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Polish workers
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Storer68
New member
And what we said when they flew for us in the Battle Of Britain................They fought for your freedom.
I think we owe them a bit.......
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron was formed on 2 August 1940, and became operational on 31 August of the same year, its initial cadre being 13 Officer and 8 NCO pilots and 135 Polish ground staff. Initially English speaking serving RAF Officers were appointed to serve as CO and Flight Commanders alongside their Polish contemporaries, as the Polish pilot contingent were not yet familiar with RAF Fighter Command language, procedures and training. The name chosen by the squadron was in honour of the famous Polish Kosciuszko Squadron which fought during the Polish-Soviet War in 1920. No. 303 Squadron was also linked to the original Kosciuszko Squadron through personnel that had served in the squadron of 1920. Later, further air force units from the aforementioned were renamed the 7th, 121st and 111th Squadrons of the Polish Air Force.
On 30 August 1940, the squadron scored its first victory while still officially non-operational, against a German Bf 110 fighter[2]. 303 Squadron claimed the largest number of aircraft destroyed of the 66 Allied fighter squadrons engaged in the Battle of Britain, even though it joined the fray two months after the battle had begun. Its success in combat can be attributed to the years of extensive and rigorous pre-war training many of the long-serving Polish veterans had received in their homeland and surviving previous encounters with Luftwaffe in inferior planes; far more than many of their younger and inexperienced RAF comrades being thrown into the battle. In its first seven days of combat, the squadron claimed nearly 40 enemy aircraft. Withdrawn from battle for a rest on the 11 October, the squadron had claimed 126 kills in six weeks. However, losses had also been heavy, with 18 Hurricanes lost, seven pilots killed and five badly wounded.
While it is obvious, that the number of Battle of Britain claims was overestimated (as in case of virtually all fighter units), 303 Squadron was positively one of top fighter units in the battle and the best Hurricane-equipped one. According to historian John Alcorn, 44 victories are positively verified, what makes 303 Squadron 4th best fighter squadron of the battle, after Squadrons Nos. 603, 609, 41, which all flew more modern Spitfires[3]. Considering the fact, that these victories were scored in only 17 days of combat, it was the most efficient unit, with high kill-to-loss ratio 2,8:1. However, J. Alcorn was not able to attribute 30 shot-down aircraft to any particular unit, and according to Jerzy Cynk and some other Polish historians, the real number of victories of 303 Squadron was in fact about 55-60[3].
During 1941-43, 303 Squadron flew on Fighter Command's offensive sweeps over North West Europe, flying the various marks of the Spitfire. During Operation Jubilee, 303 Squadron claimed the highest number of aircraft shot down of all Allied squadrons participating. On 11 April 1942, when an aerial gunnery contest was staged within No. 11 Group RAF, the three competing Polish squadrons - 303, 316 and 315 took the first three places out of all 22 air squadrons, 303 Squadron coming first by a very healthy margin (808 hits, while 316 Squadron scored 432 hits, and the best British squadron 150 hits[3]). After D-Day, the squadron remained with ADGB ('Air Defence Great Britain'), moving to RAF Coltishall for operations over Holland. April 1945 saw the unit equipped with Mustang IVs.
303 Squadron was the most effective Polish squadron during the Second World War. Its pilots were the only representatives of the Polish Army invited to the London Victory Parade in 1946; they refused the invitation because no other Polish units were invited. After the end of the war, squadron morale decreased due to the treatment of Poles by the Allies, and the squadron was eventually disbanded in December 1946.
The dry statistics are insufficient to convey the frequently suicidal bravery exhibited by the pilots of 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Even though the Hurricanes flown by the Polish pilots were inferior to the main German fighter (the Messerschmitt Bf 109), they were far superior to the outdated Polish planes that defended the country's skies during the German invasion in September 1939. Due to critical shortage of Allied aircraft and pilots, 303 Squadron frequently intercepted and engaged large formations of German bombers and fighters which outnumbered the squadron by as much as ten to one. On one occasion a pilot of 303 - Sergeant Stanislaw Karubin – out of ammunition, resorted to extreme tactics to bring down a German fighter. Following a prolonged air battle, Karubin was chasing a German fighter at tree-top level. As he closed in on the tail of the German fighter, Karubin realized that his Hurricane had run out of ammunition. Rather than turning back to base, he closed the distance and climbed right above the German fighter. The German pilot was so shocked to see the underside of the Hurricane within arm's reach of his cockpit that he instinctively reduced his altitude to avoid a collision and crashed into the ground. [4]
[edit] Squadron statistics
126 German aeroplanes shot down by No. 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. Painted on a Hurricane.(from 19 July 1940 until 8 May 1945)
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Overall
Combat sorties 1,049 2,143 1,348 2,075 2,653 632 9,900
Hours of flight time 1,086 2,743 1,967 3,693 5,259 1,118 15,866
[edit] Scores
Claims during Battle of Britain
Score
destroyed 126
probables 13
damaged 9
(4.7% of all enemy aeroplanes during the battle. In fact some 44-60 victories, what makes however a similar percentage[3].)
