No. 303 Polish fighter Squadron - wikipedia No. 303 Polish fighter Squadron No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron 303 Squadron Honour Badge design Active 2 August 1940 -- 11 December 1946 Country Poland Allegiance Polish government in exile United Kingdom Branch Royal Air Force Role Fighter Squadron Part of RAF Fighter Command Nickname ( s ) `` Rafałki '' Scarf colour Scarlet Anniversaries 1 September Squadron holiday Battle honours Battle of Britain 1940, Fortress Europe 1941 - 1944, France and Germany 1944 - 1945 Commanders Notable commanders R.G. Kellett Zdzisław Krasnodębski Witold Urbanowicz Jan Zumbach Witold Łokuciewski Insignia Squadron Codes RF ( Aug 1940 -- Apr 1945 ) PD ( Apr 1945 -- Dec 1946 ) Aircraft flown Fighter Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire Mustang IV No. 303 ( `` Kościuszko '' ) Polish Fighter Squadron ( Polish : 303 Dywizjon Myśliwski `` Warszawski im. Tadeusza Kościuszki '' ) was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) during the Second World War. It was not just the highest scoring of the Hurricane squadrons during the Battle of Britain, but it had the highest ratio of enemy aircraft destroyed to their own lost ( safest ). The squadron was named after the Polish and United States hero General Tadeusz Kościuszko, and the eponymous Polish 7th Air Escadrille founded by Merian C. Cooper, that served Poland in the 1919 -- 1921 Polish - Soviet War. No. 303 was formed in July 1940 in Blackpool, England before deployment to RAF Northolt on 2 August as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom. It had a distinguished combat record and was disbanded in December 1946. Contents 1 History 1.1 The Battle of Britain August -- October 1940 1.2 War over Europe 1941 1.3 1942 1.4 1943 1.5 1944 1.6 1945 1.7 Postwar 2 Squadron statistics 3 Locations 4 Commanding officers 5 Pilots of 303 6 Squadron aircraft 7 Quotes 8 In popular culture 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Notes 10.2 Bibliography 11 External links History No. 303 ( Polish ) Squadron was based at RAF Northolt from 2 August 1940, and became operational on 31 August. Its initial cadre was 13 Officer and 8 NCO pilots and 135 Polish ground staff. At the outset, serving RAF officers were appointed to serve as CO ( S / L RG Kellett ) and Flight Commanders ( F / L JA Kent and F / L AS Forbes ) alongside the Poles, as the Polish pilots were unfamiliar 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 Escadrille through personnel that had served in the squadron. Later, further air force units from the aforementioned unit were renamed the 7th, 121st and 111th Escadrilles of the Polish Air Force. The Battle of Britain August -- October 1940 126 German aircraft or `` Adolfs '' were claimed as shot down by No. 303 Squadron pilots during the Battle of Britain. This is the score of `` Adolfs '' chalked onto a Hurricane. During the Battle of Britain, No. 303 Squadron was equipped with Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft. Manned by experienced veterans, equipped with a fighter on a technical par with most of its opponents, and expertly backed by the well established RAF command, communication and logistics infrastructure, the squadron was able to become an effective fighting force during the Battle. After a period of training, the squadron was scrambled for the first time on 24 August 1940, although it did not come into contact with any enemy aircraft on this occasion. On 30 August 1940, the squadron scored its first victory while still officially non-operational, when a German Messerschmitt Bf 110 of 4. / ZG 76 ( initially incorrectly recorded as a Dornier Do 17 ) was shot down by F / O Ludwik Paszkiewicz during a training flight. The wreck was excavated in 1982. After S / L Kellet 's personal recommendation, the squadron was declared operational next day by No. 11 Group RAF. On 31 August 1940, the squadron was scrambled in the late afternoon on its first operational sortie. In a dogfight over Kent, `` A '' Flight claimed four confirmed and two probable victories over Messerschmitt Bf 109s, possibly of LG 2. Claimants were S / L Kellet, F / O Henneberg, P / O Feric and Sgt. Karubin. During 2 September 1940, the squadron was scrambled three times. On the last scramble, P / O Feric shot down a Bf 109 and then made a forced landing near Dover while former Czechoslovak Air Force pilot Sgt. Josef František claimed a Bf 110. The following day over Dover, Frantisek claimed his second victory ; with a total of 17 victories he was the top - scoring Allied fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. On 5 September, nine