No. 306 "Toruń" 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 15 squadrons of the Polish Air Force in exile that served alongside the Royal Air Force in World War II.[1]
| No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 306 Squadron logo | |
| Active | 1940–1947 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  Polish government in exile |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Squadron |
| Part of | RAF Fighter Command |
| Nickname(s) | Toruń |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Douglas Scott Tadeusz Rolski Józef Jeka, DFM |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron codes | UZ (August 1940 – January 1947) |
History
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Formed on 29 August 1940[2] 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.
In the course of its existence, the squadron claimed 68 confirmed kills, 16½ probable, and 26 damaged. In addition, the crews of the 306 brought down 59 V1 flying bombs. It was disbanded on 6 January 1947[2] after the end of World War II.
Commanding officers
edit| From | To | Name | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1940 | Dec 1940 | S/Ldr. Douglas R. Scott | British Officer |
| 4 September 1940 | 17 October 1940 | Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Rolski | ad interim Polish co-commander |
| 18 October 1940 | 11 November 1940 | Maj. pil. Jerzy Orzechowski | Polish co-commander |
| Dec 1940 | Mar 1941 | S/Ldr. D.E. Gilliam, DFC, AFC | British Officer |
| 12 November 1940 | 30 June 1941 | Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Rolski | First as co-commander, from March 1941 as Squadron Leader |
| 1 July 1941 | 14 August 1941 | Kpt. pil. Jerzy Zaremba | |
| 15 August 1941 | 29 August 1941 | Por. pil. Jerzy Słoński-Ostoja, VM | |
| 30 August 1941 | 14 April 1941 | Maj. pil. Antoni Wczelik | |
| 15 April 1941 | 22 August 1942 | Kpt. pil. Tadeusz Czerwiński, KW | |
| 23 August 1942 | 13 March 1943 | Kpt. pil. Kazimierz Rutkowski, DFC | |
| 14 March 1943 | 1 January 1944 | Kpt. pil Włodzimierz Karwowski | |
| 2 January 1944 | 7 June 1944 | Kpt. pil. Stanisław Łapka | |
| 8 June 1944 | 23 June 1944 | Kpt. pil. Janusz Marciniak | |
| 27 June 1944 | 25 September 1944 | Kpt. pil. Paweł Niemiec | |
| 26 September 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
edit- Hawker Hurricane Mk I – from 4 September 1940
- Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA – from 5 April 1941
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk I and 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
- North American Mustang Mk III – from 26 March 1944
See also
editReferences
editNotes
editBibliography
edit- Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Gretzyngier, Robert. Polish Aces of World War 2, Botley: Osprey Publishing, 1998.
- Grodyński, Andrzej S.T. (306 Squadron pilot) The Grodyński Brigade. Charleston: CreateSpace 2013. ISBN 978-1-4812-8367-0.
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge: 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: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
- Lewis, Peter, 1968 (1959) Squadron Histories, RFC, RNAS and RAF, Since 1912. London: Putnam. SBN 370-00022-6
- 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.
External links
edit
- "306 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Toruński"". polishairforce.pl (in Polish). – historic photographs
- "No 306 (Torun) Squadron". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation.
- Hodyra, Piotr. "Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940-1947".