Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain

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The Polish Air Forces (Polskie Siły Powietrzne) was a name of Polish Air Forces formed in France and the United Kingdom during World War II. The core of the Polish air units fighting alongside the allies were experienced veterans of Invasion of Poland of 1939 and they largely contributed to Allied victory in the Battle of Britain and most World War II air operations.

Contents 1 History 2 Polish Volunteer Air Force Squadrons Coat of Arms 3 Polish volunteer wings in Allied Air forces, 1940-45 3.1 France 3.2 United Kingdom 4 Stats 5 Trivia 6 Notes and references 7 See also

[edit] History

After the joint Nazi-Soviet victory in the Invasion of Poland of 1939, a large part of both the flying personnel and technicians of the Polish Airforce were evacuated to Romania and Hungary, from where hundreds of them found their way to France. There, in accordance with the Franco-Polish Military Alliance of 1921, and the amendments of 1939, Polish Air units were to be re-created. However, the French headquarters was hesitant in creating large Polish air units and instead most of Polish pilots were attached to small units, so-called keys. Only one large unit was formed, the Groupe de Chasse polonaise I/145 stationed at Mions airfield. However, it was not until May 18, 1940 that it was equipped with planes - and even then these were the completely obsolete Caudron C.714 fighters. After 23 sorties the bad opinion of the plane was confirmed by the front-line pilots. It was seriously underpowered and was no match for the enemy fighters of the epoch. Because of that, on May 25, only a week after it was introduced in active service, French minister of war Guy la Chambre ordered all of C.710s to be withdrawn. However, since the French authorities had no other planes to offer, the Polish pilots ignored the order and continued to use the planes. Although the plane was hopelessly outdated compared to the Messerschmitt Me 109E's it faced, the Polish pilots nevertheless scored 12 confirmed and 3 unconfirmed kills in three battles between June 8 and June 11, losing 9 in the air and 9 more on the ground. Interestingly, among the planes claimed shot down were four Dornier Do 17 bombers, but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters. The rest of the Polish units were using the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter, slightly more reliable.

Altogether, the Polish pilots flew 714 sorties during the Battle of France. According to Jerzy Cynk, they shot down 51.9 enemy planes (summing fraction kills - or 57 including 16 shared victories), in addition to 3 unconfirmed kills and 6 3/5 damaged. According to Bartłomiej Belcarz they shot down 53 aircraft, including 19 shared with the French. A number of 53 victories makes 7,93% of 693 allied victories in the French campaign. At the same time they lost 44 planes (in combat, accidents and on the ground) and 8 fighter pilots in combat, 1 missing and 4 in accidents^[1].

After the collapse of France in 1940, a large part of the Polish Air Force contingent was withdrawn to the United Kingdom. However, the RAF Air Staff were not willing to accept the independence and sovereignty of Polish forces and initially Poles were only admitted to Royal Air Force units. Because of that, the majority of much more experienced Polish pilots had to wait in training centres, learning English Command procedures and language, while the RAF suffered heavy losses due to lack of experienced pilots. On June 11, 1940, a preliminary agreement was signed by the Polish and British governments and soon the British authorities finally allowed for creation of two bomber squadrons and a training centre as part of the Royal Air Force.

Initially the Polish airmen were compelled to wear British uniforms, fly British flags and pass two oaths, one to the Polish government and the other to King George VI of the United Kingdom. However, after the evacuation of the BEF from Dunkirk and the arrival of hundreds of Polish airmen from France, the situation changed. On August 5, 1940, the British government finally accepted the Polish Air Force as a sovereign, allied military formation. From then on the airmen were part of the Polish Army, flying their own standards and wearing British uniforms but with Polish rank insignia. Although still subordinate to British command, the Polish units were directly subordinate to a Polish inspector of the Air Forces, who in turn was responsible to the Polish government.

The first squadrons were 300 and 301 bomber squadrons and 302 and 303 fighter squadrons. The fighter squadrons, flying the Hawker Hurricane, first saw action in the third phase of the Battle of Britain in late August 1940, quickly becoming highly effective. Polish flying skills were well-developed from the Invasion of Poland and the pilots were regarded as fearless and sometimes bordered on reckless. Their success rates were very high in comparison to the less-experienced British Commonwealth pilots.^[2] 303 squadron became the most efficient RAF fighter unit at that time^[3]. Many Polish pilots also flew in other RAF squadrons. In the following years, further Polish squadrons were created: 304 (bomber, then Coastal Command), 305 (bomber), 306 (fighter), 307 (night fighter), 308 (fighter), 309 (reconnaissance, then fighter), 315 (fighter), 316 (fighter), 317 (fighter), 318 (fighter-reconnaissance) and 663 (air observation/artillery spotting). The fighter squadrons initially flew Hurricanes, then Supermarine Spitfires, and eventually some were equipped with P-51 Mustangs. Night fighters used by 307 were the Boulton-Paul Defiant, Bristol Beaufighter and the de Havilland Mosquito. The bomber squadrons were initially equipped with Fairey Battles and Vickers Wellingtons, then Avro Lancasters (300 sqn), Handley Page Halifaxs and Consolidated B-24 Liberators (301 sqn) and de Havilland Mosquitos and B-25 Mitchells (305 sqn). 663 flew Auster AOP Mk Vs.

