No. 302 (City of Poznan) Polish Fighter Squadron RAF ( pl, 302 Dywizjon Myśliwski "Poznański") was a Polish fighter

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

formed in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 1940. It was one of several Polish fighter squadrons fighting alongside the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

History

The squadron inherited the traditions, along with the emblem and a large part of the initial crew, of the pre-war Polish III/3 Fighter Squadron composed of the 131st and 132nd Fighter Escadrilles. The Squadron was one of the four Polish-cored

squadrons that participated in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), 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 defende ...

. It consisted mostly of Polish pilots, many of whom were veterans. The backbone of the squadron was formed by 13 pilots who served with the I/145 Polish Fighter Squadron and were evacuated from France during the last stages of the

German invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * the 1746 War of the Austrian Succession, Austria-Italian forces supported by the British navy attemp ...

. The squadron was formed on 10 July 1940, equipped with

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 b ...

s the squadron was part of No. 12 Group RAF. As the combat became more fierce, the 302 was moved to

RAF Duxford Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...

, north of London. The squadron operated from there as part of the Duxford Wing, 12 Group's '

Big Wing The Big Wing, also known as a Balbo, was an air fighting tactic proposed during the Battle of Britain by 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory and Acting Squadron Leader Douglas Bader. In essence, the tactic involved meeting ...

' formation, from 14 September through 25 September. Having enjoyed some success on East Coast patrols following the Battle of Britiain, No. 302 Squadron re-located to

RAF Jurby Royal Air Force Station Jurby or more simply RAF Jurby is a former Royal Air Force station built in the north west of the Isle of Man. It was opened in 1939 on of land acquired by the Air Ministry in 1937, under the control of No. 29 Group, ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, where they commenced night flying training and low level work. At some point afterwards the squadron operated from

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 consist ...

. On 11 June 1944, 302 became the first Polish Squadron to land in France, five days after D-Day. It was fighting as part of No. 131 Polish Fighter Wing when its airfield was attacked by Jagdgeschwader 1 during

Operation Bodenplatte Operation Bodenplatte (; "Baseplate"), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of ''Bodenplatte'' was to gain air superiority during th ...

in January 1945. No. 302 Polish Squadron lost 20 pilots killed, 12 missing and 9 taken prisoners, 63 aircraft destroyed and 43 damaged by the enemy's air defence. It was disbanded on 18 December 1946,Halley 1988, p. 356.Rawlings 1978, pp. 388-389. at

RAF Hethel Royal Air Force Hethel or more simply RAF Hethel is a former Royal Air Force station which was used by both the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The airfield is located south we ...

.Jefford 2001, p. 86. A replica Hurricane in 302 squadron markings was the

gate guardian A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece, or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main ...

at the

Imperial War Museum Duxford Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...

until it was repainted in 242 squadron markings in Feb 2018.

Commanders

* overall general command (British) 13 July 1940 -

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

William A. J. Satchell * 1 January 1941 S/Ldr (kpt.) Piotr Łaguna * 13 July 1940 - S/Ldr (mjr) Mieczysław Mümler * 7 December 1940 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Piotr Łaguna * 19 May 1941 - F/Lt (kpt.) (15 June 1941 - Acting S/Ldr) Stefan Witorzeńć * 28 November 1941 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Julian Kowalski * 25 August 1942 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Stanisław Łapka * 16 May 1943 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Wieczysław Barański * 18 October 1943 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Wacław Król * 7 July 1944 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Marian Duryasz * 30 January 1945 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Zygmunt Bieńkowski * 24 February 1945 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Ignacy Olszewski * 24 March 1945 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Bolesław Kaczmarek * 1 August 1945 - S/Ldr (kpt.) Jerzy Szymankiewicz (until disbanding)

Aircraft operated

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Cynk, Jerzy B. ''The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1939-1943''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1998. . * Cynk, Jerzy B. ''The Polish Air Force at War: The Official History, 1943-1945''. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1998. . * 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. . * Gretzyngier, Robert. ''Polskie Skrzydła 4: Hawker Hurricane, część 1'' (in Polish). Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus, 2005. . * Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918 -1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Jefford, 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, 1998 (Second edition 2001). . * Lisiewcz, M. et al. ''Destiny Can Wait: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War''. Nashville, Tennessee: Battery Press, 1988. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (new edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . * Zamoyski, Adam. ''The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in the Second World War''. New York: Hippocrene Books Inc., 1995. .

External links

Photo Gallery of 302 Squadron

Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940-1947
{{Royal Air Force Polish Air Force in exile squadrons, 302 302 Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1947 Battle of Britain