The Polish Air Forces () was the name of the

Polish Air Forces The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...

formed in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The core of the Polish air units fighting alongside the Allies were experienced veterans of the 1939

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. They contributed to the Allied victory in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

and Allied air operations during the war. A total of 145 Polish fighter pilots served in the RAF during the Battle of Britain, making up the largest non-British contribution. By the end of the war, around 19,400 Poles were serving in the Polish Air Forces in Great Britain and in the RAF.

History

After the German–Soviet

of 1939, most of the flying personnel and technicians of the Polish Air Force were evacuated to Romania and Hungary, after which thousands found their way to France. There, in accordance with the

Franco-Polish Military Alliance The Franco-Polish Alliance was the military alliance between Poland and France that was active between the early 1920s and the outbreak of the Second World War. The initial agreements were signed in February 1921 and formally took effect in 1923 ...

of 1921 and the amendments of 1939, Polish Air Force units were to be re-created. However, the French headquarters was hesitant about creating large Polish air units, and instead most 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 Mions () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. The residents of the city are called ''Miolands'' and ''Miolandes''. Population See also *Communes of the Metropolis of Lyon The following is ...

airfield. However, it was not until May 18, 1940, that this unit 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 period. Because of that, on May 25, only a week after the plane was introduced to active service, French minister of war

Guy la Chambre Guy La Chambre (5 June 1898 – 24 May 1975) was a French politician. He served as Minister of Merchant Marine in 1934 and Minister of Air from 1938 until 1940. Life Guy La Chambre was born on 5 June 1898, into a prosperous family with r ...

ordered all C.710s 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 planes were hopelessly outdated compared to the

Messerschmitt Bf 109E Due to the Messerschmitt Bf 109's versatility and time in service with the German and foreign air forces, numerous variants were produced in Germany to serve for over eight years with the Luftwaffe. Additional variants were produced abroad total ...

s they 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. Among the planes claimed shot down were four

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Large numbers were operated by the ''Luftwaffe'' throughout the Second World War. The Do 17 was designed during ...

bombers, but also three Messerschmitt Bf 109 and five

Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engined (de ...

fighters. The rest of the Polish units were using the slightly more reliable Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter. A small improvised Polish unit at

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and Clermont-

Aulnat Aulnat () is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 463 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of F ...

(now

Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport () is an airport serving the France, French city of Clermont-Ferrand. It is located east of the city, in Aulnat, both ''Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme département, communes'' of the Puy-de-Dôme Departments of Fr ...

) operated the equally inadequate

Koolhoven F.K.58 The Koolhoven F.K.58 was a single engine, interceptor-fighter aircraft designed and mainly manufactured by Koolhoven, N V Koolhoven in the Netherlands under contract by France. Intended for ''Armée de l'Air'' use, the F.K.58 saw limited servic ...

from 30 May commanded by Captain Walerian Jasionowski. The Polish Air Force in France had 86 aircraft with one and a half of the squadrons fully operational, and the remaining two and a half in various stages of training. Altogether, the Polish pilots flew 714 sorties during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

. According to Jerzy Cynk, they shot down 51.9 enemy planes (summing fraction kills – 57 kills including 16 shared victories), in addition to 3 unconfirmed kills and damaged. According to Bartłomiej Belcarz they shot down 53 aircraft, including 19 kills shared with the French. These 53 victories makes 8% of 693 allied air victories in the French campaign. At the same time they lost 44 planes (in combat, accidents and on the ground) and lost 8 fighter pilots in combat, 1 missing, and 4 in accidents.Bartłomiej Belcarz: ''Polskie lotnictwo we Francji'', Stratus, Sandomierz 2002,

In Britain

After the collapse of France in 1940, a large part of the

Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...

contingent was withdrawn to the

. However, the RAF Air Staff were not willing to accept the independence and sovereignty of Polish forces. Air Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding later admitted he had been "a little doubtful" at first about the Polish airmen. The British government informed General Sikorski that, at the end of the war, Poland would be charged for all costs involved in maintaining Polish forces in Britain. Initial plans for the airmen greatly disappointed them: they would only be allowed to join the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

