No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
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| No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Sqn Ldr Zumbach's Spitfire VB, 1942 |
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| Active | 2 August 1940 (RAF Northolt) - 11 December 1946 (RAF Hethel, Norfolk) |
| Country | Poland |
| Allegiance | Polish government in exile |
| Type | fighter |
| Part of | RAF Fighter Command |
| Nickname | "Rafałki" |
| Scarf colour | scarlet |
| Anniversaries | 1 September Squadron holiday |
| Battle honours | Battle of Britain 1940, Fortress Europe 1941-1944, France and Germany 1944-1945 |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron code | RF (changed on 2 August 1945 to PD) |
| Squadron badge |
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| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire, Mustang IV |
No. 303 "Kościuszko" Polish Fighter Squadron (Polish: Warszawski Dywizjon im. Tadeusza Kościuszki) was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom on 2 August of 1940 and became officially operational a few weeks later on 31 August. Kosciuszko Squadron is famous for claiming the highest number of enemy kills during the Battle of Britain of all fighter squadrons then in operation through September to October 1940.[1] The squadron was disbanded in December 1946.
It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during the World War II.
Squadron was named after the Polish and American hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko.
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[edit] Operational History
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron was formed on 2 August 1940, and became operational on 31 August of the same year, its initial cadre being 13 Officer and 8 NCO pilots and 135 Polish ground staff. Initially English speaking serving RAF Officers were appointed to serve as CO and Flight Commanders alongside their Polish contemporaries, as the Polish pilot contingent were not yet familiar with RAF Fighter Command language, procedures and training. The name chosen by the squadron was in honour of the famous Polish Kosciuszko Squadron which fought during the Polish-Soviet War in 1920. No. 303 Squadron was also linked to the original Kosciuszko Squadron through personnel that had served in the squadron of 1920. Later, further air force units from the aforementioned were renamed the 7th, 121st and 111th Squadrons of the Polish Air Force.
On 30 August 1940, the squadron scored its first victory while still officially non-operational, against a German Bf 110 fighter[2]. 303 Squadron claimed the largest number of aircraft destroyed of the 66 Allied fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain, even though it joined the fray two months after the battle had begun. Its success in combat can be attributed to the years of extensive and rigorous pre-war training many of the long-serving Polish veterans had received in their homeland and surviving previous encounters with Luftwaffe in inferior planes; far more than many of their younger and inexperienced RAF comrades being thrown into the battle. In its first seven days of combat, the squadron claimed nearly 40 enemy aircraft. Withdrawn from battle for a rest on the 11 October, the squadron had claimed 126 kills in six weeks. However, losses had also been heavy, with 18 Hurricanes lost, seven pilots killed and five badly wounded.
While it is obvious, that the number of Battle of Britain claims was overestimated (as in case of virtually all fighter units), 303 Squadron was positively one of top fighter units in the battle and the best Hurricane-equipped one. According to historian John Alcorn, 44 victories are positively verified, what makes 303 Squadron 4th best fighter squadron of the battle, after Squadrons Nos. 603, 609, 41, which all flew more modern Spitfires[3]. Considering the fact, that these victories were scored in only 17 days of combat, it was the most efficient unit, with high kill-to-loss ratio 2,8:1. However, J. Alcorn was not able to attribute 30 shot-down aircraft to any particular unit, and according to Jerzy Cynk and some other Polish historians, the real number of victories of 303 Squadron was in fact about 55-60[3].
During 1941-43, 303 Squadron flew on Fighter Command's offensive sweeps over North West Europe, flying the various marks of the Spitfire. During Operation Jubilee, 303 Squadron claimed the highest number of aircraft shot down of all Allied squadrons participating. On 11 April 1942, when an aerial gunnery contest was staged within No. 11 Group RAF, the three competing Polish squadrons - 303, 316 and 315 took the first three places out of all 22 air squadrons, 303 Squadron coming first by a very healthy margin (808 hits, while 316 Squadron scored 432 hits, and the best British squadron 150 hits[3]). After D-Day, the squadron remained with ADGB ('Air Defence Great Britain'), moving to RAF Coltishall for operations over Holland. April 1945 saw the unit equipped with Mustang IVs.
303 Squadron was the most effective Polish squadron during the Second World War. Its pilots were the only representatives of the Polish Army invited to the London Victory Parade in 1946; they refused the invitation because no other Polish units were invited. After the end of the war, squadron morale decreased due to the treatment of Poles by the Allies, and the squadron was eventually disbanded in December 1946.