No. 303 Hurricanes intercepted a German bombing formation escorted by Bf 109s, with the Poles claiming five Bf 109s and three Junkers Ju 88s for one loss : P / O Lapkowski bailing out wounded. On 6 September 1940, nine Hurricanes were scrambled towards incoming bomber formations. However, during the climb, they were bounced by Bf 109s of III. / JG 27. S / L Kellet and F / L Forbes both force - landed, and were wounded slightly, while Sgt Karubin bailed out wounded, S / L Krasnodebski was severely burned and three other Hurricanes were damaged. The squadron claimed five Bf 109s ( of JG 27 and JG 52 ), a Do 17 and a Heinkel He 111. F / O Witold Urbanowicz was appointed as acting Squadron Leader. On 7 September 1940, the German air offensive switched to the London docks. No. 303 Squadron was successfully vectored towards the incoming bomber streams and claimed 12 Do 17s and two Bf 109s, with P / O Zumbach, P / O Feric, Sgt. Szaposznikow and Sgt. Wojtowicz all scoring double victories. P / O Daszewski was shot down and seriously wounded, while F / O Pisarek bailed out. His Hurricane crashed in a back garden of a house in Loughton, killing a family of three in their shelter. Two other aircraft were damaged. On 9 September 1940, 12 Hurricanes were scrambled and two claims made over Bf 109s by Zumbach ( both of JG 53 ) and one by Frantisek - a Bf 109 of 7. / JG 27 -- who also claimed a He 111 of KG 53 as a `` probable '', while a Bf 110 was shot down by F / L Kent. Sgt. Wunsche had to bail out with burns over Beachy Head, and Sgt. Frantisek crash - landed. At 16 : 00 hours on 11 September 1940, the squadron attacked a bomber formation south of London. F / O Cebrzynski was fatally wounded by return fire, while Sgt. Wojtowicz shot down two Messerschmitt Bf 110s before being shot down and killed. The pilots claimed two Bf 110s, one Bf 109, three Do 17s and four He 111s. In the massed dogfights over London on 15 September 1940, the squadron was heavily involved, with nine Hurricanes led by F / L Kent intercepting a German raid in mid-morning. Nine kills were claimed : six Bf 109s, one Bf 110 and two Do 17s. In the afternoon, a flight formation led by S / L Kellet claimed four victories, while the five - strong `` B '' Flight led by F / O Urbanowicz, claimed two Do 17s, for two Polish pilots shot down ( Sgt. Brzezowski killed, Sgt Andruszkow bailed out while P / O Lokuciewski was wounded in the leg, returning to base safely ). During the day, No. 303 Squadron claimed 15 victories. On the afternoon of 26 September 1940, No. 303 Squadron was scrambled towards a large enemy raid over Hampshire, with the Poles claiming 13 victories for three Hurricanes damaged ( actual Luftwaffe losses were nine in total ). There was further intense fighting on 27 September 1940, with 11 Hurricanes engaged by massed escorts to a KG 77 30 - bomber formation. The squadron claimed 15 victories : six Bf 109s, two Bf 110s of LG 1, four `` He 111s '' ( probably Ju 88s ) and three Ju 88s although F / O Paszkiewicz and Sgt Andruszkow were killed. F / O Zak was wounded and bailed out over Horsham and four Hurricanes were lost in total. Just six aircraft were serviceable during the afternoon, engaging a raid of 15 Ju 88s. Two bombers were brought down before the escort intervened, and a Bf 109 was also claimed. F / O Urbanowicz claimed four German aircraft during the day. On 30 September 1940, F / O Urbanowicz once again claimed four victories, additionally a Do 17 was brought down by P / O. Radomski, who bailed out, as did Sgt. Belc, while Sgt. Karubin claimed a Bf 109. On 5 October 1940, Polish pilots claimed five Bf 110s and four Bf 109s, though P / O Januszewicz was killed. ( Eprobungsgruppe 210 lost two Bf 110s Jabos and JG 3 and JG 53, a Bf 109 each ). A fight over the Thames Estuary on 7 October saw claims for three Bf 109s of LG 2. On 11 October 1940, the squadron was transferred for a rest to Leconfield in No. 12 Group, ending its participation in the Battle of Britain. No. 