, wear British uniforms, fly British flags and be required to take two oaths, one to the Polish government and the other to

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

; each officer was required to have a British counterpart, and all Polish pilots were to begin with the rank of "pilot officer", the lowest rank for a commissioned officer in the RAF. Only after posting would anyone be promoted to a higher grade. Because of this, the majority of highly 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 the creation of two bomber squadrons and a training centre as part of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Dowding had been doubtful about integration of Polish pilots within British squadrons due to language issues and wanted all-Polish units. In August, all Polish airmen became members of the Polish Air Force, and four squadrons—two fighter (based on the Poznan and Warsaw air regiments) and two bomber—were setup. Some Polish airmen chose to stay with their British squadrons. The first squadrons were

300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 300 ...

and

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 ( CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less frequently, year 1054 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominatio ...

bomber squadrons and 302 and

303 __NOTOC__ Year 303 ( CCCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. It was known in the Roman Empire as the Year of the Consulship of Diocletian and Maximian (or, less frequently, year 1056 ''Ab urbe condita''). The deno ...

fighter squadrons. The fighter squadrons, flying the

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

, first saw action in the third phase of the

in late August 1940, quickly becoming highly effective. Polish flying skills were well-developed from the

and being highly motivated by patriotism for revenge the pilots were regarded as fearless and sometimes bordering on reckless. Their success rates were very high in comparison to the less-experienced British Commonwealth pilots. Lynne Olson & Stanley Cloud. 2003. ''A Question of Honor. The Kosciuszko Squadron: Forgotten Heroes of World War II''. New York: Knopf. The 303 squadron became the most efficient RAF fighter unit at that time, Jerzy B. Cynk. 1998. ''The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1943–1945''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1998, . and RAF commanders protested when government censors refused to allow this fact to appear in the press. By late 1940 the American visitor Ralph Ingersoll reported that the Poles were "the talk of London" because of their victories. Although at first the Poles memorised basic English sentences to identify themselves if shot down over Britain to avoid being mistaken as Germans, Ingersoll wrote that such pilots returned with "a girl on each arm. They say the girls cannot resist the Poles, nor the Poles the girls". Bomber squadrons Nos. 300 and 301 started operations on 14 August 1940, attacking German invasion barges in French ports, and then attacking targets in Germany as a part of British bombing offensive.Hodyra, Piotr (2016). ''301 Dywizjon Bombowy 1940–1943'' (in Polish). Warsaw: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. . pp. 18, 54 Many Polish pilots flew in other RAF squadrons, usually given nicknames because, as Ingersoll wrote, "the

Polish name Polish names have two main elements: the given name, and the surname. The usage of personal names in Poland is generally governed by civil law, church law, personal taste and family custom. The law requires a given name to indicate the person' ...

s, of course, are unpronounceable". Later, further Polish squadrons were created: 304 (bomber, then

Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

), 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 Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

s, and eventually some were equipped with

North American Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

s. Night fighters used by 307 were the Boulton-Paul Defiant,

Bristol Beaufighter The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (often called the Beau) is a British multi-role aircraft developed during the Second World War by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was originally conceived as a heavy fighter variant of the Bristol Beaufor ...

and the

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its airframe was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or " ...

. The bomber squadrons were initially equipped with

Fairey Battle The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Ha ...

s and

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...

s, then

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...

s (300 sqn),

Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...

s and Consolidated Liberators (301 sqn) and

s and

North American Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...

s (305 sqn). 663 flew

Auster Auster may refer to: Places * Auster Glacier, located in East Antarctica * Auster Islands, East Antarctica * Auster Pass, located in East Antarctica * Auster Point, located in West Antarctica Other uses * Auster Aircraft, a former British air ...

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. This resulted in the creation of a dedicated Polish Air Force staff college at

RAF Weston-super-Mare Royal Air Force Weston-super-Mare, or more simply RAF Weston-super-Mare, is a former Royal Air Force station which was located on a civilian airfield in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. It was set up as a municipal civilian airport in the ...

