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Descendant of Szomanski propellers

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  • Descendant of Szomanski propellers

    I apologise as I don't know if I should be using this site, but I am the great-grand daughter of the Szomanski propeller company. My grandfather died in the early 1980's, taking his history with him. I am trying to gather more information about the Company as I cannot find much online. He fled the country as a child, when Hilter's regime moved into Poland. That is all we know.
    If you can help with further information, please contact me on my email.
    Thanks



    Moderator; Removed email at risk to spam bots. Bob G
    Last edited by Bob Gardner; 06-09-2014, 12:33 PM.

  • #2
    No problem using the site. I hope someone can help. I certainly know nothing of the company.
    Dave

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    • #3
      Greetings Leona,

      The Szomanski company made propellers from World War One onwards I think. I suspect I may have seen some examples at the aviation museum in Krakow. Google them to find the email link and ask their advice. Tell us what you discover. If not much, I'll put you in contact with a Polish expert.

      With kind regards,

      Bob
      Bob Gardner
      Author; WW1 British Propellers, WWI German Propellers
      http://www.aeroclocks.com

      Comment


      • #4
        I've already contacted Leona and sent her some information.

        Comment


        • #5
          Thank you Ryzsard! Good to hear from you.

          You were, of course, the Polish expert I referred to.

          With kind regards,

          Bob
          Bob Gardner
          Author; WW1 British Propellers, WWI German Propellers
          http://www.aeroclocks.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Ryszard,

            An after thought; could you post here a copy of the info sent to Leona? It would inform fellow-forumites and me about Polish propellers in WW1.

            Bob
            Bob Gardner
            Author; WW1 British Propellers, WWI German Propellers
            http://www.aeroclocks.com

            Comment


            • #7
              The history of Szomanski factory is not well documented.

              The factory was established at 1924 or 1925 by two founders: Wlodzimierz Szomanski and Matweyew, Russian immigrant who was an engineer. Szomanski (born at 1884) was ex cavalry officer. He ended his military career in aviation. They manufactured propellers under license of French company „Intégrale-Chauviere”. The most important was fact, that they also acquired the right to use Tonkilaque system of propeller coating with black lacquer. This is why propellers made by Szomanski had special logo “Tonkilaque Warszawa Varsovie” different from French original “Tonkilaque SELT”.



              Propellers were made of ash. The technical director of factory was Roman Szomanski, brother of Wlodzimierz. Roman was ex colonel of Russian military aviation.
              The factory was situated in Warsaw at Kamdulow 71 street. According to information dated 1929 the area of allotment was 5873 square m. Szomanski had 32 employees and 18 woodworking machines including one propeller copying machine. Theoretical production capacity was about 1200 – 1500 propellers per year, but it was never reached. From the beginning until 1929 factory manufactured about 3000 propellers, 100 test propellers and one 5 bladed fan (5 m diameter) for Aerodynamic Institute in Warsaw. In the first period factory simply copied original propellers (mostly French). Later, in the beginning of 30’s it was clear that factory needs to design new propellers for new planes and engines. It is also beginning of co-operation with Jerzy Bukowski (1902 – 1982) scientist working at Warsaw Technical Univeristy. He designed most (if not all) propellers for Szomanski. Later (October 1935) he became Szomanski’s employee. Bukowski was also responsible for production. His first design for Szomanski was propeller for PZL P.7 fighter with Bristol Jupiter engine (at least 300 propellers were made).
              The total production of propellers is not known exactly, but highest serial No in my records is 8863.