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 mainly attributed to the years of extensive and rigorous pre-war training many of the long - serving Polish veterans had received in their homeland, far more than many of their younger and inexperienced RAF comrades then being thrown into the battle. Tactics and skill also played a role ; on one occasion, No. 303 's Sgt Stanislaw Karubin resorted to extreme tactics to bring down a German fighter. Following a prolonged air battle, Karubin was chasing a German fighter at treetop level. As he closed in on the tail of the German fighter, Karubin realised 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. Withdrawn from battle for a rest on 11 October 1940, the squadron had claimed 126 kills in six weeks. Relative to aircraft downed, losses were small with 18 Hurricanes lost, seven pilots killed and five badly wounded. Although the number of Battle of Britain claims was overestimated ( as with virtually all fighter units ), No. 303 Squadron was one of the top fighter units in the battle and the best Hurricane - equipped one. According to historian John Alcorn, 44 victories are positively verified, making No. 303 Squadron the fourth highest scoring squadron of the battle, after Squadron Nos. 603 AuxAF ( 57.8 verified kills ), 609 AuxAF ( 48 verified kills ) and 41 ( 45.33 verified kills ), which all flew Spitfires. It was also had the highest kill - to - loss ratio ; of 2.8 : 1. However, J. Alcorn was not able to attribute 30 aircraft shot down to any particular unit, and according to Jerzy Cynk and other Polish historians, the actual number of victories for No. 303 Squadron was about 55 -- 60. According to Polish historian Jacek Kutzner the verified number of kills of 303 Squadron is around 58.8, which would still place it above all other squadrons regarding verified kills. This is presented by Kutzner 's chart, which shows Polish confirmed kills ( left column ), confirmed kills of all Allied squadrons, including Polish ( central column ) and real German losses on each day when No. 303 Squadron was involved in air combats ( right column ). In its first seven days of combat, the squadron claimed nearly 40 enemy aircraft. War over Europe 1941 By 1941, the immediate threat to the UK was over and RAF Fighter Command formulated more offensive fighter operations over occupied Europe. One of these was codenamed `` Rhubarb '', improvised low - level strafing attacks against opportunist targets on the ground. No. 303 flew its first `` Rhubarb '' ' sorties on 22 January 1941. Six Hurricanes led by F / L Henneberg attacked 1. / JG 26 's airfield at Crecy, killing one ground crewman and destroying two Bf 109s, also wounding a pilot. In late January 1941, the squadron converted to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk I. In February, the unit participated in the first fighter offensive sweeps, usually escorting a small number of light bombers. In early April 1941, No. 306 ( Polish ) Squadron arrived at Northolt, and with No. 303 formed No. 1 Polish Fighter Wing. No. 601 Squadron, also stationed at Northolt complemented the two Polish units. The Wing was commanded by W / C Johnny Kent with W / C Urbanowicz. On 12 April 1941, six No. 303 Spitfires led by S / L Henneberg carried out a series of strafing attacks on German airfields. S / L Henneberg 's Spitfire IIa ( P8029 ) was hit by flak and the pilot had to ditch in the channel ; despite an intensive search rescue operation, he was never found. On 16 April 1941, the Polish Wing flew its first `` Circus '' escort operation. Engaged by Bf 109s, two Poles were lost : P / O Waszkiewicz and P / O Mierzwa. On 18 June 1941, No. 303 pilots claimed four Bf 109s without loss ; two to P / O Drobinski, as RAF Fighter Command claimed 10 destroyed ( The Jagdwaffe suffered no losses ). On 21 June, Drobinski badly damaged the Bf 109F - 2 of Oberst Adolf Galland, CO of JG 26, who made a forced landing at Calais, while W / C Kent downed Fw. Hegenauer ( Galland 's wingman ) of Stab. / JG 26. On 22 June 1941, Fighter Command optimistically claimed 29 fighters shot down, No. 303 claiming six of these, two to S / L Lapkowski ( JG 2 and JG 26 actually lost three aircraft ). On 23 June 1941, No. 303 flew two full strength escort missions over France, and against 9. / JG 2 claimed five fighters destroyed. P / O ' Mike ' Bolesław Gładych claimed three confirmed but was wounded and managed to crash land in the UK. JG 2 lost six Bf 109s and four pilots. On 28 June, No. 303 claimed another four Bf 109s, although P / O J. Bondar was shot down and killed by Uzz. Babenz, 3. / JG 26. Fighter Command claimed six kills ( JG 26 lost two, with three more badly damaged ). On 2 July 1941, No. 1 Polish Wing, with No. 303, engaged some 60 Bf 109s over Lille. Although No. 303 claimed four kills, ( JG 2 lost three Bf 109s ) the squadron lost S / L Lapkowski killed, while Sgt Gorecki had to bail out and was rescued from the channel. Command passed to S / L Arentowicz, who himself was shot down and killed just six days later. He was replaced by F / L Jankiewicz. After five months of operations, No. 303 was rested on 13 July moving to Speke near Liverpool, in 9 Group, Fighter Command. On 7 October 1941, the squadron returned to Northolt and re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk Vb. Its opponents now included the formidable Focke - Wulf Fw 190, and on 13 October camera gun film from a No. 303 pilot gave the RAF the first photographic evidence of the new fighter. As winter approached, poor weather reduced operations significantly. However, on 24 October, No. 303 claimed four fighters downed over Gravelines. During combat operations throughout 1941, No. 303 Squadron claimed some 46 enemy aircraft destroyed, seven probably destroyed and four damaged, for a loss of nine pilots ( including three Commanding Officers ). Some 20 Spitfires were written off or lost in action. 