, which remained open until April 1946. After the war, in a changed political situation, their equipment was returned to the British. Due to the fact that Poland ended the war under

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation, only a small proportion of the pilots returned to Poland where they suffered from harassment, while the rest chose to exercise their new found right to remain in Britain post war as detailed in the UK

Polish Resettlement Act 1947 The Polish Resettlement Act 1947 ( 10 & 11 Geo. 6. c. 19) was the first ever mass immigration legislation of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It offered British citizenship to over 250,000 displaced Polish troops on British soil who had foug ...

, in doing so they remained exiled from their native country. A memorial to those Polish pilots killed while on RAF service was erected in 1948 at the south-eastern corner of

RAF Northolt Royal Air Force Northolt or more simply RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station in South Ruislip, from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, western Greater London, England, approximately north of ...

aerodrome. On the public highway, it is accessible without entering RAF areas. It is adjacent to the A4180 junction on the A40 Western Avenue; the official name for this junction is "Polish War Memorial". A large memorial to Polish Air Force squadrons in the war is situated on the floor of the north aisle of the reconstructed Wren church,

St Clement Danes St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is now situated near the 19th-century Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand in Aldwych. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th cent ...

, London. 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...." Polish Air Forces

Polish Volunteer Air Force squadrons' coats of arms

When the Polish RAF squadrons were formed, a series of badges or coats of arms were designed for each of the Polish squadrons or flying units with the exception of 945 & 929 Balloon Squadrons, 1586 Flight and 6(C) OTU. Some of the squadron badges were based on squadron or escadrille badges of Polish flying units pre-1939 before the Second World War. Some were long established such as 303's Kościuszko badge and some were designed specially for the large and growing number of flying units being formed in the RAF. * 300 Squadron's badge has "CCC" meaning "300" in Roman numerals. It was the first Polish RAF squadron formed. It combines the coats of arms of both Poland and England – it has the Polish White Eagle "Orzeł Biały" (an eagle argent armed, crowned) and it has the English lion (a lion passant guardant, crowned). * 301 Squadron was two separate squadrons with two different roles at different times and each used a different squadron badge. In July 1940, 301 Bomber Squadron was formed. It closed in March 1943 and most of their crews and aircraft were merged with 300 Squadron. The first 301 Bomber Squadron used an unofficial inverted pentagon badge with a white background and a Pomeranian red

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: ''gryps'' or ''grypus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk ...

rampant shield design, very similar to the coat of arms of

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

. The identical badge can be seen on photos of PZL.23 Karaś light bombers fighting against German invaders in September 1939. The new 301 Transport Squadron was formed in November 1944 and operated in North Africa and in Italy for Special Duties flights. It used a circular badge with a Polish Eagle, and below it – a Pomeranian red griffin passant shield – and a Maid of Warsaw "Syrena" shield, with the number "301" below. The use of the griffin refers to the earlier 301 Squadron, but it shows a griffin passant (walking) instead of the original griffin rampant. * 302 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 131 and 132 Escadrilles, the closest is the blue wings version of that badge from 132 Esc. The diamond shape badge includes a red, white and blue background from both the French and UK flags and it has both the French

