No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron | |
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![]() 306 Squadron logo
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Active | 1940–1946 |
Country | ![]() |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Role | Fighter Squadron |
Part of | RAF Fighter Command |
Nickname(s) | 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński" |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders |
Douglas Scott Tadeusz Rolski |
Insignia | |
Squadron Codes | UZ (Aug 1940 – Jan 1947) |
No. 306 (City of Torun) Polish Fighter Squadron (Polish: 306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński") 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 squadrons fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Contents
History
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Upon formal formation on 28 August 1940 at RAF Church Fenton 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) was an emblem of the No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron, the unit of the first (British) commander of the new squadron, F/Cdr. Douglas Scott.
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.
Commanding officers
From | To | Name | Remark |
---|---|---|---|
Aug 1940 | Dec 1940 | S/Ldr. 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. pil. Jerzy Orzechowski | Polish co-commander |
Dec 1940 | Mar 1941 | S/Ldr. D.E. Gilliam, DFC, AFC | 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 | |
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 | |
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 – from 4 September 1940
- Hawker Hurricane Mk-IIA – from 5 April 1941
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk-I 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
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ Rawlings 1978, p. 393.
- ↑ pl:Dywizjon 306
Bibliography
- Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Gretzyngier, Robert. Polish Aces of World War 2, Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998.
- 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. RAF Squadrons: a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Rawlings, John D.R. Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (Revised edition 1976). ISBN 0-354-01028-X.
- Grodyński, Andrzej S.T. (306 Squadron Pilot) The Grodyński Brigade. Charleston, USA: CreateSpace 2013. ISBN 9-781481-283670.
External links
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