Red Stars – Black Cross’s Ally over Poland. Soviet Aviation over East Part of Poland in IX, X 1939, a New Book

[Franek Grabowski]

Nobody denies that both RWD-8 and PWS-26 were primary trainers, something like Tiger Moth and Avro Tutor, respectively. To claim that those 1930s aircraft were essentially WWI designs sounds ridiculous to say the least, however.
Nonetheless you have not answered a very simple question - should be sorties like liaison, reconnaissance and attacking ground targets, all under enemy fire, considered combat missions, and if not, why?