Armée de l'Air The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

"I/145" unit number and "302". * 303 Squadron's badge is the same as the older Polish "Kościuszko" unit, used for 111 Escadrille in the Brygada Poscigowa (Pursuit Brigade) tasked with the defence of Warsaw. But, in the RAF badge it has "303" added below. * 304 Squadron's badge shows a bomb and a "V" ("Fifth") reference which could be for a Polish unit, or it may refer to the fact that 304 Sqn was the fifth unit both by numerical position (300–304) and it was the fifth Polish squadron formed by date, or it may refer to "V for Victory". * 305 Squadron's badge uses a graphic image of a hussar's wing, a letter "P" probably for Polska ("Poland") and a spear signifying launched attack and the colour roundel of the RAF and the square roundel of the Polish Air Force. The squadron number "305" is added. * 306 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 141 and 142 Escadrilles. The main differences are: 141 & 142 had an inverted hexagon, 306 uses a diamond shape. Also in the 306 badge there is a bear and tree, a symbol for Warwickshire, UK (and Madrid). * 307 Squadron's badge uses a crescent moon, an aircraft and an eagle owl derived from the heroic exploits of The Lwów Eaglets (Polish: Orlęta Lwowskie) young fighters who died defending the city of Lwow in Galicia, Poland from invading Ukrainian & Russian forces during the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919). The name "Eagle Owls" is also appropriate because 307 Squadron's role was night-fighter defence. * 308 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 121 Escadrille. It uses the same emblem but facing the opposite way (right instead of left) and it is now enclosed in a diamond shape. * 315 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 112 Escadrille in the Brygada Poscigowa (Pursuit Brigade) tasked with the defence of Warsaw. The only difference is that it was rotated 30 degrees clockwise so the triangle is pointing down instead of left, with the bird more vertical and "315" was added. * 316 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 113 Escadrille in the Brygada Poscigowa (Pursuit Brigade) tasked with the defence of Warsaw. The only difference is that it was rotated 30 degrees clockwise so the triangle is pointing down instead of left, with the owl more vertical and "316 SQ" was added. * 317 Squadron's badge uses an old Polish design previously used for 151 and 152 Escadrilles in the pre-war Polish "Narew Army Group". The blue version of that badge for 151 Esc. is closest to the 317 Sqn. badge. * 318 Squadron's badge uses the coat of arms of the City of Gdansk – a red shield with two white crosses and a golden crown above. The only additions are the golden wings surrounding the shield and the number "318" at the top. * 663 Squadron's badge uses the Polish red and white chequered square "roundel" set as a diamond with a Polish eagle flying and carrying an artillery shell. It has the letters "DSA" beside the number "663". Other squadrons: * No. 138 Squadron including its "Polish C Flight" used the badge of the earlier RAF 138 Squadron which shows a sword cutting the reef-knot in a cord or rope, symbolising their role of liberating occupied territories during World War II. * No. 302 Squadron inherited the traditions of previous Squadrons of the PAF such as III/3 Fighter Squadron, 131st Fighter Escadrille, Polish 132nd Fighter Escadrille and the French

Groupe de Chasse G.C. I/145. * No. 303 Squadron inherited the traditions and badge of previous Kościuszko Squadrons of the PAF such as the early

Polish 7th Air Escadrille Polish 7th Air Escadrille (), better known as the Kościuszko Squadron, was one of the units of the Polish Air Force during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. Formed in late 1918, it was re-formed in late 1919 from US volunteers. It was one o ...

and 121st Fighter Escadrille and the later

Polish 111th Fighter Escadrille The 111th Fighter Escadrille of the Polish Air Force () was one of the fighter units of the Polish Army. Created in 1921, immediately after the end of the Polish-Soviet War, the unit inherited the traditions of the famous war-time Polish 7th A ...

. * No. 317 Squadron inherited the traditions and badge of a previous Squadron of the PAF, the 151st Fighter Escadrille and 152nd Fighter Escadrille, part of the Narew (151) and Modlin (152) Independent Operational Groups respectively. * No. 145 Squadron "Polish Fighting Team" uses a sphinx with a wing. It may have derived its badge and traditions via a Polish unit. The PFT squadron's commander Stanislaw Skalski was a senior officer in III-4 Pomorze (Pomerania) Squadron during the 1939 invasion of Poland. The sphinx might be a reference to their being stationed in the Western Desert (and Egypt), the wing resembles the wings worn by 16th century Polish hussars. Badges In the Polish Air Force, their Air Force unit badges had two versions depending on which side of the aircraft they were painted, so that the emblem was always pointing or facing forwards. So on the port (left) side, the emblem faced left (forward) and on the starboard (right) side, the emblem faced right (forward). For the RAF Polish squadrons, there was only one design with most facing left, but 308, 316 and 663 squadrons' emblems faced right. Image:PSP Dywizjon 300.jpg, File:Dywizjon Bombowy 301 Ziemi Pomorskiej 301.svg, Image:PSP Dywizjon 302.svg, Image:PSP Dywizjon 303.jpg, Image:304th Polish Bomber Squadron.svg, Image:305th Polish Bomber Squadron.svg, Image:PSP Dywizjon 306.jpg, Image:307th Polish Night Fighter Squadron.svg, Image:308th Polish Fighter Squadron.svg, Image:309th Polish Army-Cooperation Squadron.svg, Image:315th Polish Fighter Squadron.svg, Image:316th Polish Fighter Squadron.svg, Image:317th Polish Fighter Squadron.svg, Image:318th Polish Fighter Squadron.svg, File:318th Polish Fighter Squadron -alternate emblem.svg, Image:PSP Dywizjon 663.jpg, File:No. 138 Squadron RAF badge. Displayed on a wooden plaque inside St Peter's Church, Tempsford, Bedfordshire, England.jpg, Image:Polish Fighting Team.png,

