Polish Aviation Enthusiasts Forum. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. My information will not be shared with any third party (see our Privacy Statement - opens in a new window). On Christmas Eve, RAF Ballyhalbert hosted American pilots from Toome along with other invited guests in the N.A.A.F.I restaurant. Little information is available on his early and any service with the Polish Air Force. Eldon will be remembered for his compassion, generosity and lifelong love of animals. No. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept my faith. No. My name may be published alongside the comment on the website, but my e-mail address will not be published. The squadron flew convoy patrols and carried out operational training. He was replaced by F/L Jankiewicz. On 11 April 1941, F/L Kustrzyski shot down a Bf109 during a rhubarb over France. No. The Polish Air Force continued to serve with the RAF until the end of the war. Linda Duffield Tadeusz Nastorowicz hailed from Lodz in Poland, being born there on 1 May 1914. Mark Battle of Britain 80 with these commemorative gifts, from our exclusive t-shirt and mug, to fashion, films and homeware. Adam Kowalczyk, 12 November 1943 Spitfire VB, Spitfire VC and Spitfire LF VB, Spitfire LF VC, 18 July 1944 Spitfire F IX, Spitfire LF IX and Spitfire HF IX. On 31 August 1940, the squadron was scrambled in the late afternoon on its first operational sortie. [15], At the time it was withdrawn from battle for a rest on 11 October 1940, the squadron had claimed 126kills in six weeks. Craig Murray: "When the Polish airmen came to Britain there was a realisation they might be worth putting them into their own squadrons. This day, calledAdlertag('Eagle Day') was the first day of the Germans'Adlerangriff('Attack of the Eagles') operation. Shortly after their arrival, the Commander of No. Jzefa Poniatowskiego", 305 "Ziemi Wielkopolskiej im. On 30 September 1940, F/O Urbanowicz once again claimed four victories, while a Do 17 was brought down by P/O. The (sic) was indicating the pronounciation rather than the correct spelling of his name. In early April 1941, No. But there is no history of the ship in the game, at least stars in the ship's dossier . On the same day, the rest of the Squadron participated in an exercise where they acted as close escorts to 12 Marauders bombing 'Townpatrick' (Downpatrick) where they were engaged by 4 Mustangs acting as enemy aircraft. Don't forget to hit the button to subscribe to IWM's YouTube channel for more videos like this and much more. 9 Group RAF. Sgt. , Polish Squadrons remembered; However, these were refused by the recipients in protest that all Free Polish forces were not invited. Formed 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. For the Indian Naval Air Arm squadron, see, List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons, Brief history of No. No. At present the List contains 17,137 names (the original document was supplemented with soldiers who served in the PAF, for example, in the Inspectorate, but who were never formally admitted to the RAF and airmen transferred e.g. *. F/O Witold Urbanowicz was appointed as acting Squadron Leader. Polish Air Squadrons Remembered Photo: General Sosnkowski in conversation with pilots of R.A.F. Nastorowicz joined 302 (City of Poznan) Squadron at RAF Westhampnett, on 6 January 1941, from No.56 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Sutton Bridge. 145 Squadron RAF on 16 July. On 22 June 1941, Fighter Command optimistically claimed 29 fighters shot down, No. No. 303 Squadron was also linked to the original 1919 Kociuszko Escadrille through personnel that had served in that squadron. The bear climbing a tree (Coat of arms of Madrid) was an emblem of the No. Polish pilots were soon flying with various RAF units. I. were ferried in, and these were the first signs of the new Polish Squadron. The squadron returned to Northolt in September and resumed operations over France. However, J. Alcorn was not able to attribute 30aircraft shot down to any particular unit, and according to Jerzy Cynk and other Polish historians, the actual number of victories for No. 303 pilots claimed four Bf 109s without loss; two to P/O Drobiski, as RAF Fighter Command claimed 10 destroyed (The Jagdwaffe suffered no losses). 