The RWD-14 Czapla (Polish: Czapla – "Heron") was a Polish liaison and army cooperation aircraft, designed by the RWD team and produced by DWL (Doświadczalne Warsztaty Lotnicze – Experimental Aviation Workshops) in Warsaw. It served with the Polish Air Force during the German invasion of Poland in 1939.
Development The RWD-14 was developed as a potential successor to older liaison aircraft in Polish service, such as the Lublin R-XIII. Design work began in 1934, with the aim of creating a robust, slow-flying aircraft capable of operating from unprepared airfields, suitable for observation, liaison, and light bombing tasks.
The first prototype, designated RWD-14, flew in 1935. Initial test flights revealed several issues, particularly with stability and performance. After a series of modifications and two subsequent prototypes (RWD-14a and RWD-14b, flown in 1937), the design was refined. The final production version, incorporating the necessary improvements, was designated RWD-14 Czapla. It was powered by a PZL G-162B "Mors-II" 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, a Polish-developed variant of the Wright Whirlwind J-5, producing 340 hp (250 kW).
Production began in 1938 at the DWL factory, with a total of approximately 65 aircraft delivered to the Polish Air Force by the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.
Operational History Upon entering service, the RWD-14 Czapla was assigned to army cooperation squadrons (designated eskadry obserwacyjne – observation squadrons) and some liaison units. By September 1939, 35 Czaplas were deployed in operational squadrons, primarily with the Polish Army's reconnaissance and liaison units, with additional aircraft in reserve or training roles.
During the German invasion, the RWD-14 Czapla performed reconnaissance, liaison, and sometimes even light bombing missions, often operating from camouflaged field airfields. However, the aircraft was slow and lightly armed, making it highly vulnerable to modern German fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft fire. Despite its limited capabilities against superior enemy forces, the Czapla squadrons undertook numerous sorties, providing vital intelligence and maintaining communication for the embattled Polish ground forces.
The RWD-14 Czapla suffered heavy losses during the September Campaign, with many aircraft destroyed on the ground or shot down. By the end of the campaign, most surviving aircraft were either destroyed by their crews to prevent capture, captured by German or Soviet forces, or interned in neutral Romania after flying there to escape destruction. None are known to have survived the war in operational condition.
Specifications (RWD-14 Czapla)
- Crew: 2 (pilot and observer/gunner)
- Length: 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
- Wingspan: 13.00 m (42 ft 8 in)
- Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 26.00 m² (279.86 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,150 kg (2,535 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,700 kg (3,748 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × PZL G-162B "Mors-II" 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 250 kW (340 hp)
- Maximum speed: 240 km/h (149 mph; 130 kn)
- Cruise speed: 200 km/h (124 mph; 108 kn)
- Range: 600 km (373 mi; 324 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
- Rate of climb: 3.8 m/s (750 ft/min)
Armament
- Guns:
- 1 × fixed forward-firing 7.92 mm wz.36 machine gun (or sometimes 1 × wz.33)
- 1 × flexible rear-facing 7.92 mm wz.37 machine gun in the observer's cockpit
- Bombs: Up to 24 × 10 kg (22 lb) bombs carried under the wings (light bombing capability)