1942 After a quiet start to the year, on 12 February 1942, No. 303 Squadron participated in the RAF 's offensive response to the ' Channel Dash ' of the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Led by W / C Rolski, the Polish Wing flew several sorties in bad weather. On 13 March 1942, the Squadron lost F / Lt W Lokuciewski, shot down by JG 26 and taken prisoner, and on 4 April F / L Daszewski ( killed ) and F / L Kustrzynski ( POW ) were lost over Saint - Omer. During the spring of 1942, the frequency of offensive sorties increased and by May, No. 303 flew over the Channel daily, in numerous `` Circus '' escort missions and fighter sweeps. It engaged German fighters on numerous occasions, although JG 2 and JG 26, the main fighter units against Fighter Command, took an increasing toll utilising the superior Fw 190A. In early June, the unit flew sixteen squadron - strength sorties, in addition to numerous air - sea rescue, interception and convoy escort missions. On 5 June 1942, the squadron engaged Fw 190 fighters and claimed three for no loss. The squadron was rested on 15 June, relocating to Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire. On 15 August 1942, the squadron temporarily moved to Redhill near London in preparation of the Allied raid on Dieppe ( Operation Jubilee ). No. 303 was to fly with No. 317 Polish Squadron and four other squadrons. Covering the naval and ground forces, No. 303 Squadron claimed the highest number of aircraft shot down of all Allied squadrons participating. No. 303 then returned to Kirton in Lindsey, where it remained until March 1943. No. 303 Squadron claimed 21 enemy aircraft destroyed in 1942, losing 10 pilots : four killed in action, two in accidents and four taken prisoner. 1943 In early June 1943, the unit returned once again to Northolt, and No. 1 Polish Wing. The squadron converted to the new Spitfire Mk IX and in June resumed operations. On 9 June 1943, F / O Sliwinski claimed the unit 's 200th victory, a Fw 190. On 14 June 1943 Sgt. Pilot J. Dabrowski was killed in a flying accident when on Interception practice, his aircraft crashing into the ground at Islington Cemetery, Finchley. On 24 June, both P / O Karcmarz and P / O Kobylinski were downed by 10. / JG 26 pilots and made POWs. In July 1943, S / L Falkowski replaced S / L Bienkowski. On 6 July, the squadron, led by F / L Majewski and with No. 316 Squadron over Amiens, fought a prolonged dogfight with Fw 190s with No. 303 claiming three German fighters from JG 2 and JG 27 without loss. By this time, much of No. 303 's work was escort missions for the increasing numbers of United States Army Air Forces Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B - 24 Liberator heavy bomber missions over Europe. During escort cover for the ill - fated Schweinfurt mission on 17 August 1943, No. 303 claimed a further three fighters downed. On a 6 September `` Ramrod '' mission, the squadron claimed another six fighters destroyed. On 12 November 1943, the unit was posted to RAF Ballyhalbert in Northern Ireland and soon after S / L Koc assumed command. The squadron flew convoy patrols and carried out operational training. By the end of 1943, No. 303 Squadron had claimed 203 enemy aircraft destroyed, 40 probables, and 25 damaged. 1944 In April 1944, the squadron moved to the advanced landing ground at Horne, 30 miles south of London and joined No 142 Fighter Wing. The unit began flying escort sorties for bombing missions against V - 1 flying bomb facilities. On 21 May the squadron strafed targets near Lille losing two pilots : F / O Brzeski and Sgt Kempka were shot down and taken prisoner. Next day Sgt Bartkowiak was also lost though he evaded capture and returned to the unit four months later. For Operation Overlord ( the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 ) the squadron was equipped with the Spitfire V LF operating from a temporary airfield at Horne, Surrey as part of Air Defence of Great Britain ( ADGB ), though under the operational control