303 Squadron" redirects here. A group of pilots of No. It was a matter of time before the experienced No. polishsquadronsremembered.com 315 St Andrews 315 St Andrews M Mike Ju 1 follower More information 315 St Andrews Reconnaissance Aircraft Wwii Aircraft Military Aircraft Ww2 Pictures P 51 P51 Mustang Navy Marine Ww2 Planes Battle Of Britain More information . (in Polish), "Polish Spitfire shoots down BNP: Anti-immigration poster pic blunder. S/L Henneberg's Spitfire IIa (P8029) was hit by flak and the pilot had to ditch in the channel; despite an intensive search and rescue operation, he was never found. The squadron returned to Lancashire in April 1942, located at RAF Woodvale, Sefton. On 16 April 1941, the Polish Wing flew its first "Circus" escort operation. The airfield became operational in 1942 with the arrival of 300 Polish Squadron but was reclaimed as agricultural land in 1946. [26] On D-Day, 303 flew several times over the landing beaches. The 334th, 335th and 336th fighter squadrons, which were part of the VIII Fighter Command's 4th Group, were all formed in 1942 out of the remnants of the American all-volunteer RAF formations, the . Nastorowicz joined the routine of squadron patrols, predominantly of the base, from early February, accumulating nineteen sorties by the end of March. POLISH SQUADRONS REMEMBERED This thread was started a few years ago. 303 (Kosciuszko) Squadron received orders to move from RAF Northolt where they were largely undertaking escort duties for daylight raids over France, to RAF Ballyhalbert. Read about our approach to external linking. F/L Kustrzyski was taken prisoner while still sitting in the cockpit of his crash-landed Spitfire because his back was badly injured and he could not move. Equipped with the hurricanes and spitfires of the RAF, the Polish had the chance to fight the Germans on equal terms, and despite the challenges they faced their skill in the air was unquestionable. During a sweep over France on 18 August, 12 Mustangs of No. Its initial cadre was 13Officer and 8NCO pilots and 135Polish ground staff. Four of the Polish officers were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses after the Battle, amongst them Flying Officer Witold Urbanowicz, the Polish commander of No. The squadron claimed 86.33 confirmed victories, 18 probable and 26 damaged. Is climate change killing Australian wine? 303 pilot gave the RAF the first photographic evidence of the new fighter. Its opponents now included the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and on 13 October camera gun film from a No. June 17, 2022 . 315 Squadron who have just staged a flypast at R.A.F. Quentin Reynolds, one of the wars most well-known American war correspondents, dubbed Polish airmen 'the real Glamor Boys of England' inCollier's Weekly, an apt reflection of the 'hero worship' attitude the British had towards them. The Polish Air Force (PAF) was recreated and established on French soil following a number of agreements between the French government and the Polish government-in-exile. This nickname was in honour of a famous Polish military squadron from the Polish-Soviet war of 1920. Two years later he completed his first gliding course in Goleszw near Cieszyn. 303 was formed in July 1940 in Blackpool, Britain [4] before deployment to RAF Northolt on the 2nd of August as part of an This photo is usually captioned 'Northolt, October 1940,' but Nastorowicz didn't join the squadron until 6th January, so it is likely to have been taken after that date. On 15 August 1942, the squadron temporarily moved to Redhill near London in preparation of the Allied raid on Dieppe (Operation Jubilee). Please have a drink with me. As a result, it was not until the 18 December 1943 that the crashed Spitfire EN856 belonging to F/O Podobinski was located at the highest point on the Isle of Man. When in May 1940 the Germans attacked France, due to various organizational difficulties, only 174 pilots out of about a thousand Polish pilots flew operationally. The squadron, equipped with Hurricanes, was moved in March to RAF Speke, Liverpool, where it made frequent patrols over naval convoys as part of No. On 13 August Hermann Gring launched the Luftwaffe's all-out air assault on Britain. On 2 July 1941, No. 303 Squadron RAF was formed in July 1940 in Blackpool, England[6] before deployment to RAF Northolt on 2 August as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom. 302 (Polish) Fighter Squadron and 34 in No. From the very beginning of the war, the Royal Air Force (RAF) had welcomed foreign pilots to supplement the dwindling pool of . In a dogfight over Kent, "A" Flight claimed four confirmed and two probable victories over Messerschmitt Bf 109s, possibly of LG 2. 