No. 306 Polish Fighter Squadron
No. 306 "Toruń" Polish Fighter Squadron was a Polish fighter squadron formed in Great Britain as part of an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom in 1940. It was one of 15 squadrons of the Polish Air Force in exile that served alongside the Royal Air Force in World War II.
History
Formed on 29 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. The bear climbing a tree was an emblem of the No. 605 (County of Warwick) Squadron, the unit of the first commander of the new squadron, F/Cdr. Douglas Scott.In the course of its existence, the squadron claimed 68 confirmed kills, 16½ probable, and 26 damaged. Moreover, the crews of the 306 brought down 59 V1 flying bombs. It was disbanded on 6 January 1947 after the end of World War II.
Aircraft
- Hawker Hurricane Mk I – from 4 September 1940
- Hawker Hurricane Mk IIA – from 5 April 1941
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk I and Mk II – from 12 July 1941
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB – from 11 December 1941
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX – from 29 November 1942
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB – from 13 March 1943
- North American Mustang Mk III – from 26 March 1944