| THE KOSCIUSZKO SQUADRON |
| In another battle, the Polish squadron decimated a quarter of the German bombers flying towards the London docks. One of the pilots, Urbanowicz described the scene as akin to " twelve hounds tearing apart a boar's body " and then going after the Messerschmidts. Within 15 minutes Poles shot down 14 German planes and 4 probables. These Polish successes resulted in a substantial increase in the number of Polish squadrons. Orginally, the RAF dismissed the Poles as unimportant, but them clamored to obtain more of them. In 1940, there were 5 Polish fighter squadrons and 2 bomber squadrons in the RAF. By 1941, 6 more all-Polish squadrons were added. There were 142 Polish fighters. Seventy-six of them wee in the British squadrons, and the remainder in 2 all-Polish squadrons. Of the 400 fighter pilots in the RAF, 100 were Polish. The Allied squadrons were small in comparison to the Luftwaffe. The RAF had 1,000 aircraft which included 390 planes of the 303rd Squadron ( the Kosciuszko Squadron), while Germany had 1,500 bombers and an equal number of fighter planes. The Polish airmen fought battles not only in England, but in France, Belgium, and Holland. In each battle they downed almost 30% of German aircraft. On September 26, King George VI visited the Polish airmen to congratulate them for their successes. On that day Poles had scored 48% of the kills. The Times, dated January 1, 1943, published an article praising the Poles for shooting down the 500th German aircraft. Polish bombers had carried out over 3,200 raids and dropped 9,000 tons of bombs on enemy targets. Overall, the Kosciuszko Squadron, or 303rd was able to shoot down more than 12 % of enemy aircraft - a higher rate than any other squadron in the RAF. However, the losses were heavy. The RAF lost 915 fighter planes out of a total of 1,000, while the Luftwaffe lost 1,733 planes. The Polish groundcrew were the wizards who kept the planes flying. On September 15, 1940, nine RAF planes returned to base severely damaged, and thought to be irreparable. But the groundcrew worked through the night, and all nine planes were air-worthy by morning. |
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The odds were overwhelming - but the RAF was able to defeat Germany in the Battle of Britain only with the sustained help of its allies, most particularly Poland. In this battle, quality rather than quantity mattered. When the Germans lost the Battle of Britain, so too did they lose the myth of invicibility. According to Churchill, it was " one of the decisive battles of the war". The Battle of Britain would have been lost were it not for the Polish airmen. Over 120 Polish pilots were decorated. Among those awarded medals were Witold Urbanowicz, who shot down 15 German aircraft. Jan Zumbach, 8 aircraft; Zdzislaw Henneberg, 8 aircraft; Miroslaw Feric, 7 aircraft, and Ludwik Paszkiewicz was awarded post-humously for 6 aircraft shot down. The top scoring pilot of any nationality, was Jozef Frantisek, from Czechoslovakia, nicknamed the Czech. He so admired the Polish pilots that he refused to fly with anyone else. But the First Commander of the 303rd Squadron, Major Zdzislaw Krasnodebski was decorated for his bravery on September 6, 1940. When his plane was hit and in flames, he continued to fly his mission shooting down enemy aircraft. With his hands on fire, he landed the plane, and never released his grip on the controls. Honors poured in from King and Country. The Polish fighters were regaled the heroes of World War II, and became the darlings of high British society. The BBC sent congratulations on their "magnificent record" and "all the best wishes for its future. " You use the air for your gallant exploits and we for telling the world of them. Long Live Poland!" " They fought for English soil with an abandon tempered with skill and backed by an indomitable courage such that it could never have been surpassed had it been in defense of their own native land." (Commander Thomas Gleave " Our shortage of trained pilots would have made it impossible to defeat the German air force and so win the Battle of Britain if the...airmen of Poland had not leapt into the breach.... [We] do not forget that you were the first to resist the aggressor....neither do...[we] forget that you came after manifold trials to our aid when we most needed your help. Your valiant squadrons fighting along side our own were in the forefront in the Battle of Britain and so helped to restore the fortunes of the Allies throughout the years of struggle. In good times and bad you have stood by us and shared with the RAF their losses and their victories." (Sir Archibald Sinclair, British Air Minister- in a letter to Polish airmen after end of World War II ) |
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| Polish Ground Crew |
| Spitfire |
| In Westminster Cathedral there is a commemorative plaque which reads as follows: IN MEMORY OF ALL RANKS OF THE POLISH ARMY NAVY AND AIR FORCE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR POLAND AND THIS COUNTRY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945 |
| Jozef Frantisek |
| Ludwik Paszkiewicz |
| Sikorski Awarded Virtuti Militari to Jan Zumbach |
| Witold Urbanowicz |
| Zdzislaw Henneberg |