Fighter ( Polish ) Squadrons 302 and 303
Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, where the Polish 303 Fighter Squadron achieved the highest
Fighter ( Polish ) Squadrons 302 and 303
Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, where the Polish 303 Fighter Squadron achieved the highest number of kills of any Allied squadron. From the very beginning of the war, the Royal Air Force (RAF) had welcomed foreign pilots to supplement the dwindling pool of British pilots. On 11 June 1940, the Polish Government in Exile signed an agreement with the British Government to form a Polish Army and Polish Air Force in the United Kingdom. The first two (of an eventual ten) Polish fighter squadrons went into action in August 1940. Four Polish squadrons eventually took part in the Battle of Britain (300 and 301 Bomber Squadrons; 302 and 303 Fighter Squadrons), with 89 Polish pilots. Together with more than 50 Poles fighting in British squadrons, a total of 145 Polish pilots defended British skies. Polish pilots were among the most experienced in the battle, most of them having already fought in the 1939 September Campaign in Poland and the 1940 Battle of France. Additionally, prewar Poland had set a very high standard of pilot training. The 303 Squadron, named after the Polish-American hero, General Tadeusz Kosciuszko, achieved the highest number of kills (126) of all fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain, even though it only joined the combat on August 30, 1940: these 5% of pilots were responsible for a phenomenal 12% of total victories in the Battle.
The Polish Air Force also fought in 1943 in Tunisia (Polish Fighting Team, so called "Skalski`s Circus") and in raids on Germany (1940-45). In the second half of 1941 and early 1942, Polish bomber squadrons were the sixth part of forces available to RAF Bomber Command (later they suffered heavy losses, with little replenishment possibilities). Polish aircrew losses serving with Bomber Command 1940-45 were 929 killed. Ultimately 8 Polish fighter squadrons were formed within the RAF and had claimed 629 Axis aircraft destroyed by May 1945. By war`s end, there were 14,000 Polish airmen in 15 RAF squadrons and in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
No. 300 "Masovia" Polish Bomber Squadron (Ziemi Mazowieckiej)
No. 301 "Pomerania" Polish Bomber Squadron (Ziemi Pomorskiej)
No. 302 "City of Poznan" Polish Fighter Squadron (Poznanski)
No. 303 "Kosciuszko" Polish Fighter Squadron (Warszawski imienia Tadeusza Kosciuszki)
No. 304 "Silesia" Polish Bomber Squadron (Ziemi Slaskiej imienia Ksiecia Józefa Poniatowskiego)
No. 305 "Greater Poland" Polish Bomber Squadron (Ziemi Wielkopolskiej imienia Marszalka Józefa Pilsudskiego)
No. 306 "City of Torun" Polish Fighter Squadron (Torunski)
No. 307 "City of Lwów" Polish Fighter Squadron (Lwowskich Puchaczy)
No. 308 "City of Kraków" Polish Fighter Squadron (Krakowski)
No. 309 "Czerwien" Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (Ziemi Czerwienskiej)
No. 315 "City of Deblin" Polish Fighter Squadron (Deblinski)
No. 316 "City of Warsaw" Polish Fighter Squadron (Warszawski)
No. 317 "City of Wilno" Polish Fighter Squadron (Wilenski)
No. 318 "City of Gdansk" Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron (Gdanski)
No. 663 Polish Artillery Observation Squadron
Polish Fighting Team (Skalski`s Circus)
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