302 was the first Polish squadron to be declared operational and entered battle on 15 August. One of them was Sergeant Josef Frantisek, a Czech who called himself a Pole and preferred to fly with Poles. No. - The Polish Battle of Britain (-2010), . Invaluable contributions were made particularly by Mrs. Danuta Sawiska from the Polish Air Force Association in Great Britain and Mrs. Magorzata Goddard and Mrs. Barbara Kroll from the Polish section of the Ministry of Defence archives. ", "19th of September Polish Forces War Memorial uncovered. I have been firing at an enemy aircraft for the first time in my life'. On 7 September 1940, the German air offensive switched to the London docks. On 9 June 1943, F/O liwinski claimed the unit's 200th victory, a Fw 190. This was a highlight of the Squadron Day celebrations on 14th August 1943. The first Polish pilots reached Britain on 8 December 1939, arriving in Eastchurch in Kent after their departure from France two days earlier. Pilots of No. Privacy Statement - opens in a new window, Porucznik (Pilot) Aleksander Ryszard Narucki. ", "Remembering Poland's Contributions to WWII. This is presented by Kutzner's chart, which shows Polish confirmed kills (left column), confirmed kills of all Allied squadrons, including Polish (central column) and real German losses on each day when No. Place of birth was established for 15,314 (89%) of the PAF members. Tactics and skill also played a role; on one occasion, No. In the Battle of Britain, Polish pilots serving in all RAF squadrons achieved a remarkable score of 203.5 destroyed, 35 probables and 36 damaged. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. The group's aim is to create a heritage centre at the site and to restore the former airmen's mess. 29 polish pilots lost their lives during the Battle of Britain including Josef Frantiek who was killed in an accident that has never been explained in October 1940. It had a distinguished combat record and was disbanded in December 1946. The number of convoy patrols carried out by the Squadron steadily increased as 1944 progressed with the Poles even noticing that some of the troop ships were full of American soldiers. 303 performing convoy escort duties and practice flights. Collier's Weekly published a supposedly successful pickup line devised by one of the RAF pilots: 'I am a Polish aviator. "315 Squadron" redirects here. Many thanks to Wilhelm Ratuszynski at Polish Squadrons Remembered (see link below). The Polish Air Force, comprising around 300 aircraft, first fought in the 1939 invasion of Poland by Germany and Russia, shooting down 126 enemy aircraft. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? served in the Polish Army Air Force and flew with the RAF 317th Squadron. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. With the Poles, the way they fight, they get very close to the enemy before they open fire which is a dangerous thing to do but it does ensure a kill more often than not. No. JG 2 lost six Bf 109s and four pilots. 303's Sgt Stanislaw Karubin resorted to extreme tactics to bring down a German fighter. Karubin. The List contain also information about decorations awarded to airmen during their service in Polish Air Force in Great Britain as: Order of Virtuti Militari (VM), Cross of Valour (KW), Cross of Merit (KZ), Air Force Medal (ML), Wounds and Injuries Badge (ODRK) and British, i.a. RAF Ingham - Home of Polish Bomber Squadrons. Busy recycling centre adds to items it cannot accept public warned to expect queues 2, Theyre in for a hell of a fight Scampton councillor responds to Home Secretary. 303 then returned to Kirton in Lindsey, where it remained until March 1943. With the help of Mrs. J. Hawran, the director of the Polish section of the MoD in Hayes, and the commitment of her Polish staff, Anna was able to enter missing data: Polish and English ranks and trades of individual airmen. Following further discussion, the proposal of pk. Their contribution to thewar against Nazi Germanywas significant, although achieved at a very heavy price. 4 April 1945 Mustang IV and Mustang IVA. The invitation was refused because no other Polish units were invited. To start it was a light bomber squadron equipped with Battles; by October 1940, now at Swinderby, it converted to a Wellington squadron. You Are Here: ross dress for less throw blankets apprentissage des lettres de l'alphabet polish squadrons remembered. Their time in Northern Ireland was largely uneventful with the men settling into a routine of convoy patrols and training exercises. Two Anglo-Polish Agreements were signed, one on 11 June and one on 5 August 1940, which formed the independent Polish Air Force and envisaged the formation of fighter, bomber and army cooperation squadrons. squadron 303 vodka, ultra premium english vodka. Rest in peace Sir and thank you for your service. By the end of the month, No. ", "Hacking group Squad303 creates tool to send random Russian phones anti-war messages", "Miroslaw Ignacy Wojciechowski 19171956. FRIENDSHIP Dr. Eldon R. Downing, of Friendship, passed away on April 3, 2023, after a brief illness. Photo courtesy of Wilhelm Ratuszynski of Polish Squadrons Remembered. 