The dry statistics are insufficient to convey the frequently suicidal bravery exhibited by the pilots of 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Even though the Hurricanes flown by the Polish pilots were inferior to the main German fighter (the Messerschmitt Bf 109), they were far superior to the outdated Polish planes that defended the country's skies during the German invasion in September 1939. Due to critical shortage of Allied aircraft and pilots, 303 Squadron frequently intercepted and engaged large formations of German bombers and fighters which outnumbered the squadron by as much as ten to one. On one occasion a pilot of 303 - Sergeant Stanislaw Karubin – out of ammunition, resorted to extreme tactics to bring down a German fighter. Following a prolonged air battle, Karubin was chasing a German fighter at tree-top level. As he closed in on the tail of the German fighter, Karubin realized that his Hurricane had run out of ammunition. Rather than turning back to base, he closed the distance and climbed right above the German fighter. The German pilot was so shocked to see the underside of the Hurricane within arm's reach of his cockpit that he instinctively reduced his altitude to avoid a collision and crashed into the ground. [4]
[edit] Squadron statistics
(from 19 July 1940 until 8 May 1945)
| 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat sorties | 1,049 | 2,143 | 1,348 | 2,075 | 2,653 | 632 | 9,900 |
| Hours of flight time | 1,086 | 2,743 | 1,967 | 3,693 | 5,259 | 1,118 | 15,866 |
[edit] Scores
Claims during Battle of Britain
| Score | |
|---|---|
| destroyed | 126 |
| probables | 13 |
| damaged | 9 |
(4.7% of all enemy aeroplanes during the battle. In fact some 44-60 victories, what makes however a similar percentage[3].)
Claims from September 1, 1940 until May 8, 1945)
| Score | |
|---|---|
| destroyed | 297 1/6 |
| probables | 35 |
| damaged | 25 |
(include 3-0-3 enemy aeroplanes on the ground)
[edit] Locations
- 2 August 1940 - RAF Northolt
- 11 October 1940 - RAF Leconfield
- 3 January 1941 - RAF Northolt
- 17 July 1941 - RAF Speke
- 7 October 1941 - RAF Northolt
- 15 June 1942 - Kirton-in-Lindsey
- 16 August 1942 - Redhill
- 20 August 1942 - Kirton-in-Lindsey
- 1 February 1943 - RAF Northolt
- 5 February 1943 - Heston
- 3 March 1943 - RAF Debden
- 12 March 1943 - Heston
- 26 March 1943 - Martlesham Heath
- 8 April 1943 - Heston
- 1 June 1943 - RAF Northolt
- 12 November 1943 - Ballyhalbert
- 30 April 1944 - Horne
- 19 June 1944 - Westhampnett
- 27 June 1944 - Merston
- 9 August 1944 - Westhampnett
- 25 August 1944 - RAF Coltishall
- 4 April 1945 - Andrews Field
- 16 May 1945 - RAF Coltishall
- 9 August 1945 - Andrews Field
- 28 November 1945 - Turnhouse
- 4 January 1946 - Wick
- 31 March 1946 - Charterhall
- 23 March 1946 - RAF Hethel
[edit] Squadron equipment
- 8 August 1940 - Hurricane I (inter alia, August, 1940: L1696 -T; at the beginning of August, Flight "A": P3700 -E, P3974, R2688, R4178 -G, V7244 -C, Flight "B": P2985, P3975 -U, R4175 -R, R4179, V7235; later: L2026 -Q, L2099 -O, N2460 -D, P3120 -A, P3544 -H, P3939 -H, V6684 -F, V7067 -T, V7235 -M; November: V6577 -P, V7384 -H, V7503 -U, V7504 -G, V7624 -B; December 1940 - February 1941: N2661 -J, P3162 -T, P3585 -C, P3814 -Y, R4081 -O, V6533 -R, V6637 -G, V6757 -E, V6956 -C, V7182 -U, V7466 -S, V7606 -A, V7619 -M, V7644 -Z, V7727 -H, W9129 -W); since 13 July 1941 until 24 August 1941 again Hurricane I (inter alia, P3932 -RF-C).