of RAF Second Tactical Air Force. On D - Day, 303 flew several times over the landing beaches. After D - Day, the squadron remained with ADGB. With the commencement of the V - 1 offensive on London, on 19 June 1944, No. 303 moved to RAF Westhampnett and then to RAF Merston. In June, F / S Chudek ( nine kills ) was shot down and killed. On 18 July, the unit went back to Westhampnett and received new Spitfire Mk IXs. Any Luftwaffe fighter opposition now remained largely absent from the Squadron 's sphere of operations, but flak defences still took a toll. On 26 September S / L Drobinski replaced S / L Koc, and No. 303 continued using its Spitfires on various ground attack missions on V - 1 and V - 2 launch sites located in the Netherlands. 1945 In 1945, No. 303 Squadron moved to RAF Coltishall in East England for operations over the Netherlands. During 1945, No. 303 continued to operate over the Netherlands, and on 3 April, the squadron joined No. 133 Polish Wing at Andrews Field, and was reequipped with the North American Mustang Mk. IV. On 25 April 1945, No. 303 made its last wartime operational sortie, escorting Avro Lancasters on a raid on Berchtesgaden. Postwar No. 303 Squadron was the most effective Polish RAF squadron during the Second World War. Some sources state that its pilots were invited to the London Victory Parade of 1946, The Daily Telegraph says that it was the only representative of the Polish Armed Forces in the West. The invitation was refused because no other Polish units were invited. However, according to other sources No. 303 Squadron was not invited and so could not have refused the invitation. After the end of the war, squadron morale decreased due to the treatment of Poland by the Allies ( Western betrayal of Poland ), and the squadron was eventually disbanded in December 1946. Squadron statistics From 19 July 1940 until 8 May 1945 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Total 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 Enemy aircraft claimed 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, this however produces a similar percentage. ) 1 September 1940 to 8 May 1945 Score destroyed 297 1 / 6 probables 35 damaged 25 ( include 303 enemy aircraft on the ground ) 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 -- RAF Redhill 20 August 1942 -- Kirton - in - Lindsey 1 February 1943 -- RAF Northolt 5 February 1943 -- RAF Heston 3 March 1943 -- RAF Debden 12 March 1943 -- RAF Heston 26 March 1943 -- Martlesham Heath 8 April 1943 -- RAF Heston 1 June 1943 -- RAF Northolt 12 November 1943 -- Ballyhalbert 30 April 1944 -- Horne 19 June 1944 -- Westhampnett 27 June 1944 -- RAF 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 Commanding officers 303 squadron pilots. L-R : F / O Ferić, F / Lt Lt Kent, F / O Grzeszczak, P / O Radomski, P / O Zumbach, P / O Łokuciewski, F / O Henneberg, Sgt Rogowski, Sgt Szaposznikow ( in 1940 ). ( under British command until 1 January 1941. Abbreviations : mjr : major, kpt. : captain, por. : lieutenant ) 19 July 1940 -- Sqn Ldr Ronald Kellett 2 August 1940 -- Sqn Ldr ( mjr ) Zdzisław Krasnodębski 7 September 1940 -- F / O ( por. ) Witold Urbanowicz 22 October 1940 -- F / O ( por. ) Zdzisław Henneberg 7 November 1940 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Adam Kowalczyk 20 February 1941 -- Sqn Ldr ( por. ) Zdzisław Henneberg 13 April 1941 -- F / Lt ( por. ) Tadeusz Arentowicz 5 May 1941 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Wacław Łapkowski 3 July 1941 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Tadeusz Arentowicz 9 July 1941 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Jerzy Jankiewicz 21 November 1941 -- Sqn Ldr ( por. ) Wojciech Kołaczkowski 7 May 1942 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Walerian Żak 19 May 1942 -- Sqn Ldr ( por. ) Jan Zumbach 1 December 1942 -- Sqn Ldr ( por. ) Zygmunt Witymir Bieńkowski 4 July 1943 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Jan Falkowski 21 November 1943 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Tadeusz Koc 25 September 1944 -- Sqn Ldr ( kpt. ) Bolesław Drobiński 1 February 1946 -- Sqn Ldr ( mjr ) Witold Łokuciewski Pilots of 303 Squadron Leader RG Kellett DSO DFC Original CO of 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain, ( five claims ) Flight Lieutenant John A. Kent, Canadian Flight commander during the Battle, ( 11 claims ) Sgt Josef František, Czech pilot flying with 303 Polish Squadron, was one of the top fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain, with 17 confirmed kills. Flying Officer Witold Urbanowicz, Polish commander of 303 Squadron from 5 