302 Squadron excelled in its defence of London in September, accounting for nine aircraft on the 18th of September alone. Niebieska Eskadra website (see link below) Aleksander Narucki From the collection of Jaroslaw Gwardys, source unknown. Sergeant Tadeusz Nastorowicz is commemorated on the Polish Air Force Memorial in Northolt, the inscriptions on it read: I have fought a good fight,I have finished my course,I have kept the faithIITIM.IV.7.-. However, according to other sources No. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron. Babenz, 3./JG 26. In 1943 and 1944 a further two observation squadrons were formed. Any Luftwaffe fighter opposition now remained largely absent from the Squadron's sphere of operations, but flak defences still took a toll. Seaman D'marcus Ellison, a . Once the agreements were in force, the first task was to get the Polish pilots trained on a completely new type of aircraft. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world. Tadeusz Nastorowicz hailed from Lodz in Poland, being born there on 1 May 1914. RAF 303 (Polish) Squadron was one of 16 Polish squadrons in the Royal Air Force during World War Two. 303, Squadron Leader Falkowski was appointed to the Acting Rank of Wing Commander and moved to No. It was named after the city of Dblin, where the main Polish Air Force Academy has been located since 1927. S/Ldr Kellet and F/Lt Forbes both force-landed, and were wounded slightly, while Sgt Karubin bailed out wounded, S/Ldr Krasnodbski was severely burned and three other Hurricanes were damaged. December 1943 began just as November had ended, with routine practice flights and the Squadron tasked with escorting troop ships in the Irish Sea and locating a lost Flying Fortress near Larne. On September 22, Janina was captured by the Soviets in Husiatyn. 3030 Fighter Squadron, stand by one of the Squadron's Hurricanes at RAF Leconfield on 24 October 1940. Contain next 1,311 names. F/O ak was wounded and bailed out over Horsham and four Hurricanes were lost in total. Scarecrows fit for a king A royal theme ran through a village festival that attracted thousands of visitors. 11 Group at Uxbridge. At the outset, serving RAF officers were appointed to serve as CO (S/Ldr RG Kellett) and Flight Commanders (F/Lt JA Kent and F/Lt AS Forbes) alongside the Poles, as the Polish pilots were unfamiliar with RAF Fighter Command language, procedures and training. read more, n early 1943, the Polish Air Force Command received a message that in the Middle East along with gen. Anders 2nd Corps had arrived about 1,500 boys aged 15 years (actually 12 to 16 years). The squadron was rested on 15 June, relocating to Kirton in Lindsey in Lincolnshire. The combat experience and fighting ability of the Polish pilots was largely ignored by the French. Fighter Command claimed six kills (JG 26 lost two, with three more badly damaged).[22]. The Poles, from the very beginning, had shown their eagerness to fight and the RAF's attitude towards them became more accommodating. polish squadrons remembered. Three days later Flying Officer Ostowicz scored the first Polish kill in the Battle of Britain by sharing aHe 111over Brighton. Squadron Leader Tadeusz Koc took over the command of No. Karubin claimed a Bf 109. After the fall of France, about 6,200 PAF airmen were evacuated to the UK. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Other sources give 131 kills as there is generally variation in figures for claimed 'kills' - the entire RAF score was lowered from 2,692 to 1,733 aircraft destroyed due to the discrepancy between British and German official figures. (https://www.cwgc.org/find-reco). In late January 1941, the squadron converted to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk I. Although the work of Anna and Tadeusz Krzystek is known among historians and aviation enthusiasts as the Krzysteks List, really it is a work of many people. On 9 September 1940, 12 Hurricanes were scrambled and two claims made over Bf 109s by Zumbach (both of JG 53) and one by Frantiek a Bf 109 of 7./JG 27 who also claimed a He 111 of KG 53 as a "probable", while a Bf 110 was shot down by F/L Kent. Sign up to receive extraordinary stories from IWM straight to your inbox. Further cigarettes were handed out on Christmas Day before the Officers served dinner in the Airmen's Mess. On May 8th, 1945, the Allies celebrated their World War II success with the London