No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

fighter

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

squadron

Squadron (aviation)

A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...

formed in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile

Polish government in Exile

The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...

and the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

in 1940. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

during the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

History

Upon formal formation on 28 August 1940 at RAF Church Fenton

RAF Church Fenton

RAF Church Fenton is a Royal Air Force airfield at Church Fenton in North Yorkshire, England.- History :Plans for a new airfield adjacent to the village of Church Fenton were announced in June 1935, it was subject to protest from the local population particularly concerning the waste of valuable...

the squadron inherited the traditions, along with the emblem and a large part of the initial crew, of the pre-war Polish Torunian Fighter Squadron. The bear climbing a tree (Coat of arms of Madrid

Coat of arms of Madrid

The Coat of arms of Madrid has its origin in the Middle Ages, although it acquired its present look in 1967. In 2004 a decision was taken to create a logo from the shield which is used at the moment like symbol of the city and its council...

) was an emblem of the No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron

No. 605 Squadron RAF

No 605 Squadron was formed as an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron. Initially formed as a bomber unit, it was one of the most successful participants of the Battle of Britain. It also had the distinction of being active during World War II at two fronts at a time, when the squadron was split up between...

, the unit of the first (British) commander of the new squadron, F/Cdr. Douglas Scott

Douglas Scott

Douglas Scott is an author of thriller fiction, mostly published during the 1980s.Scott's subject periods run from the theatres of the Second World War to post war Europe...

.

Throughout its existence, the squadron claimed 68 confirmed kills, 16½ probable and additional 26 damaged. In addition, the crews of the 306 downed 59 enemy V1 rockets. It was disbanded in December 1946 shortly after the end of World War II

World War II

Commanding officers

Squadron Leader

Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...

Douglas R. Scott
| British Officer
|-
| 4 Sep 1940
| 17 Oct 1940
| Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Rolski
| ad interim Polish co-commander
|-
| 18 Oct 1940
| 11 Nov 1940
| Maj. pol. Jerzy Orzechowski
| Polish co-commander
|-
| Dec 1940
| Mar 1941
| S/Ldr. D.E. Gilliam, DFC

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...

, AFC

Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)

The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...

| British Officer
|-
| 12 Nov 1940
| 30 Jun 1941
| Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Rolski
| First as co-commander, from March 1941 as Squadron Leader
|-
| 1 Jul 1941
| 14 Aug 1941
| Kpt. pil. Jerzy Zaremba
|
|-
| 15 Aug 1941
| 29 Aug 1941
| Por. pil. Jerzy Słoński-Ostoja, VM

Virtuti Militari

The Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war...

|
|-
| 30 Aug 1941
| 14 Apr 1941
| Maj. pil. Antoni Wczelik
|
|-
| 15 Apr 1941
| 22 Aug 1942
| Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Czerwiński, KW
|
|-
| 23 Aug 1942
| 13 Mar 1943
| Kpt. pil. Kazimierz Rutkowski, DFC

Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)

|
|-
| 14 Mar 1943
| 1 Jan 1944
| Kpt. pil Włodzimierz Karwowski
|
|-
| 2 Jan 1944
| 7 Jun 1944
| Kpt. pil. Stanisław Łapka
|
|-
| 8 Jun 1944
| 23 Jun 1944
| Kpt. pil. Janusz Marciniak
|
|-
| 27 Jun 1944
| 25 Sep 1944
| Kpt. pil. Paweł Niemiec
|
|-
| 26 Sep 1944
| 24 May 1945
| Kpt. pil. Józef Żulikowski
|
|-
| 25 May 1945
| May 1946
| Kpt. pil. Józef Jeka, DFM
|
|-
| May 1946
| Jan 1947
| Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Andersz
|

Aircraft

Hawker Hurricane Mk-I
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...

- from 4 September 1940
Hawker Hurricane Mk-IIA - from 5 April 1941
Supermarine Spitfire Mk-I
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...

i Mk-II - from 12 July 1941
Supermarine Spitfire Mk-VB - from 11 December 1941
Supermarine Spitfire Mk-IX - from 29 November 1942
Supermarine Spitfire Mk-VB - from 13 March 1943
Norh American Mustang Mk-III - from 26 March 1944

History

Commanding officers

Aircraft

External links

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