| No. 303 (Kosciusko) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 303 Squadron Honour Badge design | |
| Active | 2 August 1940 – 11 December 1946 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  Polish government-in-exile |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Role | Fighter Squadron |
| Part of | RAF Fighter Command |
| Nickname(s) | Kosciusko Rafałki |
| Scarf colour | Scarlet |
| Anniversaries | 1 September Squadron holiday |
| Battle honours | Battle of Britain 1940, Fortress Europe 1941-1944, France and Germany 1944-1945 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | R. G. Kellett John A. Kent Zdzisław Krasnodębski Witold Urbanowicz Jan Zumbach Witold Łokuciewski |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron Codes | RF (Aug 1940 – Apr 1945) PD (Apr 1945 – Dec 1946) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Hawker Hurricane Supermarine Spitfire Mustang IV |
No. 303 Squadron RAF, also known as the 303rd "Tadeusz Kościuszko Warsaw" Fighter Squadron,[a] was one of two Polish squadrons that fought during the Battle of Britain along with No. 302 Squadron, of 16 total Polish squadrons during the Second World War. Flying Hawker Hurricanes, the squadron claimed the largest number of aircraft shot down 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.[1][2][3][4][5]
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. It had a distinguished combat record and was disbanded in December 1946.
"Had it not been for the magnificent material contributed by the Polish squadrons and their unsurpassed gallantry," wrote Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding, head of RAF Fighter Command, "I hesitate to say that the outcome of the Battle (of Britain) would have been the same."[7]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Deighton 1996, pp. 188, 275.
- ^ Olson and Cloud 2003
- ^ Zaloga and Hook 1982, p. 15.
- ^ Gretzyngier and Matusiak 1998, p. 25.
- ^ "The Polish Pilots Who Flew in the Battle of Britain". Imperial War Museums. 1 September 1939. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
- ^ "No. 303 Squadron history". polishsquadronsremembered.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "Josef Frantisek: The Battle of Britain's Czech hero – BBC News". BBC News. 14 September 2018.