Victory Parade without Polish colors flying and without Polish soldiers present. Brzezowski killed, Sgt Andruszkw bailed out while P/O okuciewski was wounded in the leg, returning to base safely). No. These pilots came from across the globe from New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the United States and from the occupied nations of eastern Europe: Czechoslovakia and Poland. read more PAF in Great Britain after the war T They came together to defend the last staging point for a future liberation of Europe. After the war, some airmen chose to remain in Britain, and they continued to work for the RAF mostly as flight instructors. Disbanded 11th December 1946. I am now firing at the Messerschmitt and see my bursts sink into its fuselage and wings. Matusiak, Wojtek with Robert Gretzyngier and Piotr Winiewski. The Polish heritage day event offered talks, tours and entertainment at the airfield. Craig Murray: "They did have problems. No. This practice was mandated in a memo regarding confidential information issued by the Air Ministry dated Oct. 14, 1949. Flying Officer Antoni Ostowicz and Flight Lieutenant Wilhelm Pankratz were posted to No. A total of 145 Poles fought in the Battle of Britain, nearly 100 of whom served with the RAF. 315 (Polish) Squadron from July to November 1943, No. ", A Question of Honoir Listen to Lynn Olsen and Stanley Cloud, authors of "A Question of Honour," about the "Kociuszko" Squadron, Personnel of the Polish Air Force in Great Britain 1940-1947, "Bloody Foreigners" documentary on 303 Squadron, Hurricane & Dywizjon 303: Fact vs. Fiction, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=No._303_Squadron_RAF&oldid=1150014723, 7 November 1940 Sqn Ldr (cpt.) Piotr Hodyra. Polish institute & Sikorski Museum. The Squadron intercepted its first enemy aircraft on 20 August. Neither Nastorowicz or his Hurricane Mk.IIa (Z2814, coded WX*K) were seen again. The List is also available for download as a PDF file. Ks. With a personal score of 17 enemy planes, he was the top scorer of the Battle of Britain. 303 (Polish) Fighter Squadron during theBattle of Britain, summed it up in his memoirs: 'All I knew about the Polish Air Force was that it had only lasted about three days against the Luftwaffe, and I had no reason to suppose that they would shine any more brightly operating from England'. Over five devastating weeks, Poland had been crushed by invaders from Germany and the Soviet Union. Polish Air Force Squadrons. Shortly after their arrival, the Commander of No. They painted the squadron's emblem (red cap, crossed scythes, stars and stripes) on the fuselage of their Hawker Hurricanes, just below the cockpit. 303 Squadron claimed 21 enemy aircraft destroyed in 1942, losing 10 pilots: four killed in action, two in accidents and four taken prisoner. 303 (Polish) Squadron from November 1943 to April 1944. On 5 September, nine No. 303 Squadron had packed their equipment and moved via rail and ferry to their new base at RAF Horne so ending the time spent by Polish Squadrons in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. No. The squadron converted to the new Spitfire Mk IX and in June resumed operations. 303, engaged some 60 Bf 109s over Lille. Frantiek crash-landed. Some 20 Spitfires were written off or lost in action. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Memories From An Operational Squadron of RAF Bomber Command 04th September 1939 206 Squadron Anson I K6183 P/O. A further 6,220 Polish air personnel would reach Britain by the end of July 1940, increasing the total of Polish airmen on British soil to 8,384 men. 315 Squadron was formed there in a previous month. His No.2 on the flight, Sgt. S/Ldr Koc welcomed the guests after which 'all breaked with Christmas Wafer after an old Polish tradition and made ready for supper, singing Christmas Carols.' . During escort cover for the ill-fated Schweinfurt mission on 17 August 1943, No. No. We will reopen on Tuesday 2 May 2023 at 10am. 303 Squadron is referenced in the first chorus of the Sabaton song Aces in Exile. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron and four other squadrons. This unit had originally formed on 9 March 1940 as 6 OTU from the 11 Group Fighter Pilot Pool and was tasked with training replacement pilots on the Hurricane. 303 was rested on 13 July moving to Speke near Liverpool, in 9 Group, Fighter Command. 303 Squadron. I consent to my name and e-mail address being stored along with this comment, and to the website editors communicating with me by e-mail about the comment if necessary. en-route to India in December 1944, when Dakota FL588 from 24 Squadron RAF Transport Command, based at RAF Hendon, crashed on a snowy ridge in . Required fields are marked *. 