178th German aeroplane shot down by No. 303 Squadron. From the left side: Sgt. Rokitnicki, F/Sgt Wunsche, Flt Lt Bieńkowski, F/O Horbaczewski and F/O Lipiński. In the background Spitfire VB, BM144 -D flight by Zumbach.Claims from September 1, 1940 until May 8, 1945)
Score
destroyed 297 1/6
probables 35
damaged 25
(include 3-0-3 enemy aeroplanes on the ground
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
Isn't it about time that Polish was taught in schools, surely with the influx of new people from that wonderful country it would be of more use to young Britons than any of the other language choices on offer, at least you could use it at home rather than having to travel.
At school I had two years of Latin, not much use there as I don't want to be a Catholic priest and the Romans died out years ago. My eight years of French should really have left me fluent in the language but frankly it was an embarassment whenever I attempted to use it. I also had a couple of years of German which got me pretty much nowhere, I could barely understand a word of it until I learnt Dutch and realised the vague similarities and gave it a bash.
It is about time the education system perked up its ideas about language teaching, give kids something that they might be able to make decent use of.
At school I had two years of Latin, not much use there as I don't want to be a Catholic priest and the Romans died out years ago. My eight years of French should really have left me fluent in the language but frankly it was an embarassment whenever I attempted to use it. I also had a couple of years of German which got me pretty much nowhere, I could barely understand a word of it until I learnt Dutch and realised the vague similarities and gave it a bash.
It is about time the education system perked up its ideas about language teaching, give kids something that they might be able to make decent use of.
readingstockport
New member
WTF is that supposed to prove. The paper that supported Hitler during the second world war doesn't like foreginers (unless they're goose-stepping germans of course) shock.
If you genuinely rely on the mail for your information then I deeply, deeply pity you.
I saw it reported yesterday that immigration had increased crime levels, I think in the express. Which was a rather interesting interpretation of the report from the police which said exactly the opposite.
And nazi reich, not ANL. Never really liked them, far to SWP for me. I was more aligned with Bone and that mob.
Pretty pink fairy
Banned
- Jan 30, 2008
- 31,981
RESPECT!!!! I WAS JUST POINTING OUT HOW EFECTIVE BLITZKRIEG WAS AGAINST POLISH FORCES
Pretty pink fairy
Banned
- Jan 30, 2008
- 31,981
what a pathetic and flimsy response just give up and go and live in a commune with the rest of the defeatist's
Dandyman
In London village.
The Blitzkrieg was very effective. One of the reasons being that Poland was also invaded by the USSR at the same time and Britain and France did f*ck all in real terms to help them.
Uncle Buck
Ghost Writer
- Jul 7, 2003
- 28,075
Ah yes, the Phoney War, saw lots about that yesterday.
Pretty pink fairy
Banned
- Jan 30, 2008
- 31,981
yes,best of both worlds!!!
black night
New member
- Dec 25, 2006
- 57
open the doors all wellcome in , sod the rest of you english . build more homes
.and lets keep wages down just the start labour to soft
.and lets keep wages down just the start labour to soft
Pretty pink fairy
Banned
- Jan 30, 2008
- 31,981
Oi, Muggy, tell me what I said that was racist then please and I will reply to you, cockend.
Im off to sip wine now at the St Georges Day Dinner.
I await, you numpty. Saying sorry will do if you are unable to find a racist coment from me........I will say - you are a **** for accusing me.
readingstockport
New member
I agree you are a bit of a cockend. I said you trotted out tedious right wing lies.
You do.
Enjoy your bitter little drink of wine. I suspect it could be a 100 year old vintage but in your mouth anything will taste sour, it's the drinker not the drink you see.
Pretty pink fairy
Banned
- Jan 30, 2008
- 31,981
give up readingstockport another flimsy answer
acrossthepond
Active member
So what do you think we should do, if anything, about immigration from other EU countries into the UK?
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,422
Operate a Sportsman-like policy of one-in, one-out.
Every decent, honest and truthful skilled immigrant that we take in, ship some useless lifelong benefit feral to a country that will treat them in the way they deserve. Show them how the world at large works
I look forward to the picutres in The Argus. Anyone below 20 stone and 40 years? Any females?
Operate a Sportsman-like policy of one-in, one-out.
Every decent, honest and truthful skilled immigrant that we take in, ship some useless lifelong benefit feral to a country that will treat them in the way they deserve. Show them how the world at large works
The thing is, even the most unskilled fool from abroad is prob more qualified and skilled than the f**kwits we cultivate.
Tom Hark Preston Park
Will Post For Cash
- Jul 6, 2003
- 72,422
For sure. Hard to see how we arrived at the situation where we have more NATURAL BORN TRASH than most other countries in the Western World.
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
I spent three years working in careers advice and recruitment in Edinburgh from 97-00, by the time I left the job pretty much the only people in the area who didn't have a job were either unable to work, had no skills whatsoever or you wouldn't want them working for you. It was clear to me then that the situation was completely unsustainable if the economy and local businesses were to grow, new employees had to come from somewhere as they weren't exactly growing on trees, I couldn't see the situation improving...you can't have your cake and eat it.