- 22 January 1941 - Spitfire I (inter alia, N3026 -A, N3108 -P, N3122 -Y, N3285 -J, P9519 -M, R6972 -N); 3 March 1941 - Spitfire IIA (inter alia, P7546 -T, P7786 -C, P7858 -H, P7989 -U, P8039 -R, P8040 -D, P8041 -E, P8073 -Z); 20 May 1941 - Spitfire IIB (inter alia, P8208 -F, P8325 -B, P8329 -P, P8330 -D, P8331 -M, P8333 -S, P8334 -E, P8335 -R, P8336 -W, P8346 -T, P8382 -C, P8385 -A, P8507 -V, P8524 -H, P8531 -Y, P8567 -D, P8642 -X, P8672 -F); since 25 August 1941 until 6 October 1941 again Spitfire I (inter alia, P9429, R6773 -P).
- 7 October 1941 - Spitfire VB (inter alia, at the end of 1941 and in 1942: W3229 -D, W3506 -U, W3765 -P, W3795 -N, W3893 -K, AA882 -G, AA908 -A, AA940 -B, AB174 -Q (Mk VC), AB183 -A, AB824 -S, AB899 -C, AB906 -W, AB929 -R, AD116 -H, AD138 -T, AD179 -F, AD455 -V, BL375 -J, BL432 -K, BL672 -M, BM144 -D, EN951 -D).
- 1 June 1943 - Spitfire F IXC (inter alia, BS451 -M, BS506 -O, BS513, EN172 -J, MA222 -A, MA314, MA593 -Y, MA740 -R, MA754 -K).
- 12 November 1943 - Spitfire VB, Spitfire VC and Spitfire LF VB, Spitfire LF VC (inter alia, Spitfire VB i Spitfire VC: W3380, AA751, AA937, AB272 -D, AD198 -W; Spitfire LF VB and Spitfire VC: AB271, AD237, AD295, AD317, AR513, BL385, BL464, BM207).
- 18 July 1944 - Spitfire F IX, Spitfire LF IX and Spitfire HF IX (inter alia, Spitfire F IX: BS348, BS408, EN122, EN182 -H, EN526 -A, MA528 -E, MA814 -Q, MH692 -C, MH823, MH910 -G; Spitfire LF IX: MH777 -N, MJ120, MJ216; Spitfire HF IX: MK694, ML339)
- 4 April 1945 - Mustang IV and Mustang IVA (inter alia, KH663 -L, KH669 -P, KH770 -Y, KH825 -C, KM112 -D, KM186 -A, KM191 -Z, KM220 -G, KM237 -R, KM297 -K).
[edit] Commanders
(under British command until 1 January 1941. Abbreviations: mjr: major, kpt.: captain, por.: lieutenant)
- 2 August 1940 - Squadron Leader (mjr) Zdzisław Krasnodębski
- 7 September 1940 - Flying Officer (por.) Witold Urbanowicz
- 22 October 1940 - Flying Officer (por.) Zdzisław Henneberg
- 7 November 1940 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Adam Kowalczyk
- 20 February 1941 - Squadron Leader (por.) Zdzisław Henneberg
- 13 April 1941 - Flight Lieutenant (por.) Tadeusz Arentowicz
- 5 May 1941 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Wacław Łapkowski
- 3 July 1941 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Tadeusz Arentowicz
- 9 July 1941 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Jerzy Jankiewicz
- 21 November 1941 - Squadron Leader (por.) Wojciech Kołaczkowski
- 7 May 1942 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Walerian Żak
- 19 May 1942 - Squadron Leader (por.) Jan Zumbach
- 1 December 1942 - Squadron Leader (por.) Zygmunt Witymir Bieńkowski
- 4 July 1943 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Jan Falkowski
- 21 November 1943 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Tadeusz Koc
- 25 September 1944 - Squadron Leader (kpt.) Bolesław Drobiński
- 1 February 1946 - Squadron Leader (mjr) Witold Łokuciewski
[edit] Pilots of 303
- S/L RG Kellett Original CO of 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain.(5 claims)
- F/L John A. Kent, Canadian Flight commander during the Battle, (11 claims)
- Josef František, Czech Sgt. pilot flying with 303 Polish Squadron, was the one of the top fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, with 17 confirmed kills.
