by Chris Bloswick
1/400 ORP Blyskawica (Mirage)
Less commonly known are the Polish contributions to the Allied efforts in World War II. The Polish Navy in exile was on the front lines of the Battle of the Atlantic from the start. This is the Polish destroyer ORP Blyskawica (Lightning in English) at 1/400 scale from Mirage Hobby in Poland. A very nice little kit and my first real effort with photo etched parts. The Blyskawica of the Grom Class was a heavy destroyer built in England to Polish specifications shortly before the war. At 2,700 tons, with a lightning-fast 39 knot maximum speed, and a main armament of eight 120mm guns, she was one of the fastest, most heavily armed destroyers in the war. On 7 September, 1939 she was the first allied warship to attack a U-boat. She would go on to rescue evacuees at Dunkirk, escort 83 convoys, down a number of aircraft, and participate in fleet actions helping to sink several German destroyers.
