-comp.jpg

 

 

https://www.soc.mil/ARSOF_History/articles/v11n1_skokoski_page_1.html

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They are top elite Polish paras (for irregular warfare) not belonging to Sosabowski's Brigade known from Market Garden. They come from the SKG special and secret unit. Part of them were Jedburghers later on. And yes, they cooperated with the US OSS and US top secret paras (Jedburghers as well) led by Lt. Col. Joseph Dasher.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 month later...

:)

 

....

 

• Warnham Court -- anybody in the USA researched very close cooperation between two elite units, the US OSS and Polish SKG?

 

• Operation Bardsea (and the other Jedburgh threads) -- anybody in the USA researched the American-Polish cooperation?

 

• SAARF -- anybody in the USA researched American-Polish cooperation?

 

Hello Gents,

All 3 topics mentioned above are connected with Independent Grenadier Company (SKG) - small company-size elite para-commando unit initially trained for special operations in France (Operation Bardsea). During the war unit was extended to Poles who earlier served in German Army (for projects Dunstable/SAARF).

 

Another story is OSS led "School of Specialists" - commanded and mostly trained by ex-SKG officers and soldiers.

The new book written by US author related to this formation was recently published in Poland:

 

https://harriman.columbia.edu/news/john-michael-authors-book-joint-venture-between-us-and-poland-known-project-eagle

 

https://universitas.com.pl/produkt/3924/

 

A few years ago first book about Project Eagle based on Polish archives in London was published:

 

https://www.google.pl/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.picclickimg.com%2Fd%2Fl400%2Fpict%2F323816901635_%2FWW2-MATERIALY-No16-London-2011-Rare.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpicclick.co.uk%2FCollectables%2FMilitaria%2FWorld-War-II-1939-1945%2FBooks%2F%3Fpage%3D5&docid=w4PeJaQibt_WWM&tbnid=9VIugapoGUhp8M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwj5jf7MiurkAhUkyaYKHYYPAvIQMwhFKAMwAw..i&w=284&h=400&bih=733&biw=1536&q=grabowski%20operacje%20dunstable%20eagle&ved=0ahUKEwj5jf7MiurkAhUkyaYKHYYPAvIQMwhFKAMwAw&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

And also my article about School of Specialist in this book:

 

https://ipn.gov.pl/pl/publikacje/ksiazki/70693,Studia-z-dziejow-Polskich-Sil-Zbrojnych-na-Zachodzie-19391947.html

 

Greetings

Rafal

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The following may be of interest to this thread:

 

Podporucznik (2nd Lieutenant) Richard TICE of I.Korpus (1st Corps) was awarded Polish Parachute Badge no. 1669. No Combat Wreath number is shown, likely due to none having been awarded due to TICE's KIA status, although having made a combat landing for Operation Market Garden he was entitled (some Polish paratroopers were delivered by glider due to a shortage of planes to drop them - command of 1.Samodzielna Brygada Spadochronowa (1.SBS / 1.Polish Independent Parachute Brigade) ordered that although paratroopers had been forced to arrive via glider, they had still made a 'combat landing' and therefore were entitled to the grant of a Combat Wreath to be added to their Parachute Badges).

 

Private James BURNHAM (the newspaper article gives his name as 'Burnside') of I.Korpus (1st Corps) was awarded Polish Parachute Badge no. 1670. No Combat Wreath number is shown. The consecutive badge serial numbers obviously indicates TICE and BURNHAM completed jump training together via the Polish Parachute Course at RAF Ringway, Manchester, England.

 

Only one other citizen of the USA is detailed as having been awarded the Polish Parachute Badge qualification:

 

Kapitan (Captain) Cecil LEE of 1.SBS was awarded Polish Parachute Badge no. 6534. No Combat Wreath number is shown.

 

The Polish Parachute Badge is the only WWII parachute jump wing fully attributable to the soldiers and special operatives who were awarded them, due to each badge and Combat Wreath having a unique serial number, which 1.SBS kept comprehensive records of. An example of a genuine Polish Parachute Badge with attached Combat Wreath is shown below, the eagle badge being made of silver, while the wreath is gilt metal.

 

Cheers......John

 

attachicon.gifresized_photo.JPG

 

Hello,

 

Here is the photo of Tice:

 

post-64341-0-43379900-1569350644.jpg

 

His wife (widow) receiving posthumous decoration:

 

post-64341-0-28133100-1569350724_thumb.jpg

 

Modern photo of Burnham:

 

post-64341-0-98196500-1569350796.jpg

 

Cecil Lee was not US parachutist. He was British NCO from 1st Airborne Division.

There is a mistake on Lorys' list.

 

Greetings

Rafal

 

 

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