Polish volunteer wings in Allied Air forces, 1940–45

France

List of Polish units based on Bartłomiej Belcarz's research and publications. *

, May 10, 1940 – Zone d´Operations Aériennes des Alpes ** '' Groupe de Chasse de Varsovie'' at Lyon-Bron ** Groupe de Chasse GC I/145 at Lyon-Bron and at

Dreux Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...

(Bloch MB.152 and Caudron C.714) ** Section no.1 Łaszkiewicz GC III/2 ** Section no.2 Pentz GC II/6 ** Section no.3 Sulerzycki GC III/6 ** Section no.4 Bursztyn GC III/1 ** Section no.5 Brzeziński GC I/2 ** Section no.6 Goettel GC II/7 ** Jasionowski Koolhoven Flight ** DAT section Krasnodębski GC I/55 based at

Châteaudun Châteaudun () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War. Geography Châteaudun is located about 45 ...

and

Étampes Étampes () is a Communes of France, commune in the functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a Subprefectures in ...

** DAT section Skiba GC I/55 **

DAT section Kuzian DAT or Dat may refer to: Biology * Direct agglutination test, any test that uses whole organisms as a means of looking for serum antibody * Direct antiglobulin test, one of two Coombs tests * Dopamine transporter or dopamine active transporter, ...

based at

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

** DAT section Opulski based at

Romorantin Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the . It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis. Histor ...

** DAT section Krasnodębski based at Toulouse-Francazal **

Centre d'Instruction d'Aviation de Chasse at Montpellier Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

** Ecole de Pilotage No 1 (Chasse) at Etampes ** Ecole de Pilotage at Avord **

Centre d'Instruction at Tours Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

Depot d'Instruction de l'Aviation Polonaise Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Office De ...

at Lyon-Bron ** Montpellier Flight

United Kingdom

(Home Command), June 6, 1944 **

RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...

*** No. 1 Bomber Group **** No. 300 Polish Bomber Squadron "Masovia"

RAF Faldingworth Royal Air Force Faldingworth or more simply RAF Faldingworth is a former Royal Air Force satellite station used during and after the Second World War. It was located close to the village of Faldingworth in Lincolnshire, England. Development B ...

(Avro Lancaster Mk. I & III, Fairey Battle Mk. 1, and Vickers Wellington MK. IC, III, IV, and X) **** No. 301 Polish Bomber Squadron "Pomerania" RAF Faldingworth (Consolidated Liberator B Mk. III, V, and IV, Fairey Battle Mk. I, Handley Page Halifax Mk. II, V, and VIII, Vickers Warwick C Mk. I & III, and Vickers Wellington Mk. IC & IV) (In Polish) * Allied Expeditionary Air Force **

Air Defence of Great Britain The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) command comprising substantial army and RAF elements responsible for the air defence of the British Isles. It lasted from 1925, following recommendations that the RAF take contr ...

*** No. 11 (Fighter) Group ****

No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron, was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons during the Second ...