600 feet in a deep turn to the left and about 20 yards from my leader I looked down to see where we were and I noticed hilly ground. They'd seen how quickly Poland been overrun and thought perhaps they weren't really up to the task and the French had also thought this as well, when the men of them had fled to France to continue the fight um but they'd soon found out how good the Poles actually were and eventually the British would find it too they actually had very experienced very skilled pilots.". Another pleasant surprise for Kent was the arrival of the RAF's No. Memorials, Graves & Airfields. Aspen Ford, Oklahoman. On their part the British, like the French before them, accepted as truth the German propaganda about Polish ineptitude in resisting the German-Soviet invasion and were doubtful about the flying skills of the Polish pilots. Many decided to return to Soviet controlled Poland. During the day, No. The squadron was the subject of the 1942 book Squadron 303, written by the Polish writer Arkady Fiedler, which is considered the most popular among this writer's many works and has sold over 1.5 million copies. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Operations answered that we were 5 miles East of Base. 315 Squadron's Mustangs were multi-role aircraft. Poles were no strangers there since No. Before July, when it came under Polish command. It was decided, therefore, to expand the current version by adding to each name information about the place or country in which the airman settled after 1947, as well as the date of death and place of burial, if they were known. Hundreds of people have visited the site of a "forgotten" World War Two airfield to remember Polish bomber squadrons that flew from there. On 7 October 1941, the squadron returned to Northolt and re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk Vb. [1], Its success in combat can be mainly attributed to the years of extensive and rigorous pre-war training many of the long-serving Polish veterans had received in their homeland, far more than many of their younger and inexperienced RAF comrades then being thrown into the fray. From left: Czerwinski, Bernas, Neyder, unknown, Gnys, unknown, Nastorowicz (marked with red arrow, Kaminski, Wedzik, Narucki, Lapka, Lysek, Markiewicz. 133 Wing RAF of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. ALTHOUGH the Polish 303 Squadron joined the Battle of Britain two months after it began, the unit claimed the most . Next day Sgt Bartkowiak was also lost though he evaded capture and returned to the unit four months later. The RAF came, facing odds of six, eight, ten to one and dove in, shouting the old hunting cry: Tally Ho! He was the highest scoring pilot of 303rd Squadron and the second highest scoring ace in the Battle of Britain, with 17 claims. [16] Wandzilak was approved, and Anna Krzystek was chosen as the person responsible for entering the more than 17,000 names on the computer. After the Battle of Britain the Polish Air Force continued to serve alongside the RAF until the last day of the war. P/O Daszewski was shot down and seriously wounded, while F/O Pisarek bailed out. www.polishsquadronsremembered.com is a subdomain of the polishsquadronsremembered.com domain name, which is a part of the generic top-level domain .com. Operationally it belonged to 12 Group and just five days later it intercepted its first enemy aircraft. He always helped a person in need and would never . Types of aircraft used by the PAF during the invasion of Poland, including a PZL.37 'Los' medium bomber of the 1st Air Regiment with row of PZL P.11 fighter planes of the 111th and 112th Fighter Escadrilles in the background, photographed at Okecie airfield near Warsaw in early 1939. Two bombers were brought down before the escort intervened, and a Bf 109 was also claimed. No 315 was commanded by Squadron Leader H. D. Cooke. Conversely, German claims were that 12 aircraft had been lost and that they had themselves shot down 6 aircraft (one of which was claimed to be a Lockheed P-38 Lightning). At the time of his posting, 302 Squadron were nominally based at RAF Northolt but had transferred to the satellite airfield at RAF West Hampnett (now more familiarly known as Goodwood aerodrome) on 23 November 1940. Craig Murray: "One particular group captain decided to test one of the squadrons just to see what their claims were they came back from one sort of quite shaken saying oh yes they do in fact get what they say they get. ), (include 303 enemy aircraft on the ground), (under British command until 1 January 1941.