The collection: military hardware, aviation and uniforms

A guide to the collections of the Museum of Military Technology and Air Defence in Busko-Zdrój: from anti-aircraft searchlights and guns to pilots’ uniforms.

Air defence

Air defence is the part of military history the museum takes its name from. The outdoor exhibition displays equipment used in the Second World War to protect against attacks from the air.

Anti-aircraft searchlight on a wheeled chassis. At night, searchlights like this picked out enemy aircraft in the dark so that the artillery could engage them.
Anti-aircraft gun on a wheeled carriage, designed to change position quickly.
Trailers and support equipment used to carry ammunition and the crew’s kit.

Visitors can see the equipment up close, and the guide explains how a gun crew operated.

Military aviation

The best-known outdoor exhibit is a jet fighter in Polish Air Force markings, with the red-and-white chequer and the number 315 on its fuselage. It represents the aircraft flown by Polish pilots during the communist era.

Inside the museum, aviation is represented by a collection of pilots’ uniforms and equipment: flying suits, jackets, helmets and Air Force service dress in its distinctive steel-grey colour.

Aviation also links to the patron of the museum’s foundation, Capt. Ludwik Paszkiewicz of No. 303 Squadron.

Uniforms

The uniform collection is the largest part of the indoor exhibition. Uniforms are displayed on mannequins, complete with headgear, belts and equipment, so you can see what a soldier of each formation and period looked like.

German army, 1933-1945 and post-war

Field, service and dress uniforms (Waffenrock), tank crew clothing and camouflage, as well as post-war uniforms of the Bundeswehr and the East German army.

Polish Air Force

Historical flying uniforms and modern kit, including the steel-grey service dress that sets the Air Force apart.

Vehicles and transport equipment

An army on the move needed vehicles to carry troops, maintain communications and tow equipment. The collection includes:

a motorcycle with sidecar, typical of Second World War dispatch riders and scouts,
equipment trailers with lockable chests for ammunition and kit,
combat vehicles and artillery displayed on the square in front of the museum.