- Witold Urbanowicz, Polish commander of 303 Squadron from 5 September 1940, scored 15 kills during the Battle of Britain (17 total)
- Jan Zumbach, commander of 303 Squadron from 19 May 1942, scored eight kills during the Battle of Britain (13 total)
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| Commanders: Ronald Kellett | Zdzisław Krasnodębski | Witold Urbanowicz | Zdzisław Henneberg | Adam Kowalczyk | Zdzisław Henneberg | Tadeusz Arentowicz | Wacław Łapkowski | Tadeusz Arentowicz | Jerzy Jankiewicz | Wojciech Kołaczkowski | Walerian Żak | Jan Zumbach | Zygmunt Witymir Bieńkowski | Jan Falkowski | Tadeusz Koc | Bolesław Drobiński | Witold Łokuciewski Flight personnel: Tadeusz Andruszków | Zenon Bartkowiak | Marian Bełc | Michał Brzezowski | Arsen Cebrzyński | Jan Daszewski | Mirosław Ferić | Athol Forbes | Josef František | Paweł Gallus | Bogdan Grzeszczak | Eugeniusz Horbaczewski | Wojciech Januszewicz | Józef Kania | Stanisław Karubin | John Kent | Bronisław Kłosin | Wojciech Kołaczkowski | Tadeusz Kołecki | Jan Kowalski | Karol Krawczyński | Bogusław Mierzawa | Włodzimierz Miksa | Tadeusz Opulski | Jan Palak Jerzy Palusiński | Ludwik Paszkiewicz | Edward Peterek | Stanisław Pietraszkiewicz | Marian Pisarek | Mieczysław Popek | Jerzy Radomski | Jan Rogowski Aleksander Rokitnicki | Tadeusz Sawicz | Henryk Skowron | Bronislaw Sikora | Antoni Siudak | Stanisław Socha | Józef Stasik | Eugeniusz Szaposznikow | Mirosław Wojciechowski | Stefan Wojtowicz | Kazimierz Wunsche Stanisław Zdanowski |
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[edit] Quotes
| “ | I cannot say how proud I am to have been privileged to help form and lead No. 303 squadron and later to lead such a magnificent fighting force as the Polish Wing. There formed within me in those days an admiration, respect and genuine affection for these really remarkable men which I have never lost. I formed friendship that are as firm as they were those twenty-five years ago and this I find most gratifying. We who were privileged to fly and fight with them will never forget and Britain must never forget how much she owes to the loyalty indomitable spirit and sacrifice of those Polish fliers. They were our staunchest Allies in our darkest days; may they always be remembered as such! | ” |
[edit] The Arkady Fiedler book
The squadron was the subject of the 1942 book "Dywizjon 303" (Squadron 303), written by the well-known Polish writer Arkady Fiedler, which is considered the most famous and popular among this writer's many works and has sold over 1.5 million copies.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ 303 Polish Fighter Squadron
- ^ It was shot down by Ludwik Paszkiewicz during a training flight, incorrectly recognized as Do-17. Wreck was dug out in 1982 (J. Cynk, Skrzydlata Polska 1/2006)
- ^ a b c d Letter of Jerzy Cynk to Skrzydlata Polska 1/2006 magazine, p. 61-62 (in Polish)
- ^ Gretzyngier, Robert (2001). Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-Day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Operations, July 1940 - June 1941'. London: Grub Street, p62. ISBN 1-904943-05-5.
[edit] Bibliography
- Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1939-1943. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0-7643-0559-X.
- Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1943-1945. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0-7643-0560-3.
- Fiedler, Arkady. Dywizjon 303. London, Roy, 1942. Squadron 303: The Polish Fighter Squadron with the R.A.F. (English translation). New York: Roy Publishers, 1943, new edition Kessinger Publishing, 2007.
- Gretzyngier, Robert. Poles in Defence of Britain: A Day-by-Day Chronology of Polish Day and Night Fighter Operations, July 1940 - June 1941. London: Grub Street, 2001. ISBN 1-902304-54-3.
- Gretzyngier, Robert. Polskie Skrzydła 4: Hawker Hurricane, część 1 (in Polish). Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2005. ISBN 83-89450-37-2.
- Olson, Lynne and Cloud, Stanley.A Question of Honor. The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II. New York: Knopf, 2003. ISBN 0-37541-197-6.
- Zamoyski, Adam. The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War. New York: Hippocrene Books Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-718-0421-3.
[edit] External links
- Ratuszynski, Wilhelm. No. 303 Polish Squadron History.
- A Question of Honor Listen to Lynn Olsen and Stanley Cloud, authors of "A Question of Honor," about the "Kościuszko" Squadron
- RAF page about 303 Squadron
- 303 Squadron Page at Polish Squadrons Remembered
- 303 Squadron Claims & Losses
- No. 303 Squadron Operations Record Books
[edit] Related content
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| Kościuszko's squadron |
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