September 1940, scored 15 kills during the Battle of Britain ( 17 or 19 + 1 + 0 total ) Pilot Officer Jan Zumbach, commander of 303 Squadron from 19 May 1942, scored 8 kills during the Battle of Britain ( 12 1 / 3 + 5 + 1 total ) List of pilots of No. 303 Polish `` Kościuszko '' Fighter Squadron Tadeusz Andruszków Zenon Bartkowiak Henryk Bieniek Marian Bełc Michał Brzezowski Arsen Cebrzyński Jan Daszewski Mirosław Ferić Athol Forbes Josef František Paweł Gallus Bogdan Grzeszczak Adam Foinski Eugeniusz Horbaczewski Wojciech Januszewicz Józef Kania Stanisław Karubin John Kent Bronisław Kłosin Wojciech Kołaczkowski Tadeusz Kołecki Jan Kowalski Henryk Karasinski W / O Srgt 1940 - 1945. Karol Krawczyński Bogusław Mierzawa Włodzimierz Miksa Tadeusz Opulski Jan Palak Jerzy Palusiński Ludwik Witold Paszkiewicz Edward Paterek Stanisław Pietraszkiewicz Marian Pisarek Mieczysław Popek Jerzy Radomski Jan Rogowski Aleksander Rokitnicki Tadeusz Sawicz Henryk Skowron Stanisław Słowikowski Bronislaw Sikora Antoni Siudak Stanisław Socha Józef Stasik Wladyslaw Raubo Eugeniusz Szaposznikow Mirosław Wojciechowski Stefan Wojtowicz Kazimierz Wunsche Stanisław Zdanowski Edward W. Martens Witold A. Herbst Bronislaw Zborowski Kościuszko 's Squadron 3rd Military Air Escadrille 7th Air Escadrille 121st Fighter Escadrille 111th Fighter Escadrille 303rd Fighter Squadron 1st Tactical Squadron Squadron aircraft 8 August 1940 -- Hurricane I 22 January 1941 -- Spitfire I 3 March 1941 -- Spitfire IIA 20 May 1941 -- Spitfire IIB 25 August 1941 -- Spitfire I 7 October 1941 -- Spitfire VB 1 June 1943 -- Spitfire F IXC. 12 November 1943 -- Spitfire VB, Spitfire VC and Spitfire LF VB, Spitfire LF VC 18 July 1944 -- Spitfire F IX, Spitfire LF IX and Spitfire HF IX 4 April 1945 -- Mustang IV and Mustang IVA. Quotes I can not 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 friendships 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 ! -- Group Captain John A. Kent DFC, AFC, Virtuti Militari In popular culture The squadron was the subject of the 1942 book Squadron 303, written by the Polish writer Arkady Fiedler, which is considered the most popular among this writer 's many works and has sold over 1.5 million copies. Because the book was published during the war, in order to protect the Polish airmen and their families remaining in occupied Poland from German reprisals, Fiedler used pseudonyms for the airmen of 303 Squadron. This practice was mandated in a memo regarding confidential information issued by the Air Ministry dated 14 October 1949. In connection with the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2010, a new English translation was commissioned by publisher Aquila Polonica at the request of Fiedler 's son. 303 Squadron : The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron is the first new English - language edition of Dywizjon 303 since 1942, and for the first time in English identifies the pilots by their true names. In 2010, the squadron 's involvement in the Battle of Britain was featured in the dramatised documentary The Polish Battle of Britain produced by Hardy Pictures for the Channel 4 series Bloody Foreigners. Channel Four also made a game called Battle of Britain : 303 Squadron. See also List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons Polish Air Force Polish contribution to World War II Western betrayal Polish British References Notes Jump up ^ Olson and Cloud 2003 Jump up ^ Zaloga and Hook 1982, p. 15. Jump up ^ Gretzyngier and Matusiak 1998, p. 25. Jump up ^ http://www.polishsquadronsremembered.com/303/303_story.html Jump up ^ Ratuszynski, Wilhelm. `` No. 303 Polish Squadron History. '' Polish Squadrons Remembered... Retrieved 24 March 2012. Jump up ^ Bristow, Mark and Sylvia Laidlow - Petersen. A History of Royal Air Force Northolt. RAF Northolt : No. 1 AIDU, 2005. ^ Jump up to : Letter of Jerzy Cynk to Skrzydlata Polska 1 / 2006 magazine, pp. 61 -- 62 ( in Polish ) Jump up ^ Ramsay 1989, p. 422. Jump up ^ Ramsay 1989, p. 436. Jump up ^ `` Sgt Wojciechowski. ''. Retrieved 30 October 2011. Jump up ^ Ramsay 1989 Jump up ^ Deighton 1996, pp. 188, 275. Jump up ^ Gretzyngier 2001, p. 62. Jump up ^ Ratuszynski, Wilhelm, `` 303 Sqn Remembered ''. Retrieved 25 November 2011 Jump up ^ `` Dywizjon 303. Zestrzelenia ( in Polish ) ''. Retrieved 30 October 2011. Jump up ^ Ratuszynski, Wilhelm. `` 303 Squadron in the Battle of Britain. '' Polish Squadrons Remembered... Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 97. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 137. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 140. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 142. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 184. Jump up ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 115. Jump up ^ Delve, p. 137. Jump up ^ Anders 1949, p. 299. Jump up ^ Lucas, Edward. `` Okiem Brytyjczyka -- Szokująca wizja. '' ( in Polish ) Wprost. Retrieved 22 October 2009. Jump up ^ Lucas, Edward. `` English translation of Wprost article. '' Wprost. Retrieved 22 October 2009. Jump up ^ Haines, Lester. `` Polish Spitfire shoots down BNP : Anti-immigration poster pic blunder. '' The Register, 4 March 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Fighting with the Allies : Remembering Polish Fighters. '' PBS ( Behind Closed Doors ). Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ Mroz, Ann. `` There 's no place for home. '' Times, 9 November 2001. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ Rudnicki, Marek. `` Remembering Poland 's Contributions to WWII. '' chicagopublicradio.org, 15 September 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` 19th of September -- Polish Forces War Memorial uncovered. '' polandstreet.org.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2009. ^ Jump up to : Rawlings 1978, p. 391. ^ Jump up to : Halley 1988, p. 357. ^ Jump up to : Jefford 2001, pp. 86 -- 87. Jump up ^ Wojciechowski, Jan. `` Miroslaw Ignacy Wojciechowski 1917 -- 1956. '' Miroslaw Ignacy Wojciechowski, 27 January 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` Memo. '' BBC... Retrieved 26 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` 303 Squadron : The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron. '' polandww2.com... Retrieved 26 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` TV preview : Bloody Foreigners. '' scotsman.com, 26 June 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Polish Battle of Britain. '' sbs.com, 28 October 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Bibliography Anders, Władysław. An Army in Exile. London : MacMillan & Co., 1949. Caldwell, Donald. The JG26 War Diary, Vol. 1 : 1939 -- 1942. London : Grub Street, 1996. ISBN 978 - 1 - 898697 - 52 - 7. Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War : The Official History, 1939 -- 1943. Atglen, Pennsylvania : Schiffer Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0 - 7643 - 0559 - X. Cynk, Jerzy B. The Polish Air Force at War : The Official History, 1943 -- 1945. Atglen, Pennsylvania : Schiffer Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0 - 7643 - 0560 - 3. Ken Delve, D - Day : The Air Battle, London : Arms & Armour Press, 1994, ISBN 1 - 85409 - 227 - 8. Fiedler, Arkady. Dywizjon 303 ( in Polish ). London : Peter Davies Ltd., 1942. ( Translated as Squadron 303 : The Polish Fighter Squadron with the R.A.F.. London : Peter Davies Ltd., 1942 / New York : Roy Publishers, 1943. Reprint Kessinger Publishing, 2007. ) New edition 303 Squadron : The Legendary Battle of Britain Fighter Squadron translated by Jarek Garliński. Los Angeles : Aquila Polonica, 2010 hard cover : ISBN 978 - 1 - 60772 - 004 - 1 Trade paperback ISBN 978 - 1 - 60772 - 005 - 8. 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. Gretzyngier, Robert and Wojtek Matusiak. Polish Aces of World War 2. London : Osprey, 1998. ISBN 1 - 85532 - 726 - 0. Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918 -- 1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK : Air - Britain ( Historians ) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0 - 85130 - 164 - 9. Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF ( Retd ). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK : Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1 - 84037 - 141 - 2. Olson, Lynne and Stanley Cloud. A Question of Honor. The Kosciuszko Squadron : Forgotten Heroes of World War II. New York : Knopf, 2003. ISBN 0 - 375 - 41197 - 6. Ramsay, Winston, ed. The Battle of Britain Then and Now, Mk V. London : Battle of Britain Prints International Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0 - 900913 - 46 - 0. Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London : Macdonald & Jane 's ( Publishers ) Ltd., 1969 ( revised edition 1976, reprinted 1978 ). ISBN 0 - 354 - 01028 - X. Zaloga, Steven J. and Richard Hook. The Polish Army 1939 -- 45. London : Osprey Publishing, 1982. ISBN 0 - 85045 - 417 - 4. Zamoyski, Adam. The Forgotten Few : The Polish Air Force in the Second World War. New York : Hippocrene Books Inc., 1995. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7818 - 0421 - 9. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 303 ( Polish ) Squadron RAF. 