On April 6, 1944, a further agreement was reached and the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain came under Polish command, without RAF officers. After the war, in a changed political situation, their equipment was returned to the British. Due to the fact that Poland ended in Soviet occupation, only a small proportion of the pilots returned to Poland, while the rest remained in exile.

A memorial to those Polish pilots killed while on RAF service has been erected at the south-eastern corner of RAF Northolt aerodrome. On the public highway, it is accessible without entering RAF areas. It is adjacent to a junction on the A40 Western Avenue; the official name for this junction is still "Polish War Memorial".

[edit] Polish Volunteer Air Force Squadrons Coat of Arms

{Note:See Polish Wikipedia for COA of [301] and [663rd] Squadrons and history for 308; 309; 318th and 663rd Squadrons. No.303 Squadron inherited the traditions of previous Squadrons of the PAF such as Polish 7th Air Escadrille & Polish 111th Fighter Escadrille}

No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Masovia"	Not online-see note No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Pomerania"	No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Poznan"	No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron "Kościuszko"
No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Silesia-Ks. Józefa Poniatowskiego"	No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron "Land of Greater Poland-Marshal Josef Pilsudski"	No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Torun"	No. 307 Polish Night Fighter Squadron "Lwów Eagle-owls"
No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Krakow"	No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron "Land of Czerwien"	No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Deblin"	No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Warsaw"
No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Wilno"	No. 318 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron "City of Gdansk"	Not online-see note 663 Artillery Observation Squadron "We Fly for the Guns"	Polish Fighting Team{attached to No. 145 RAF Squadron} "Skalski's Circus"

[edit] Polish volunteer wings in Allied Air forces, 1940-45

[edit] France

• Armée de l'Air, May 10, 1940 - Zone d´Operations Aériennes des Alpes
• Groupe de Chasse 1/145 (attached) (Pol) Lyon-Bron (Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, Caudron C.714, Koolhoven F.K.58)

[edit] United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force (Home Command), June 6, 1944
  • Bomber Command*
    • No. 1 Bomber Group
      • No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron "Masovia" RAF Faldingworth (Avro Lancaster Mk. I & III)
      • No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron "Pomerania" RAF Faldingworth (Handley Page Halifax Mk. III)

• Allied Expeditionary Air Force
  • Air Defence of Great Britain
    • No. 11 (Fighter) Group
    • No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron "Kosciuszko" Horne (Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB)
    • No. 307 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Lwow" Church Fenton (De Havilland Mosquito Mk-NF.XIII)

• • No. 12 (Fighter) Group
    • No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron "Czerwien" "B" (Flight) Hutton Cranswick (Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC)
    • No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Warsaw" RAF Coltishall (North American Mustang III)

• • No. 13 Fighter Group
    • No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron "Czerwien" "A" (Flight) RAF Drem (Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC)

• 2nd Tactical Air Force
  • No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron "Greater Poland" Lasham (de Havilland Mosquito F.B. Mk VI)

• No. 84 Group

• • 131 Wing
    • No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Poznan" Chailey (Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX)
    • No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Krakow" Chailey (Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX)
    • No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Wilno" Chailey (Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX)

• • • II Corps (Poland)
    • No. 318 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron "City of Gdansk" Chailey (Supermarine Spitfire P.R. Mk. IX)
    • No. 663 Polish Artillery Observation Squadron (Italy) (British Taylorcraft Auster III, IV and V)

• • 133 Wing
    • No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Torun" Coolham (North American Mustang III)
    • No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Deblin" Coolham (North American Mustang III)

• Coastal Command
  • No 19 (GR) Group
    • No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron "Silesia" RAF Chivenor (Vickers Wellington Mk. XIV)

• Polish Fighting Team
  • Polski Zespół Myśliwski (Polish Fighting Team) (also known as Skalski's Circus) (Supermarine Spitfire F VB Trop and VC, later Supermarine Spitfire F IXC)

• First Base
  • West Kirby (England)

• Bases (in African area)
  • Bu Grara
  • La Fauconnerie
  • Goubrine
  • Hergla
  • Ben Gardane

[edit] Stats

		1940 [4]	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	total
Fighters [5]	sorties	4,115	13,032	10,390	13,266	25,399	9,238	73,524
	hours	4,533	16,722	15,365	23,264	46,595	18,575	122,816
Bombers [6]	sorties	97	1,357	2,999	1,895	3,607	1,751	11,706
	hours	367.5	7,451	17,788	11,482.5	18,126	8,889	64,113
Special [7]	sorties	-	2	104	191	943	95	1,335
	hours	-	22	835	1,573	6,781	716	9,927
Transport [8]	sorties	163	1,475	2,648	3,995	6,747	3,760	18,788
	hours	261	14,868	16,914	20,111	30,204	14,709	97,067

	1940 [4]	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	total
destroyed	266 1/6	202	90	114 3/4	103	38 1/2	769 5/12
probable	38	52	36	42	10	2	177
damaged	43 2/3 + 3/5	60 1/2	43	66	27	18	252 1/6

[edit] Trivia

The Polish-American fighter ace Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski flew his first combat missions attached to a Polish RAF squadron.

King George VI, on visiting a Polish squadron, asked a Polish airman what was the toughest thing he had to deal with in the war. The reply was "King's Regulations...."

[edit] Notes and references