              Logo of Szomanski factory:


              Szomanski manufactured propellers for almost all Polish military aircraft (except PZL 37 Los bomber, which had metal propellers) including PZL P.11 fighter and PZL 23 Karas light bomber/reconnaissance plane.
              At the very beginning of second world war (the first week of September 1939) the factory (without machines) was evacuated from Warsaw to south east Poland. Main part of transport was captured by invading Soviet Red Army after 17 September. From Bukowski’s book it is not clear whether Wlodzimierz Szomanski was captured or not. For sure Roman Szomanski returned to Warsaw. The factory restarted production as “Holz- und Metallzeugnisse Fabrik Szomanski and Co A. G.” however not propellers but windows and doors which were urgently needed in severely destroyed Warsaw. Later, in 1940 factory was used by Germans for auxiliary production (wooden wheels for example). In the second half of 1940 Germans ordered to start propeller production again. As "Propellerwerk Szomanski" the factory was part German Heine propeller manufacturer. Propeller production was continued until September 1944 when (during Warsaw uprising) evacuation to new location: Rauscha, Germany. Now this town is Ruszów in western part of Poland, about 170 km west of Wroclaw. The factory continued production as part of Heine Ring. The name of this factory at was “Kistenfabrik Rauscha” (some kind of cryptonym I suppose). The factory was there until January 1945, when it was evacuated to Niemes (now Mimon, Czech Republic). The new location was called Kernholtz Geselschaft Melder & Heine Niemes. Distance between Rauscha and Niemes was about 130 km, and most of personnel had to travel by foot. Only women and ill men were placed on trucks. The factory were there until end of war. After the war people and some of equipment returned to Poland, but there is no information about Roman Szomanski and Wlodzimierz Szomanski.
              Fate of Wlodzimierz Szomanski is not clear because in Bukowski’s book this name appears only once about November 1944. Author wrote that he travelled to Zagórzyce (circa 45 km north-east of Kraków) to Wlodzimierz Szomanski to tell the news from brother Roman. So it seems, that Wlodzimierz lived there that time. This is the only information about fate of this person.
              It seems strange for me, but I didn’t find a single photograph of Wlodzimierz Szomanski or Roman Szomanski. From Bukowski's memoirs it is clear that Roman Szomanski survived the war. But I don’t know whether he returned to Poland or not. In Bukowski’s book there is information about sister of Roman and Wlodzimierz, but without a name. She was also evacuated to Rauscha and Niemes.
              That is all what I know about Wlodzimierz, Roman Szomanski and their sister. It is not much, but there is single source of information: the book of Jerzy Bukowski “Zapiski pamietnikarskie” (2013).
              After war Jerzy Bukowski continued his career and became professor of Warsaw Technical University.

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              • #8
                Marvellous stuff. Thank you Ryszard.

                Bob
                Bob Gardner
                Author; WW1 British Propellers, WWI German Propellers
                http://www.aeroclocks.com

                Comment


                • #9
                  Copied! And filed!
                  A very big THANK YOU for this stuff!
                  PM

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Pierre-Michel may I have a small request? Do you have any information about SELT company? From my sources I have such name of company and address: Societe de la Laques d'Extreme Orient, Societe des Laques Indochinoises Paris, 21 Rue Ampere (sorry if I made mistakes, it's original text from Polish document dated 1936).
                    Do you have a photo of this location? Did the company survive the war and contiunued its acitivities?
                    Regards
                    Ryszard

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Hi Ryszard,

                      You have a post about Tonkilaque there: http://woodenpropeller.com/forumvB/s...26&postcount=4 Read also the post #7.
                      I don't think they were in activity after WW2. The most recent propeller I have seen with Tonkilaque decal is a Levasseur from February 1940.

                      PM

                      @Ryszard: give me a mail by PM or directly send one to _pmdecombeix_at_yahoo_dot_com_
                      Last edited by pmdec; 06-11-2014, 06:49 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Family Szomanski propeller Information

                        Thank you to everyone who has provided information about the Szomanskiego propeller factory and my relatives.

                        My family appreciate the effort and knowledge that you have contributed.

                        My mum has had a chance to go to the Museum of Aviation in Krakow, Poland in 2014, to find out more and see the propeller handiwork.
                        Her next visit will be in August 2015 to search the polish archives, for more facts. She plans on writing her fathers memories.

                        Cheers everyone

                        PS. Does anyone have a Szomanski propeller they would like to sell? It's a gift for my mum. She lives in France.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Try on eBay or Polish allegro.pl. Please write: "śmigło" or "stare śmigło" or "drewniane śmigło" (propeller, old propeller, wooden propeller) in browser. Prices are between 700 and 1200 EUR.

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