Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain
[2] After the German–Soviet invasion of Poland of 1939, most of the flying personnel and technicians of the Polish Air Force were evacuated to Romania and Hungary, after which thousands found their way to France.A small improvised Polish unit at Salon and Clermont-Aulnat (now Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport) operated the equally inadequate Koolhoven F.K.58 from 30 May commanded by Captain Walerian Jasionowski.The British government informed General Sikorski that, at the end of the war, Poland would be charged for all costs involved in maintaining Polish forces in Britain.[citation needed] Dowding had been doubtful about integration of Polish pilots within British squadrons due to language issues and wanted all-Polish units.The fighter squadrons, flying the Hawker Hurricane, first saw action in the third phase of the Battle of Britain in late August 1940, quickly becoming highly effective.Polish flying skills were well-developed from the invasion of Poland and being highly motivated by patriotism for revenge the pilots were regarded as fearless and sometimes bordering on reckless.Although at first the Poles memorised basic English sentences to identify themselves if shot down over Britain to avoid being mistaken as Germans, Ingersoll wrote that such pilots returned with "a girl on each arm.This resulted in the creation of a dedicated Polish Air Force staff college at RAF Weston-super-Mare, which remained open until April 1946.A large memorial to Polish Air Force squadrons in the war is situated on the floor of the north aisle of the reconstructed Wren church, St Clement Danes, London.[citation needed] The Polish-American fighter ace Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski flew his first combat missions attached to a Polish RAF squadron.
United KingdomFrancePolish government-in-exileAttackFairey BattleBomberAvro LancasterVickers WellingtonFighterBloch MB.152Caudron C.714de Havilland MosquitoHawker HurricaneNorth American MustangSupermarine SpitfireKoolhoven FK.58Morane-Saulnier M.S.406PolishPolish Air ForcesWorld War IIinvasion of PolandBattle of Britainnon-British contributionWarsawPole MokotowskieFranco-Polish Military AllianceGroupe de Chasse polonaise I/145Messerschmitt Bf 109EsDornier Do 17Messerschmitt Bf 110AulnatClermont-Ferrand Auvergne AirportKoolhoven F.K.58Battle of FrancePolish Air ForceSir Hugh DowdingGeneral SikorskiRoyal Air Force Volunteer ReserveGeorge VIRoyal Air ForceRalph IngersollPolish namesCoastal CommandSupermarine SpitfiresNorth American MustangsBoulton-Paul DefiantBristol BeaufighterFairey BattlesVickers WellingtonsAvro LancastersHandley Page HalifaxsConsolidated Liberatorsde Havilland MosquitosNorth American MitchellsAusterSt Clement DanesRAF Weston-super-MareSovietPolish Resettlement Act 1947memorial to those Polish pilots killedRAF NortholtWestern AvenueFrancis S. "Gabby" GabreskigriffinPomeraniaPZL.23 KaraśArmée de l'AirPolish 132nd Fighter EscadrillePolish 7th Air EscadrillePolish 111th Fighter EscadrilleNo. 300 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 301 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 1586 Flight RAFNo. 302 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 303 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 304 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 305 Polish Bomber SquadronNo. 306 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 307 Polish Night Fighter SquadronNo. 308 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance SquadronNo. 315 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 316 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 317 Polish Fighter SquadronNo. 318 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance SquadronNo. 663 Artillery Observation SquadronPolish Flight "C" was part of No. 138 Special Duty SquadronPolish Fighting TeamGroupe de Chasse de VarsovieLyon-BronGroupe de Chasse GC I/145ChâteaudunÉtampesNantesRomorantinToulouse-FrancazalRAF HemswellLincolnshireRAF Bomber CommandNo. 1 Bomber GroupRAF FaldingworthAir Defence of Great BritainNo. 11 (Fighter) GroupNo. 307 Polish Fighter SquadronChurch FentonNo. 12 (Fighter) GroupHutton CranswickRAF ColtishallNo. 13 Fighter GroupRAF DremRAF Cammeringham2nd Tactical Air ForceLashamNo. 84 Group RAFNo. 131 WingChaileyII Corps (Poland)No. 663 Polish Artillery Observation SquadronNo. 133 WingCoolhamEugeniusz HorbaczewskiRAF BrenzettFocke-Wulf Fw 190sNo 19 (GR) GroupRAF ChivenorRAF West Kirby