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 Claims & Losses Battle of Britain : 303 Squadron -- Online Game Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940 - 1947 Polish Air Force in the United Kingdom during the Second World War Wings No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Squadrons 300 `` Ziemi Mazowieckiej '' 301 `` Ziemi Pomorskiej '' 302 `` Poznański '' 303 `` Warszawski im. Tadeusza Kościuszki '' 304 `` Ziemi Śląskiej im. Ks. Józefa Poniatowskiego '' 305 `` Ziemi Wielkopolskiej im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego '' 306 `` Toruński '' 307 `` Lwowskich Puchaczy '' 308 `` Krakowski '' 309 `` Ziemi Czerwieńskiej '' 315 `` Dębliński '' 316 `` Warszawski '' 317 `` Wileński '' 318 `` Gdański '' 663rd Polish Air Observation Post Squadron Other units Polish Fighting Team 138 Special Duty Squadron ( Polish Flight `` C '' ) 1586 Special Duty Flight Royal Air Force flying squadrons Currently active 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 16 17 18 24 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 39 41 45 47 51 54 56 57 60 70 72 84 92 99 100 101 115 202 206 230 617 Inactive 12 15 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 34 35 36 37 38 40 42 43 44 46 48 49 50 52 53 55 58 59 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 98 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 203 204 205 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 353 354 355 356 357 358 360 361 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 547 548 549 550 567 569 570 571 575 576 577 578 582 586 587 595 597 598 618 619 620 621 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 635 639 640 644 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 679 680 681 682 683 684 691 692 695 Australian Flying Corps units attached to the RAF during the First World War 67 ( 1 Sqn AFC ) 68 ( 2 Sqn AFC ) 69 ( 3 Sqn AFC ) 71 ( 4 Sqn AFC ) Commonwealth air force units attached to the RAF during the Second World War Royal Canadian Air Force ( RCAF ) 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 466 467 Royal New Zealand Air Force ( RNZAF ) 485 486 487 488 489 490 Squadrons formed from non-Commonwealth personnel during the Second World War Argentine 164 Belgian 349 350 Czechoslovak 310 311 312 313 Dutch 320 321 322 French 326 327 328 329 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 Greek 13 335 336 Norwegian 330 331 332 333 334 Polish 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 315 316 317 318 663 United States 71 121 133 Yugoslav 351 352 Royal Auxiliary Air Force Special Reserve 500 501 502 503 504 Auxiliary Air Force 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 622 Fleet Air Arm of the RAF ( 1924 -- 1939 ) 712 715 718 800 801 802 803 810 811 812 813 814 820 821 822 823 824 825 Royal Air Force Royal Air Force portal Formations and units Commands Groups Stations Wings Squadrons Flights Conversion units Operational Training units Schools / Training units Ferry units Glider units Misc units Regiment squadrons Branches and components Air Force Board RAF Flying Branch RAF Regiment RAF Chaplains Branch RAF Intelligence RAF Legal Branch RAF Medical Services Princess Mary 's RAF Nursing Service RAF Police Search and Rescue Force Mountain Rescue Service RAF Marine Branch RAF Ground Trades Reserve forces Royal Auxiliary Air Force RAF Volunteer Reserve Associated civil organisations Air Training Corps Royal Air Forces Association RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine RAF Benevolent Fund RAF Football Association Royal Air Force Museum Equipment List of RAF aircraft List of RAF missiles Personnel Officer ranks Other ranks List of personnel Appointments Chief of Air Staff Assistant Chief of the Air Staff Air Member for Personnel Air Secretary Air Member for Materiel Commandant - General of the RAF Regiment Chief of the Air Staff 's Warrant Officer Symbols and uniform Ensign Badge Roundels Uniform Heraldic badges History Timeline Future Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=No._303_Polish_Fighter_Squadron&oldid=839586394 '' Categories : Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons Polish Air Force in exile squadrons Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 Battle of Britain Hidden categories : Use British English from November 2012 Use dmy dates from January 2013 Articles containing Polish - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Français 日本 語 Occitan Polski Edit links This page was last edited on 4 May 2018, at 11 : 33. 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Question: who had the most kills in the battle of britain
Answer: No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron