Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Polish Pilots during the Battle of Britain, 1940

We Americans always love a good David and Goliath story it seems. However, something few hear about, or much less care is the value of the successes in the air, of Polish Pilots, who made it to Britain and flew in 303 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.

Air Historians would later credit Polish and Czech Pilots during the Battle of Britain as what defeated the Luftwaffe over British skies in the end. 303 Squadron made up of Poles, shot down more any other Squadron in the RAF, almost triple what the next highest scoring RAF unit did, while being operational for a much shorter period during the Battle.

For those with any interest, here's a nice video explaining why:

Biggest loosers of Wold War II. The british government charged them for training, weapons,...... I wonder if Polish Government in exile had to pay for funerals of those killed in defense of britain. Yes, would not surprise me one bit.
The british did not even let them march in victory parade because that could upset Stalin. They told those pilots to leave England and go home. The Poles have handed over weapons to Ukrainians for free and signed contracts with Americans, South Koreans, British for billions of dollars, new bumper country against Russian expansion into Europe. Mercenary idiots of the world.

This explains much. Thanks.

In case you ain’t read it already, The Most Dangerous Enemy is the best BoB book I have found and like that video goes contrary to the popular conceptions of that fight.

https://www.amazon.com/Most-Dangerous-Enemy-History-Britain/dp/1781314950

I've worked with a few Polish people that came here after the war. Couldn't ask for a harder and more dedicated worker. They set their mind to getting a job done and you won't find them standing around drinking coffee and BS'ing all day long.

Phil

My sister adopted four kids from a Polish orphanage, they turned out so well we have decided to get all our kids from Poland from now on 🙂

My wife's Uncle's brother.

https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Falkowski.htm

But do they celebrate Thanksgiving... /s

They worked hard? Not like you and the rest of the commie pinko fágs I bet.

Two Polish pilots are struggling to land a plane.

Eventually they get lined up and land it...but crash into a hanger.


The copilot remarks that the runway sure was short...to which the pilot responds...yeah...but it was wide enough.

Because they hated the Nazis with a red-hot passion.

Repeat Please!!!!

They were treated terrible after the war and then deported back to Poland where the Russians treated them even worse.The Brits should be ashamed at how they treated them.

Bb

But...."They are not like us".

They make good machine tools.

Always been a student of the Battle of Britain, from living over there.

The British had a habit of a 4 finger flight of a/c. They would go after a bomber in that formation. German fighters would come up and take them down 1 2 3 4, while they were trying to line up on the Bomber.. It was a dumbass thing to do.

they Poles, much like the Rasta of the Luftwaffe, loose formation of pilot and wingmen in two pairs.
Their training and experience, and their hate for the Nazis, that attacked their nation, they were Highly Motivated.

They would dive, and come up under a bomber, then pop up at a 100 yds or less, right on their tail. Flying RAF Hurricanes, which carried either 8 or 12 machine guns, in 303 caliber, they'd open up and tear the living crap out of the German bomber, and then drop away in a dive, before a Luftwaffe ME 109, could get on their tail.

The Poles didn't wait for a gun camera , to record a victory for them. They knew the bomber wasn't going to make it back to Germany, and that they had just killed half the crew at least, at close range.

The RAF was trained to open up at about 400 yds, and to not get closer, within range of the bomber's 8 mm guns, for fear of being hit. German fighters carried at least ONE 20 mm cannon in the nose, the RAF used rifle caliber 303s. The Poles knew they had to use them at close range, to make them effective.

After the Battle of Britain was over, the Spitfire Mk 2 and the Hurricane Mk 2s, started having at least one 20mm cannon in each wing.

As hunters and shooters, we know that a 303, equivalent to a 30/40 Krag, loses energy and trajectory at 400 yds.
Within 3 to 4 weeks, of operation, the Poles became the leading fighter squadron for the RAF, and ended the Battle of Britain, scoring twice the kills as the second highest scoring group, and having a small fraction of loses of any other RAF Squadron.

Basically in American terms... they had both Balls and Brains, and an intense hatred of German Nazis for motivation, of what they did to,and within Poland, the year earlier in 1939.

Poles fought in the military of Allied nations against Germany. They were always given the crap jobs, like they were disposable. But Polish forces were the ones that over and over again, held their own in the face of combat with Nazi forces, regardless in the Air or on the ground. Poland deserves more respect for their efforts in WW2, which no one seems to do, or as on here, the response is some worn out Polish Joke, about them being Stupid.

The Poles sacrificed MORE than any other allied nation in WW2, but their people never shirked standing up to fight the NAZIs, whatever Uniform of Allied Force they were wearing. They deserve respect, NOT a worn out Polish Joke on how dumb people think they are.

That’s why are typing in pollack not English.

Go back far enough and they aren’t always the good guys.

The british have no shame. They have never been friends of Poles or any other country in Central Europe.
To insult Poles further they sealed documents regarding death of General Sikorski for another 50 years.

Much respect is definitely due the Polish soldiers!

Yes, you will defend your interests to the last Slav. The conflict in 🇺🇦 is perfect example of this. I am 💯% sure the Poles signed some kind of defense agreement with 🇺🇦, 🇺🇲 & 🇬🇧 in case Russians try to move west. They will be next to find themselves in the 🍖 grinder.

Poland is part of Nato and one of the bigger 'contributors' in terms of defense spending. Pretty sure they're tired of being the speed bump between Germany and Russia.