No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron was a Polish squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish government-in-exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was at first a reconnaissance squadron but was later turned into one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force
during World War II
.
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| 8 November 1940
| ppłk pil. Zygmunt Pistl
|-
| 12 February 1943
| mjr pil. Witold Jacek Piotrowski
|-
| 15 November 1943
| kpt. pil. Maciej Piotrowski
|-
| 3 April 1944
| kpt. pil. Jerzy Gołko
|-
| 9 September 1944
| kpt. pil. Antoni Głowacki
|-
| 7 August 1945
| kpt. pil. Henryk Pietrzak
|-
! style="text-align: left;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left;"|Version
|-
| 8 November 1940
| Westland Lysander
| Mk-II and Mk-III
|-
| 1 June 1942 (Eskadra B)
| North American Mustang
| Mk-I
|-
| 19 January 1944
| Hawker Hurricane
| Mk-IV
|-
| 23 January 1944
| Hawker Hurricane
| Mk-IIC
|-
| 1 September 1944
| North American Mustang
| Mk-I
|-
| 20 November 1944
| North American Mustang
| Mk-III
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 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
The squadron was formed on 8 November 1940 in the RAF base at Renfrew near Glasgow. Operational readiness was reached on 5 December 1940.Commanders
! style="text-align: left;"|From! style="text-align: left;"|
|-
| 8 November 1940
| ppłk pil. Zygmunt Pistl
|-
| 12 February 1943
| mjr pil. Witold Jacek Piotrowski
|-
| 15 November 1943
| kpt. pil. Maciej Piotrowski
|-
| 3 April 1944
| kpt. pil. Jerzy Gołko
|-
| 9 September 1944
| kpt. pil. Antoni Głowacki
Antoni Glowacki
Antoni Glowacki DFC, DFM, was a Polish Second World War fighter pilot flying with Polish Squadrons attached to the RAF, who is notable for shooting down five German aircraft on 24 August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, becoming one of only two pilots who gained "Ace-in-a-day" status during that...
|-
| 7 August 1945
| kpt. pil. Henryk Pietrzak
Henryk Pietrzak
Henryk Pietrzak was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II-Biography:Pietrzak joined the Polish Air Force in 1933, and during the Invasion of Poland, piloted PZL.23 Karaś light bombers and later flew fighters with the Free French Air Force's GC III/9 squadron.He joined No...
|-
Aircraft operated
! style="text-align: left;"|From! style="text-align: left;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left;"|Version
|-
| 8 November 1940
| Westland Lysander
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...
| Mk-II and Mk-III
|-
| 1 June 1942 (Eskadra B)
| North American Mustang
| Mk-I
|-
| 19 January 1944
| Hawker Hurricane
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...
| Mk-IV
|-
| 23 January 1944
| Hawker Hurricane
| Mk-IIC
|-
| 1 September 1944
| North American Mustang
| Mk-I
|-
| 20 November 1944
| North American Mustang
| Mk-III