"Kosciuszko" Horne (Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB) **** No. 307 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Lwow"

Church Fenton Church Fenton is a village and civil parish in the North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is about east of Leeds, about south-east from Tadcaster and north from Sherburn in Elmet. Neighbouring vi ...

(De Havilland Mosquito Mk-NF.XIII) ** No. 12 (Fighter) Group ***

No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron No. 309 "Land of Czerwień" 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 one of 15 squadrons of th ...

"Czerwien" "B" (Flight)

Hutton Cranswick Hutton Cranswick is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south from Driffield town centre, and on the A164 road. The civil parish is formed by the village of Hutton Cranswick and ...

(Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC) *** No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Warsaw"

RAF Coltishall Royal Air Force Coltishall more commonly known as RAF Coltishall is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located north-north-east of Norwich, in the England, English Counties of the United Kingdom, county ...

(North American Mustang III) ** No. 13 Fighter Group ***

"Czerwien" "A" (Flight)

RAF Drem Royal Air Force Drem, or more simply RAF Drem, is a former Royal Air Force station, just north of the village of Drem in East Lothian, Scotland. The motto of the station was ''Exiit Hinc Lumen'' which means "Light has departed from this plac ...

(Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC) 305 Squadron 1942

2nd Tactical Air Force The Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) was one of three tactical air forces within the Royal Air Force (RAF) during and after the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from the RAF, other British Commonwealth air forces, an ...

** No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron "Greater Poland"

Lasham Lasham is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is northwest of Alton, Hampshire, Alton and north of Bentworth, just off the A339 road. The parish covers an area of and has an average elevation o ...

(

F.B. Mk VI) SpiIX306

* No. 84 Group RAF ** No. 131 Wing ***

No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 302 (City of Poznan) Polish Fighter Squadron RAF () was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was one of several Polish fighter ...

"City of Poznan"

Chailey Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located 7 miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury. The Prime Meridian passes just to the east of Chailey. The parish consis ...

(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) The 2nd Polish Corps (), 1943–1947, was a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II. It was commanded by Lieutenant General Władysław Anders and fought with distinction in the Italian Ca ...

*** 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) ** No. 133 Wing ***

No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 306 "Toruń" Polish Fighter Squadron () was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was one of 15 squadrons of the Polish Air Force ...

"City of Torun" Coolham (North American Mustang III) *** No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron "City of Dęblin" Coolham (North American Mustang III) Squadron Leader Horbaczewski of 315 Polish Squadron RAF Aug 1944 IWM MH 1936

Squadron Leader Horbaczewski of 315 Polish Squadron RAF Aug 1944 IWM MH 1936

** No 19 (GR) Group *** No. 304 Polish Bomber Squadron "Silesia"

RAF Chivenor Royal Air Force Chivenor, or more simply RAF Chivenor, is a former Royal Air Force station located on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton. Originally a ...

(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) ;Bases *

RAF West Kirby Royal Air Force West Kirby or more simply RAF West Kirby is a former Royal Air Force basic training camp near West Kirby, Cheshire, later Merseyside, England. History RAF West Kirby was established at the beginning of the Second World War as ...

(England) – First base * In African area ** Bu Grara ** La Fauconnerie ** Goubrine **

Hergla Hergla () is a small cliff-top town in north-eastern Tunisia at the Gulf of Hammamet. White houses of Hergla with often blue window and door surroundings are built in the classic style characteristic for Tunisia. Sousse is about 24 km south- ...

Ben Gardane Ben Gardane or Bengardane ( or , '; ) is a coastal town in south eastern Tunisia, close to the border with Libya. It is located at around . History During the Second World War Ben Gardane Airfield was used by the 57th Fighter Group, which flew P ...

Statistics

;

Notes

References

* Bungay, Stephen. ''The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain''. London: Aurum Press. 2000.

External links

Polish squadrons in the RAF ("Flight")

Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940–1947
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polish Air Forces In France And Great Britain France–Poland military relations Air units and formations of Poland in World War II Polish diaspora organizations Poland–United Kingdom military relations Expatriate military units and formations Military units and formations established in 1940